By Mike Mayer, Webmaster
The Strath Haven Panthers finished their 10-game regular season run at 9-1 as they handily beat the struggling (1-9) Harry S Truman Tigers, 42-6 in Levittown last Friday night.
The Panther defense was overwhelming holding the Tigers to only 54 yards on the ground and 144 in the air while forcing two interceptions (both by Jack Shuster) and one fumble. The Panther offense managed 349 yards rushing with 9 different running backs led by James Fisher with 95 yards on only five carries.
This Friday night begins the ‘second season’ as the PIAA District 1 playoffs begin. In the 5A classification the Panthers (#2 seed) will meet the Great Valley Patriots (#15 seed) at George L. King Field at 7 PM.
The Pats (4-6) are coming off a mixed season but certainly finished on a high as they beat Kennett, 49-14 in their final regular season game. They are led by quarterback (#2 Braeden Melia) who likes to throw and is known to run if given the opportunity. Melia’s favorite targets are #5 Gavin Maslowski and #18 Ty Callahan. Melia is the team’s best rusher but #26 Sam Snyder is his go-to back. Apart from a couple of games the Patriots have lost in close games and despite their #15 seed will give the Panthers a fight in this game.
Last week the Panthers spread it around in their running game and simply overwhelmed their opponent. This week quarterback #6 Jake Kitchin will need to bring his ‘A’ game as he guides the Panthers through their first playoff game. While you can always expect a strong running game with #5 James Fisher, #32 Shane Green and #34 Vince Hales you can expect some airtime as Kitchin can throw and likes to air it out.
The big issue will be can Haven play mistake free football. No penalties and no turnovers. They must be able to finish once in the red zone. Leaving any wiggle room for Great Valley would be a serious mistake.
Tickets are only available online through District One. You can use the link available at Havenfootball.net. Tickets are $7.51 each including the service fee.
We’d love to see a huge crowd at the game but if you can’t make it, you can watch it LIVE on Havenfootball.net. Kick-off is at 7 PM. GO PANTHERS!
