By Brian Carroll
“On paper,” this is exactly where the District 1 5A football bracket should have landed: Starting back on November 3rd, the two top-seeded teams would play each week at their home venues against lower-seeded opponents, and eventually meet Thanksgiving weekend. And while each of this year’s top seeds have had momentary regular season stumbles, each has indeed battled through tough and seasoned opponents in the playoffs to create an All Delco championship final, with the Strath Haven Panthers taking a short trip to visit their neighbors to the south, the Chester Clippers for a chance to go to the PIAA State semifinals.
Top-seeded Chester will get another shot on their home field this week thanks to a 26-20 victory over an always-tough West Chester Rustin team on Saturday afternoon. That win in the semifinals continues an upward trend for the Clippers, who lost an opening round playoff game in 2021, built on it last year with their first-ever playoff victory before bowing out in the quarterfinal round, and now stands ready to grab their first District 1 title if they can add to a 12-game winning streak. A number of underclassmen lead the way for Chester, including last year’s all-state quarterback #3 Jalen Harris, who has followed a brilliant freshman season with another impressive 23 touchdown passes and 1,564 yards to go with just four interceptions. His favorite targets include #0 Dom Toy, a Connecticut-bound tight end with 24 receptions for 405 yards and 7 touchdowns, as well as Jalen’s twin brother #2 Daron Harris, a do-everything talent who has scored touchdowns as a runner, receiver, kick returner, and punt returner. On the ground, the Clippers, absent #21 Dayshon Jackson’s 1,337 rushing yards due to transfer rules, will pound it by committee with a talented trio of #1 Larry McDaniel, #4 Shamar Williams, and #5 Nahree Melvin. Defensively, opponents have managed just 11.6 points per game against an active group that has posted 5 shutouts on the season and allowed just five total scores in their first three playoff games. #6 Jerrell Palmer leads the team with 141 tackles from his inside linebacker spot, while Toy has been unblockable at times from his defensive end spot, with 9 sacks on the season. Williams and Daron Harris anchor the secondary with four and six interceptions, respectively, with Harris’ 70-yard return for a fourth quarter touchdown capping the Clippers’ victory over Rustin last Saturday.
