By Brian Carroll, Havenfootball.net
Week 10 in the Central League has been circled on the calendar for weeks. Or months. Or maybe even a year. While the 2024 season has certainly seen a few surprises around the league, many fans had envisioned a meaningful matchup when the Strath Haven Panthers and Springfield Cougars aligned on the calendar for the final week of the regular season. And with much credit to both teams for a fantastic performance through the first nine weeks, each will have a chance this Friday evening to make their mark on the regular season, as well as set the tone for the upcoming postseason.
As if they didn’t need any more motivation than a chance at the Central League title and the top seed in the District 1 5A playoffs, Springfield rolls into Wallingford this week brimming with confidence after a convincing 35-23 victory over Garnet Valley last Friday. A punishing ground attack, let by junior #7 Brad Barber (193 yards, 2 TDs) and #34 Nate Romano wore down the Jaguar defense, and senior quarterback #11 Jackson Kennedy topped the 1,000 yard passing mark on the season. Kennedy’s favorite target is split end #1 Chris Dolan, and tight end #41 Mike Franks emerged with two key grabs last week. #2 Tanner Coll is an all-purpose threat at wingback, and #3 Luke Valerio provides as a receiver and returner. Defensively, the Cougars are led by Romano and #32 Evan Herzig are the leading tacklers at linebacker, while #26 Jahmeer Springfield and #64 Gary Thomas are stalwarts on the line. The Springfield secondary has been a no-fly zone all season, with Valerio manning one corner opposite #6 Brian Delaney (3 interceptions) and Dolan (5 interceptions), with the latter two both having returned picks for scores this year.
Strath Haven stretched their winning streak to nine in a 55-6 shellacking of Lower Merion, with the Panthers dominating in all facets. The defense set the tone early, with four first half sacks, and eleven tackles for loss on the day as they held the Aces to negative rushing yardage until late in the final quarter. #56 Nick Farabaugh had two sacks on the day, while linemates #81 Jahi Curtis, #89 Alexei Gustafson, and #34 Vince Hales provided constant interruptions in the Aces’ backfield. #32 Shane Green’s 197 rushing yards were boosted by a career-long 90-yard touchdown jaunt, and #3 Caden Shuster threw a 36-yard dart on one of James Fisher’s two touchdowns. #24 Nate Lin burst out for 97 rushing yards and a score, and #11 Bill Dougherty and #35 Ryan Mudrick found the end zone, as well.
Much like last season, the stakes are high and the matchup seems incredibly even between the undefeated Panthers and the 8-1 Cougars, whose only stumble came at the hands of 8-1 Haverford on a night when the Cougars turned the ball over four times. Cougar Head Coach Chris Britton has his team firing on all cylinders, and all are looking to avenge the sting of last season’s two nail-biting losses to the Panthers, including one in the District 1 5A semifinals that ended the Cougars’ season. For Strath Haven, last week’s win clinched at least a share of their 14th overall and third straight Central League crown. But they would love to own the title outright, especially if a win would clinch the top seed in the playoffs and also give Head Coach Kevin Clancy his 300th victory at Strath Haven. Expect a slugfest, with both teams being incredibly familiar with each other’s schemes, with perhaps Haven’s excellent kicking game being offset by dangerous returners on the Springfield side.
If you are heading to the game in person, plan to arrive early with a large crowd and fantastic weather expected. For those not attending, all the action can be found on the livestream at www.havenfootball.net beginning at 6:45pm. Tune in for what will be a historic and competitive game no matter the outcome and will set the stage for an exciting playoff run for both teams. Go Panthers!
