By Brian Carroll, Havenfootball.net
With one week of football under their belts, why not have two of the Central League’s biggest rivals square off sooner rather than later? It may seem a little early for the annual Media Bowl for some, but you won’t hear any complaints from the Strath Haven Panthers or Penncrest Lions. With the two schools sharing a border and separated by just a few miles on Route 252, many of the players have grown up as teammates or opponents in multiple sports through their youth, giving this annual event extra cache. And with both the Panthers and Lions playing well in their respective victories last weekend, both will be anxious to start a winning streak as the league opener commences.
Coming off a playoff berth and their first five-win season in several years, the Lions are hungry to return the Media Bowl trophy back to Barren Road. Head Coach Paul Graham returns a number of solid seniors who gained terrific experience as underclassman, including strong defensive linemen #66 Ben Kauffman, #5 Kyle Cunningham and #20 Owen Thompson, who had two tackles for loss in the 33-20 win over Sun Valley last week. #3 Albert Dada and #19 Colby Poole lead a group of active, blitz-happy linebackers, which includes juniors #22 Jeff Cropper and #55 Orion Kolleh. Offensively, Penncrest has some added wrinkles to their triple-option attack, employing a shotgun look when strong-armed quarterback #9 Zack Mullin is in the game, and operate under center more often when quarterback #13 Paul Graham, Jr. can utilize his elusiveness. Further, the special teams have indeed been special, as kicker #8 James Mulholland pinned Sun Valley deep all night by blasting five touchbacks, while returners #4 Anthony Coia (31-yard punt return for a touchdown) and #11 Asher Wynne (86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown), can turn the game in an instant.
Strath Haven was able to answer at least some of the early question marks with a convincing, 49-6 victory over Interboro on Friday. A brand new offensive line paved the way for a talented quartet of runners, as the Panthers averaged nearly 11 yards per carry and did not need to attempt a pass all evening. #32 Shane Green led the way with 196 yards and a score, while #5 James Fisher found the end zone three more times on the offensive side of the ball. #34 Vince Hales and #8 Ben Milligan also chipped in with one touchdown each and provided versatility that will not allow a defense to focus on just one threat. Defensively, Fisher also returned an interception for a touchdown, while #15 Luke Mulhern and #31 Landon Barlow were the leading tacklers. Freshman #47 Matt Styer made all seven of his extra point tries, and the Panthers coverage units were solid as well.
Looking ahead at this week’s matchup (on Thursday night), Penncrest will look to duplicate some of last year’s approach, as the Lions were able to put together some clock-chewing drives that kept the dangerous Panther offense on the sideline. Defensively, the Lions will likely crowd the line of scrimmage and dare Strath Haven to attack through the air, as Haven’s first-year starting quarterback #3 Caden Shuster has yet to throw a pass. Haven will look to their speedy defense to stay disciplined against the triple option and spread the ball to the “Four Horsemen” in the backfield to continue a Media Bowl win streak that dates back to 2015.
Kick off is at 7:00 THURSDAY at Penncrest High School but if youi can’t make the game you can watch it right here on Havenfootball.net. If you miss the live game you can always catch it on our archives as well! Either way, we look forward to another exciting night of football leading into the holiday weekend. Go Panthers!
