One of #40 Bob Fooskas ten rushes for the night for 161 yards against Penncrest. Photo by Jim Quinn, BQPictures.com
By Brian Carroll, Broadcaster
“The Media Bowl trophy will stay on S. Providence Road…,” was the call last Friday night, as Strath Haven continued their recent dominance in their local rivalry with Penncrest, marching to a 42-6 victory. On a night when the 2000 State Champions were honored, the Panthers put on quite a show, erupting for 35 first-half points and a brick-wall defensive effort to slow down their neighbors to the immediate north. As the Panthers continue to strive toward a top two or three seed in the District 1 5A playoffs, an improved and talented Lower Merion squad is next on the docket.
Lower Merion started this season 3-2, their best start since 1992. That solid start included a tight loss to Haverford in a game that was tied in the 4th quarter, but have lost three straight games since. The Aces, led by Head Coach Joe Augustine, have relied heavily on the arm and legs of QB (#4) Jack Lledo, who is also a state-level wrestler in the winter months. Lledo has passed for over 200 yards in a game multiple times this year, with favorite targets being WR (#3) Lance Kim and WR (#8( Andre Gilmore. The rushing attack is led by (#24) Jay Zheng, who missed last week’s game versus Ridley, and RB (#17) Ben Booker, and they are often following the lead blocking of excellent two-way tackle (#60) Xavier Archawski. Lower Merion has scored 47 or more points in each of their three victories this year, so the Strath Haven defense will need to be on their toes.
