By Matt Smith –
Luke Mulhern gets it.
Seeing Springfield again, just three weeks after Strath Haven turned in one of its roughest offensive nights in years in a 10-7 loss, is a chance to fix what went wrong. That defeat cost the Panthers a share of the Central League title and handed it outright to the Cougars.
Strath Haven’s Luke Mulhern, right, celebrates with Kasey Hudson during the Panthers’ 21-20 win over Unionville in a District 1 Class 5A quarterfinal last Friday. (Pete Bannan/MediaNews Group)
Mulhern knows that this time, the fourth-seeded Panthers (10-2) have to be a lot sharper with their offense. The defense held up plenty well in the first matchup. If Haven wants to knock off the top-seeded Cougars (12-0) in Friday’s District 1 Class 5A semifinal, the offense has to match that level.
“I know the seniors all understand it. The juniors and the sophomores, the whole scout team, they’ve got to catch on and understand it. And I know they will,” said Mulhern, the senior quarterback and linebacker. “I mean, this is as big as it gets. It’s the biggest game there is.”
The run game was back to looking like Strath Haven football in last week’s 21-20 decision over Unionville, a big shift from the first Springfield game when the Panthers finished with less than 100 rushing yards. Mulhern had a 1-yard scoring sneak, while Yosif Ali led the backfield with 76 yards as Haven piled up 177 yards on 46 attempts. Ryan Mudrick and Landon Barlow picked up tough yards, and Kasey Hudson delivered a jolt with an 86-yard kick return score. Ali iced the game with a big run in the final minute, as he did with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter in the previous round.
