James Fisher (#5) on his way to a touchdown in last night’s win over Upper Dublin. © Havenfootball.net, Inc.
By Matthew DeGeorge
James Fisher went into the locker room Friday night with four carries to his name in the first half of Strath Haven’s District 1 Class 5A quarterfinal. The senior all-purpose star, though, knew it would only take one to get back on track and get the Panthers into a district semifinal.
Fisher’s 59-yard score on the first series of the second half added valuable cushion, and Strath Haven’s defense came up with two fourth-quarter turnovers to put down the resistance of seventh-seeded Upper Dublin, 26-20, in a bruising postseason affair.
Fisher wasn’t invisible in the first half. One of his five touches was a 66-yard touchdown catch from Jake Kitchin, the game’s first first-down play after the teams traded five punts.
But Fisher had been bottled up in the run game, with just two yards in the opening half. The No. 2 Panthers (11-1) carried a 13-7 lead into the break, but Fisher’s first-half frustration was emblematic of the job the Cardinals (7-5) did defensively.
Fisher quickly made the wait worthwhile, taking a third-down carry on the first series of the second half off right end, getting the authoritative seal block of end Sean Henry and jetting down the sideline.
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