By Brian Carroll
“On paper,” this is exactly where the District 1 5A football bracket should have landed: Starting back on November 3rd, the two top-seeded teams would play each week at their home venues against lower-seeded opponents, and eventually meet Thanksgiving weekend. And while each of this year’s top seeds have had momentary regular season stumbles, each has indeed battled through tough and seasoned opponents in the playoffs to create an All Delco championship final, with the Strath Haven Panthers taking a short trip to visit their neighbors to the south, the Chester Clippers for a chance to go to the PIAA State semifinals.
Top-seeded Chester will get another shot on their home field this week thanks to a 26-20 victory over an always-tough West Chester Rustin team on Saturday afternoon. That win in the semifinals continues an upward trend for the Clippers, who lost an opening round playoff game in 2021, built on it last year with their first-ever playoff victory before bowing out in the quarterfinal round, and now stands ready to grab their first District 1 title if they can add to a 12-game winning streak. A number of underclassmen lead the way for Chester, including last year’s all-state quarterback #3 Jalen Harris, who has followed a brilliant freshman season with another impressive 23 touchdown passes and 1,564 yards to go with just four interceptions. His favorite targets include #0 Dom Toy, a Connecticut-bound tight end with 24 receptions for 405 yards and 7 touchdowns, as well as Jalen’s twin brother #2 Daron Harris, a do-everything talent who has scored touchdowns as a runner, receiver, kick returner, and punt returner. On the ground, the Clippers, absent #21 Dayshon Jackson’s 1,337 rushing yards due to transfer rules, will pound it by committee with a talented trio of #1 Larry McDaniel, #4 Shamar Williams, and #5 Nahree Melvin. Defensively, opponents have managed just 11.6 points per game against an active group that has posted 5 shutouts on the season and allowed just five total scores in their first three playoff games. #6 Jerrell Palmer leads the team with 141 tackles from his inside linebacker spot, while Toy has been unblockable at times from his defensive end spot, with 9 sacks on the season. Williams and Daron Harris anchor the secondary with four and six interceptions, respectively, with Harris’ 70-yard return for a fourth quarter touchdown capping the Clippers’ victory over Rustin last Saturday.
The Panthers managed to squeak past a fantastic Springfield squad for the second time this season in last weekend’s semifinals, largely on the efforts of timely and tough defense. With the Cougars boasting a nearly 38 points per game average, the Haven defenders stood tall on numerous occasions, limiting Springfield’s big play capability, and coming up with several big plays themselves. Linebackers #20 Marco Kauffman (20 tackles), #44 Sean Henry (12 tackles), and #32 Shane Green (9 tackles) were flying to ball carriers all night, while #81 Jahi Curtis and #34 Vince Hales rushed the passer well. Those pressures helped the Panther secondary, where #25 AJ Glavacic returned to grab two interceptions, #31 Jack Shuster swatted away a pass in the end zone in the final seconds, and #5 James Fisher, with help from Hales, made a fantastic tackle on a Springfield two-point conversion attempt to save the game. Fisher also struck big on the offensive side of the ball, with a 62-yard scoring run, to accompany Green’s 145-yard rushing effort to pace the Panther attack. And the Panther special teams got the job done, as well, with solid kickoffs from #85 Ian Gallagher, timely punts from #6 Jake Kitchin, and the extra point combination of long snapper #85 Jackson Miller, Kitchin, and kicker #27 Ben Milligan connecting on both extra point tries for the final margin of victory.
While Chester and the former Nether Providence High school met annually from 1967 through 1982, Chester and Strath Haven will go head-to-head for only the second time ever, and first time since 1995. This weekend’s championship game will have a far different feel than other Strath Haven playoff games of recent seasons’ past. Head Coach Kevin Clancy and his longtime staff are making their District 1 record-setting 14th appearance in the championship final and have had many repeat opponents during three decades of playoff success. The Clippers, led by first-year Head Coach Dennis Shaw, is making its first appearance in a District 1 final, but brings a confident and talented group whose success has been building over the last handful of seasons. Haven will lean on experience and execution on offense, to be countered by Chester’s advantage in size and overall team speed and should provide fans with a terrific contest between this year’s Del Val League winner and the Central League co-champions.
Take a break from holiday shopping and come out for what everyone hopes will be the game of the year in Delaware County this Saturday afternoon. For those who cannot attend in person, live coverage will begin at 12:45pm on www.havenfootball.net. In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving and Go Panthers!
