By Brian Carroll, Havenfootball.net
Throw the records out the window this week! After a 42-7 victory over Lower Merion last week, yes, the Strath Haven Panthers are undefeated at the midpoint of the 2022 season. And yes, this week’s opponent sports a somewhat less-impressive 1-4 record, and is coming off a week where the defense allowed 67 points. But when the Penncrest Lions get together with the Panthers for their annual “Media Bowl” battle, the most local of Strath Haven rivalries heats up, and anything can happen on gameday. The Panthers have held the Media Bowl trophy captive in Wallingford each year since 2016, so this senior-laden group will not be interested in leaving their hardware on Barren Road this weekend.
Penncrest arrives in Week 6 licking some wounds after Ridley pulled away late with a 67-21 victory last Friday night. Still, the Lions led that game 14-13 late in the second quarter and have had other close losses to Sun Valley and Upper Darby that offered lots of competitive energy and many reasons for optimism in the games to come. Head Coach Paul Graham, now in his second stint a with the Lions, has fully installed the triple-option offense that led his 2008 and 2009 teams deep into the playoffs. Senior QB #12 Sean O’Donnell pulls the trigger for the offense and has dual-threat RB #2 Matt Ferry taking handoffs and catching passes out of the backfield. The Lions also mix in the speed of WB #11 Asher Wynne, who turned a short screen pass into a 66-yard touchdown last week and also had 100 rushing yards against Upper Darby. Defensively, the Lions relay on senior DT #77 Dom DeLuca as an anchor up front to assist a young linebacker group, while O’Donnell and fellow senior #7 Daniel Dada hold down the fort in the secondary.
Strath Haven will take the short ride up Rt. 252 on Friday trying for their sixth win in as many weeks. The Panther defense was again the story in Saturday’s win over Lower Merion, allowing only one score on the strength of a dominant performance by defensive linemen #89 Ben Farabaugh and #35 Austin Conner, each of whom had two sacks. Free safety #4 Sam Milligan’s pair of interceptions not only stalled Lower Merion’s passing game, but set up short fields for the offense to hang six touchdowns on the scoreboard. QB #6 Jake Kitchen connected with Conner for a touchdown pass, while HB #40 Bob Fooskas topped the 100-yard mark and found the end zone three times. The fantastic offensive line also paved the way for #32 Anthony Crawford’s 87 bruising yards and a touchdown, while Conner and Milligan also found plenty of room to run. Averaging almost seven yards per carry, plus mixing in a few short passes to keep the defense honest, served the Panthers well as they moved to 5-0.
Head Coach Kevin Clancy and his talented staff will have the Panthers ready for the stretch run of the regular season, as a top-three seed in the District 1 5A playoff is definitely within reach for the defending District Champions. That being said, Penncrest is not a team to overlook. The Lions are skilled and hungry and will bring an extra energy toward defeating some Panthers players who could have been former teammates in their youth football days.
The 2022 Media Bowl will begin at 6:45pm for pre-game and a 7pm kickoff on www.havenfootball.net. Still, if you are able to attend in person, come out to Penncrest and enjoy a terrific atmosphere with the Haven and Penncrest bands, and lots of fantastic football as a fun and friendly rivalry continues. Go Panthers!
