By Brian Carroll
With Strath Haven Head Coach Kevin Clancy wrapping up career win number 345 last weekend, good for eighth place in Pennsylvania high school football history, observers around the state are again taking notice that Strath Haven could once again be a team at or near the top of the Central League this season. Still, Coach Clancy will continue to preach his “Let’s get better one week at a time,” philosophy, and the Panthers will certainly have to abide that quickly, as a hungry Springfield Cougar squad looks for a measure of revenge this Friday at Springfield High School.
Head Coach Chris Britton has a confident, experienced team that also expects to challenge for Central League and District 1 titles this season, and a 50-6 shellacking of Cardinal O’Hara last Friday would certainly reinforce that idea. With the graduation of three-year starting QB Jake Rama, Springfield has turned to a more run-heavy approach, with longtime Interboro coach Steve Lennox contributing heavily to the offensive philosophy. The I-formation with a wingback pummeled O’Hara for 360 rushing yards, with big games from running backs #34 Nate Romano (112 yds, 2TDs), #23 Luke Valerio (111 yds, 2 TDs), #5 Mike Turner (43 yds), and #22 Tanner Coll (29 yds, TD). Mix in big play specialists like #1 Chris Dolan (38 yd run) and #11 Vinny Valerio (70 yd punt return TD) with a senior-laden offensive line, and Springfield has a chance to keep opposing defenses off-balance all season. And with eight returning starters on defense from last year’s 8-4 playoff team, including a strong front four of #55 Mike Miller, #79 Jaylin Price-Tate, #56 Dean Brown, and #19 Ryan Johnston, the Cougars are poised to dish out some punishment to several offenses, too.
Similarly, Strath Haven took care of their first week of 2023 in convincing fashion, with a 28-7 win over defending District 1 4A champion Interboro. While the Panthers had some sloppy play and turnovers at moments, a bevy of running backs followed the returning offensive line to the tune of 249 rushing yards at over five yards per carry. #32 Shane Green topped 100 yards and scored twice, while seniors #4 Mekhi Clark (49 yds) and #20 Marco Kaufman (29 yds, TD) provided balance from the wings. #5 James Fisher was an all-purpose threat, scoring the first rushing touchdown of the night, followed by an electric punt return to set up the second score, and a fantastic catch on 4th and long to set up the third. Defensively, #34 Vince Hales was attacking the Interboro backfield alongside of #56 Nick Farabaugh, #63 Sean O’Neill, and #89 Alexei Gustafson. Kaufman and #44 Sean Henry were terrific in pursuit at linebacker and #27 Ben Milligan was a sure tackler in the secondary.
With both the Panthers and Cougars both expected to be favorites for the league title, it seems a bit early for this head-to-head matchup. Expect Springfield to have a little extra juice this week as they look to avenge two losses to Haven last season, including one that ended the Cougars’ run in the District 1 quarterfinals in November. At the same time, look for Strath Haven to mix that powerful running attack with a promising passing game led by senior quarterback #6 Jake Kitchin and tight end #25 AJ Glavicic. With two experienced coaching staffs that know each other’s systems well, Friday night could be quite the chess match that sets an early tone for the Central League season.
For those who cannot attend the game in person at Springfield’s fantastic facility, the live video broadcast will begin at 6:45pm for pregame, followed by a 7pm kickoff on www.havenfootball.net. Go Panthers!
