By Brian Carroll
“It’s really tough to beat the same team twice in a year.” Whether it be at the youth, high school, college, or professional level, football fans have heard this repeated over and over for decades. The challenges of a rematch (for both teams) just weeks apart are significant, yet recent results amongst Central League foes might suggest otherwise. For instance, Strath Haven defeated Marple Newtown twice in 2021 on their way to a District 1 5A championship, and defeated Springfield twice in 2022. More recently, Springfield handled Marple Newtown in last weekend’s 5A quarterfinal round, a repeat of the Cougars triumph in mid-September. Thus, the stage has been set for yet another Central League rematch, as #3 Springfield and #2 Strath Haven, with their identical 11-1 records, will meet in the 2023 5A Semifinals this Friday in Wallingford.
Head Coach Chris Britton and the Central League Co-Champion Cougars roll into the semifinals as one of the hottest teams in Delaware County, winners of 10 straight games. The defense has allowed just 9.5 points per game during this run that includes two shutouts, with only Ridley scoring more than two touchdowns in a game. #55 Mike Miller continues his stellar play up front, with #32 Ethan Marshall and #34 Nate Romano behind him as punishing linebackers. An athletic secondary has forced multiple takeaways per game, with #1 Chris Dolan and #6 Brian Delaney each snaring interceptions in last week’s shutdown of Marple Newtown. Offensively, Springfield has pounded teams into submission week after week with a strong offensive line led by Miller, #78 Gus Bryan, #56 Dean Brown, #54 Aaron Lucas, and #65 Ryan Benjamin paving the way for 1,200-yard rusher #5 Mike Turner. #19 Ryan Johnston hauled in a 75-yard scoring strike from #17 Ryan Whitaker in last week’s victory, and Whitaker’s efficiency in the passing game has improved drastically as the season has progressed. The Cougars 37.8 points per game average is third best in all of District 1, which will of course test the Strath Haven defense once again.
Strath Haven grabbed their third straight trip to the 5A semifinals with a 26-21 grind over defending 5A champion Upper Dublin last week. While the Panthers struggled to sustain drives on offense for parts of the evening, their big-play capability showed up once again, as #6 Jake Kitchin connected with #5 James Fisher on a 66-yard touchdown pass to begin the scoring, and Fisher followed it with a 59-yard, untouched touchdown run early in the third quarter thanks to fantastic blocking from #20 Marco Kauffman, #40 Cole Mller, #76 Will Leuthold, and #55 Gavin Pilson. Defensively, Strath Haven played a solid first half, led by leading tackler #44 Sean Henry, and received big plays in the second half from #81 Jahi Curtis (1 sack, 5 hurries on pass defense), Miller (4 tackles, 1 interception), and Ben Milligan (6 tackles, 1 interception) to thwart the Cardinals’ late rally.
Beyond the “X’s and O’s” and strategy leading into this week’s game, both Springfield and Strath Haven could have other intangibles at play. Flashing back to Week 2, where Strath Haven put together a 91-yard scoring drive in the final two minutes to grab a 19-15 victory over the Cougars, Springfield is looking to avenge the only blemish on their record this season. Looking back even further, Springfield was eliminated by the Panthers in last year’s quarterfinal round, while the Panthers are looking to wash away the bad taste from their mistake-filled, semifinal loss to West Chester Rustin and return to the finals for the second time in three years. Both teams should assert themselves at the line of scrimmage, and the winner of the turnover battle could very well be adding some football plans to their Thanksgiving weekend.
Expect a large crowd at George L. King Field on Friday evening, so be sure to purchase tickets online and arrive early. Game coverage on www.havenfootball.net will begin at 6:45pm, with a 7pm kickoff to follow. Can the Panthers knock off the Cougars for the second time in a season, for the second year in a row? Or can the Cougars take another step toward a long-awaited District 1 title? Regardless of the result, football fans should be in for a treat as two fantastic teams battle it out this Friday. Go Panthers!
