By Brian Carroll, Havenfootball.net
Strath Haven Head Coach Kevin Clancy (he of the 335 career victories) will tell anyone who asks that his approach has remained the same for his 41+ years of coaching: One-week-at-a-time. That game-by-game focus has worked out well in 2022, with the Panthers jumping out to a 3-0 record and fresh off a convincing 25-0 win over Conestoga last Friday. Still, any Panther fan who looked at the full season schedule this summer would have had an eye on this week’s opponent, as the 2-1 Springfield Cougars always provide Strath Haven with a stern test.
Head Coach, Chris Britton, brings a hungry Cougars squad looking to bounce back not only from last week’s loss to Haverford, but also with hopes to knock off Strath Haven for the first time since 2017. Senior QB #8 Jake Rama will get his third crack at the Panthers’ defense as a starter, and brings talented targets tight-end #19 Ryan Johnson, #10 Mike O’Donnell, and #6 Aiden Kreydt, who had a touchdown in last year’s Strath Haven game and also grabbed 10 receptions last week against Haverford. A solid rushing attack led by #14 Tyler Gougler, who has scored touchdowns each of the last two weeks, will balance the Cougar attack. Defensively, the Cougars pitched two shutouts in consecutive wins over Cardinal O’Hara and Radnor before last week’s defeat. Sophomore linebackers #20 Nate Romano, who had an interception, and #34 Chris Dolan were busy last week against the Fords, while Kreydt and O’Donnell bring experience and speed to the secondary.
For the Panthers, last week’s shutout victory over Conestoga brought more of the same on offense: A powerful, multi-pronged rushing attack that again managed to win convincingly without a pass attempt. The Panthers’ front five on the offensive line, along with tight ends #89 Ben Farabaugh and #20 Marco Kauffman, cleared the path for a 350+ yard rushing attack for the third week in a row. #35 running back Austin Conner (43 rushing yards) got the party started with a first quarter touchdown, with #34 Anthony Crawford (195 yards, 2 touchdowns) and #40 Bob Fooskas (103 yards, 1 touchdown) running wild after halftime. On the other side of the ball, the Panthers forced three turnovers to thwart promising Pioneers’ drives, including a fumble recovery by Crawford and two interceptions by defensive back #4 Sam Milligan. All told, the Panthers have now played eight straight quarters without allowing a defensive score, and will look to continue that success against a challenging Springfield offense that typically shows several different formations.
As is the case in many football games at all levels, the winner of the turnover battle will be crucial in this week’s tilt. Springfield had some costly mistakes last week that they will aim to correct, and Strath Haven will look to continue to be on the plus side of the turnover margin as they have for their first three games. And with last season’s contest coming down to the final play (a last-second Strath Haven field goal to win 17-14), expect another very competitive and close contest from the Cougars and Panthers this Friday.
George L. King Field has been a nice home-field advantage for the Panthers for the past two games, and they are hopeful to have a great crowd on hand again this week. For those who cannot attend in person, the live audio and video broadcast will begin at 6:45pm for pregame, followed by a 7pm kickoff. You can see the live stream broadcast on our home page, right here at havenfootball.net. Go Panthers!
