By Brian Carroll –
Coming off a 42-0 victory over Penncrest in last week’s Media Bowl, one could point to several reasons why the Strath Haven Panthers should feel good heading into another Thursday night road game. Strath Haven shut out Upper Darby last season and now seemed to have their offense and defense humming along as expected. Still, Upper Darby piled up 72 points in their first two games, and when asked what concerned the Panther coaching staff leading into Week 3, the response was, “worried this QB could throw for 300 yards.”
And by halftime, it looked as if those worst nightmares may come true. Despite an early Panther lead after #8 Jake Plunkett’s 22-yard scoring strike to #84 Tyler Slaughter, Upper Darby’s junior quarterback #6 Safiy Salley threw for 195 yards and two scores in the first two quarters. Salley picked apart the Panthers’ defense with a quick release that was finding receivers #5 Amir Crooks (9 catches for 172 yards, TD) and #3 Jeremiah Benoit (3 catches for 30 yards; rushing TD), and #0 Jaden Wilson (64 all-purpose yards) in stride. Pair three touchdown drives with a Royals’ defense that squashed Haven’s two second quarter drives with Benoit’s fumble recovery and then a blocked field goal, and Upper Darby looked to be in a great position to defeat Strath Haven for the first time since 2018.
Trailing 18-14 to start the third quarter, however, Strath Haven needed to stir up a “score/stop/score” recipe in a hurry. #32 Connor Kelly’s 31-yard run set up the first of three quarterback sneak touchdowns for Plunkett. #7 Cole Haly’s excellent read led to an interception that ended with Plunkett’s second score. And when #53 Pat Burke tipped a pass that landed in #80 John Reilly’s lap for a second interception, powerful running from Kelly and #3 Landon Barlow (208 yards on 27 bruising carries) set up a third straight Plunkett dive for a 35-18 advantage. The defense adjusted and pitched a second half shutout, with gutsy performances by #11 Jalen Starr, #20 Will Davis, #5 Kasey Hudson and #17 Christian Deshields in the secondary. #4 Yousif Ali (71 rushing yards, 2 TDs) then followed a nice block from #55 Logan Knaub to slam the door with a 46-yard touchdown run for the final 42-18 margin.
As much as it can give fans, players and coaches a little heartburn in the moment, adversity can certainly be a positive in the bigger picture. Haven two-way players battled through physical and emotional bumps and bruises throughout the games. Still, the Panthers overcame early penalties, a turnover, and other mistakes to ultimately grab an important road win over an ever-improving 6A team. Upper Darby’s upcoming schedule is difficult, but they are a team that could certainly be in the 6A playoff hunt later this season, so a win over the Royals can certainly pay dividends for the Panthers’ playoff and Central League hopes later. Head Coach Kevin Clancy breathed a sigh of relief after the game after “making everybody a little nervous,” in the first half, but can now roll into a home tilt with Radnor next Friday confident that his team will battle through every snap, no matter the situation.
