By Brian Carroll
The finish is never easy. 552 high school football teams strap on their helmets in early August, hoping that maybe a magical postseason could interrupt Thanksgiving dinners, or even some holiday parties and shopping. As the District 1 5A playoffs began last Friday, the Strath Haven Panthers had many reasons to think that their November weekends could be quite busy. Having won six of their nine regular seasons with defeats only at the hands of some of District 1’s top seeds, the Panthers also returned strong playoff experience with last year’s semifinal trip providing a confident launching pad. Nevertheless, a senior-laden Interboro squad who had taken many lumps from the Panthers in each of the past two seasons, and exacted a measure of revenge with a convincing, 20-6 victory.
The Panthers had opportunities early, with Interboro struggling to keep a handle on a wet and slippery football in the early going. #55 Logan Knaub killed a promising opening Bucs drive by pouncing on a bobbled handoff on 4th down, and solid hit from #5 Kasey Hudson forced a second Interboro fumble that #80 John Reilly wrestled away from a Bucs’ lineman. But the swarming, bigger, physical Interboro defense held the Panthers to just two first downs in the first half, and Strath Haven trailed 6-0 at the break. That 6-point deficit lasted only 15 seconds after halftime, as Interboro sophomore #3 Daryl Jones raced 90 yards to paydirt with the second half kickoff to stretch the Bucs’ lead to 12-0. Tough running from #3 Landon Barlow (59 yards, TD) and #4 Yousif Ali on either side of a 47-yard pass from #8 Jake Plunkett to #11 Jalen Starr mounted a scoring drive to cut the Interboro lead to 12-6 late in the third quarter. But the Bucs powerful offensive line and 1-2 punch of #20 Mason Marshall-Speights (127 yards, TD) and #1 Momadu Rogers (154 yards, TD) eventually were too much for the Panthers, and Interboro earned a rematch with DelVal rival and top-seeded Chester in the quarterfinals this weekend.
Space limitations in a wonderful local publication do not allow one enough room to account for the many years of physical, mental, and emotional efforts that go into a high school football season. But in watching this year’s Strath Haven team, fans and families were able to enjoy and suffer through many highs and lows, especially for the senior class. The good feelings of the “almost had ‘em” loss to Chester and #80 John Reilly’s successful debut at cornerback on Opening Night were offset by devastating injury news for Panther speedster #2 Derek Bradley. The grit and fight of undersized lines, led by co-captain #57 Zach Milligan, #62 Chase Shuster and #84 Tyler Slaughter all season, sparked a six-game winning streak, with memories galore. That offensive line gave steady quarterback #8 Jake Plunkett time to connect on numerous beautiful throws, with #11 Jalen Starr often on the receiving end to the tune of 20 yards per catch and game-changer to beat Penncrest. Game-changers came on the defensive side, as well, with #7 Cole Haly’s interception to turn the tide in the Upper Darby win, just as fellow co-captain and linebacker #53 Pat Burke did with a pick-six minutes after Haly was lost for the season in the romp over Marple-Newtown. Fellow captain #5 Kasey Hudson was a Swiss-army knife, rarely leaving the field, throwing his body around with abandon, and sealing the Haverford win with an interception return touchdown of his own. Special teams ace #17 Christian DeShields joined #65 Mike Mapps and #76 Cullen Reardon when Panthers made lemons out of lemonade after the Harriton varsity game was canceled, their leadership shining through for their underclassman teammates who will be asked to fill big roles next season. And the road victory against perennial Central League favorite Garnet Valley, with an enormous size and numbers advantage in Week 7, showed that this year’s Panther squad can be remembered for their fight. Fans will not soon forget that truly full-team effort from all directions in holding District 1’s highest scoring offense to just one touchdown in a memorable 13-7 win.
While the tears will always flow regardless of when the season ends, the crew at www.havenfootball.net will be forever grateful to Haven coaches Kevin Clancy, Jim Connor, Mike Connor, Dan Shaffer, Brian Fili, Pat Clancy, and Dan Fantozzi for the consistently steadfast support of the football, cheerleading and marching band programs. Broadcasting varsity, junior varsity and freshman games this season were a pleasure, and not because of what the scoreboard said at the end of each night. Rather, watching the teams follow Coach Clancy’s mantra of “get a little better each week,” manifests not only in on-field skills, but in effort, togetherness, and character. Win or lose between the sidelines, it is beyond encouraging to see so many young people at Strath Haven share their talents with the community each season, and that the community responds in kind.
Many thanks also go out to Athletic Director Lynelle Mosley, the Haven Gridiron Club, the Haven Marching Band, Strath Haven Cheerleaders, the Swarthmorean, and the many sponsors of the website for continued support of the program and our video broadcasts. Most of all, we are grateful that the 2026 Strath Haven Panthers once again carried on a tradition of grit and toughness, battled to the final snaps even in defeat, and provided a ton of fun memories on so many Friday nights. Congratulations, 2026 Strath Haven Panther Football, and we look forward to the 2027 season!
