By Brian Carroll, Havenfootball.net
The rain subsided just in time for the 2026 Strath Haven Panthers and West Chester East Vikings to battle in a spirited scrimmage on Saturday morning.
While no official score was kept, Panther fans had plenty of reasons to smile, beginning with an aggressive and quick defensive unit. The Panthers’ defensive starters kept West Chester East from crossing midfield in either of their 10-play series, and the younger Strath Haven defenders who appeared later in the scrimmage also kept the Vikings out of the end zone.
With the Panthers returning a number of starters and significant contributors to last year’s defense, it was certainly a positive sign to see the unit play fast, positionally-sound football, for much of the day.
Offensively, the Panthers first unit moved the ball well in their two possessions, finding the end zone through the air, and moving well with the Wing-T attack with 5 different ballcarriers. And the depth in the offensive backfield stretches further, as multiple sophomores and juniors playing later broke off long touchdown runs, as well.
While the team certainly has room for improvement overall, players, coaches and fans can be encouraged that penalties and mistakes were minimal and the team showed flashes of big-play ability on both sides of the ball.
Friday night’s opener with Chester will be a huge test, but Strath Haven’s performance today gives plenty of reasons for optimism for 2026.
