By Brian Carroll, Havenfootball.net
Strath Haven Head Coach Kevin Clancy (he of the 335 career victories) will tell anyone who asks that his approach has remained the same for his 41+ years of coaching: One-week-at-a-time. That game-by-game focus has worked out well in 2022, with the Panthers jumping out to a 3-0 record and fresh off a convincing 25-0 win over Conestoga last Friday. Still, any Panther fan who looked at the full season schedule this summer would have had an eye on this week’s opponent, as the 2-1 Springfield Cougars always provide Strath Haven with a stern test.
Head Coach, Chris Britton, brings a hungry Cougars squad looking to bounce back not only from last week’s loss to Haverford, but also with hopes to knock off Strath Haven for the first time since 2017. Senior QB #8 Jake Rama will get his third crack at the Panthers’ defense as a starter, and brings talented targets tight-end #19 Ryan Johnson, #10 Mike O’Donnell, and #6 Aiden Kreydt, who had a touchdown in last year’s Strath Haven game and also grabbed 10 receptions last week against Haverford. A solid rushing attack led by #14 Tyler Gougler, who has scored touchdowns each of the last two weeks, will balance the Cougar attack. Defensively, the Cougars pitched two shutouts in consecutive wins over Cardinal O’Hara and Radnor before last week’s defeat. Sophomore linebackers #20 Nate Romano, who had an interception, and #34 Chris Dolan were busy last week against the Fords, while Kreydt and O’Donnell bring experience and speed to the secondary.
