By Brian Carroll, Havenfootball.net
In watching the 2024 high school football season take shape, momentum can play a significant role in a team’s success. Whether momentum is gained within a game thanks to a big play or two, or gained week-to-week as a result of a winning streak, confidence, individually and as a team can be as impactful as the “X’s and O’s” of football. This weekend, with the Strath Haven Panthers on an eight-game winning streak to start 2024, and the Lower Merion Aces coming off its first big win of the season, both teams will look to keep that momentum going as the District 1 playoffs approach.
Head Coach Joe Augustine has the Aces flying high after grabbing a thrilling, 40-38 barnburner of a victory over Conestoga a week ago. Junior quarterback #10 Nick DeLuca leads a spread offense that typically relies on the pass, but Lower Merion kept it on the ground in their first victory of the season. DeLuca rushed for two touchdowns, while running backs #3 Andrew Payne (147 yards, TD) and #23 Shane Hermosisima (143 yards, 2 TDs), wore down the Conestoga defense. #71 Kechan Miller, normally a two-way lineman, also found the end zone in a short-yardage set. When the Aces take to the air, #9 CJ Morgan, #11 Thomas Burke, and #14 Chris Cook are favorite targets. Defensively, Lower Merion have struggled for much of the season, but Miller and #55 Charles Welgs (fumble recovery last week) are playmakers up front, while Morgan, Payne, and Hermosisima anchor the linebacking corps.
Strath Haven continued their undefeated run a week ago with a 62-0 dismantling of an undermanned Harriton squad. The Panthers posted five touchdowns—two each for #5 James Fisher and #32 Shane Green, and one for #8 Ben Milligan—in the first quarter, but the story of the night was the Panthers’ swarming, ball-hawking defense. With consistent pressure from #89 Alexei Gustafson and #81 Jahi Curtis, the Panthers forced six turnovers and held the Rams to less than two yards per play. #11 Bill Dougherty snared an interception and recovered a fumble, while secondary mates #22 Grayson LaFrance (interception) and #17 Quinn Kell (fumble recovery) had takeaways, as well. The defense added to the scoreboard, too, with #34 Vince Hales returning from injury to pounce on a fumble in the end zone, and #42 Van Wendel jarring another one loose that #24 Nate Lin returned 34 yards to paydirt. In all, the Panthers held the Rams to just 50 total yards on the evening in posting their second shutout of the season.
In doing so, the Panthers have clinched a spot in the District 1 5A playoffs, and could clinch a top-4 seed with a win this week over Lower Merion. Lots can happen in terms of playoff positioning in Weeks 9 and 10, but should Strath Haven win both of their final games, they should finish as a #1 or #2 overall seed. Should they stumble once in the final two weeks, the Panthers would likely land in the #4 or #5 spot, depending on the results of other contenders like Springfield, Upper Dublin, and Garnet Valley. Regardless of seeding, however, the Strath Haven coaching staff will emphasize the need to focus only on the game at hand, and Lower Merion, while not in 6A playoff contention this year, would love to spoil the Panthers’ chances to repeat as Central League and District 1 champions.
For the second time in three weeks, the Panthers will be playing some Saturday football, this time on the road for a 1pm kickoff in Ardmore. For those unable to make the trip, all the action will be covered on the livestream beginning at 12:45pm on www.havenfootball.net, as Haven looks to extend the winning streak to nine games. Go Panthers!
