By Brian Carroll –
Well, somebody had to pick up their first win of the season. Saying that leading into Week 2 of the 2026 season left a foul taste in the mouths of the both the Strath Haven Panthers and Penncrest Lions, each of whom missed golden opportunities in their respective Week 1 losses. And with the Media Bowl trophy on the line, the stakes between neighboring schools were raised a bit higher for an early-season tilt. After a highly competitive first half, the Panthers used some late second quarter fireworks to turn the tide, and set the stage for a 42-0 triumph. 
For most of the first half, Penncrest looked as if the Media Bowl trophy could return to Barren Road for the first time since 2015. The Lions picked up a first down on their opening series, as running backs Kevin Graham (53 rushing yards) and Chase Callahan found some seams early. And aside from Haven’s Chase Barlow’s 55-yard scoring run on the Panthers’ second snap, the Lions defense, led by Graham and defensive back Will Giles (15 tackles) stiffened for the next 20 minutes of game action.
From there, the Panthers’ quick strike capability that has been anticipated showed up in a big way. After Jalen Starr intercepted a deep Penncrest pass with just over two minutes before halftime, runs from Barlow and Yousif Ali (77 rushing yards) took the ball to the Penncrest 46-yard line with just five seconds remaining. With the possibility of a quick sideline pass maybe allowing a long field goal attempt, Starr had bigger plans. He grabbed a strike from quarterback Jake Plunkett and instead of stepping out of bounds, the speedy senior shed one tackle and outraced another to the end zone for a backbreaking score with one second remaining before the halftime break. What looked like a tight, one-score game suddenly gave the Panthers a 14-0 cushion and tons of momentum over their less-experienced opponents.
From there, the Panther defense slammed the door. Penncrest managed just 12 total yards after halftime, and just 74 for the evening. Penncrest’s three first downs on the night were not enough to turn the tide, and Cole Haly recovered a fumble for the second week in a row after a timely hit from Barlow. Zach Milligan came up with two solo stops on third-down plays, and Kasey Hudson delivered a couple big hits to couple with his first touchdown run of the season. With the defense providing quick stops and short fields, the ground game did the rest, as the Panthers piled up 358 ground yards (199 and three scores for Barlow) and added Will Davis’ first varsity touchdown late in the game.
