By Brian Carroll
When the District 1-5A Football Playoff bracket was released last month, this weekend’s semifinal round was circled. Even before any team had actually clinched the opportunity, observers could point to a Week 10 slugfest between the Strath Haven Panthers and Springfield Cougars and foresee a potential rematch. After the Cougars outlasted the Panthers with a late field goal to clinch an undefeated regular season and the Central League title with a 10-7 victory, they clinched the top seed and home field advantage throughout the district playoffs. Thus, the #4 Panthers, since tested further with two close playoff victories, will hit the road this Friday to see if they can break a two-game losing streak to their league rivals and earn a chance to play for another District 1 crown.
The Cougars ran their record to 12-0 and advanced to this semifinal round for the third year in a row with a hold-your-breath, 21-14 victory over Penncrest. Beating a team twice in one season is usually a challenge, and the Lions gave Springfield all they could handle. Penncrest returned a fumble 48 yards for a touchdown to jump out to a first quarter lead, but the Cougar rushing attack turned the tide thereafter. Senior #3 Luke Valerio, a Penn State lacrosse commit, followed his blockers for 178 yards and score, and quarterback #4 John Hopkins found #5 Mike Neville and #2 Tanner Coll for a pair of touchdown strikes to provide the winning margin. Ultimately, though, the Cougar defense saved the day late in fourth quarter, as a Penncrest drive inside the 10-yard line was thwarted by a third down tackle for loss by #6 Finn Delaney (who also had a 2nd quarter interception) and a 4th down interception at the goal line by #53 Alex McGinnis.
Speaking of games that went to the wire, Strath Haven survived a fantastic effort from 12th-seeded Unionville, holding on for a 21-20 victory that took massive and timely contributions from all three units. The Panther defense allowed a season-high 258 rushing yards, but managed to turn away the Longhorns twice on 4th down stops in the second half, with big plays from #73 Paul Oblek, #3 Landon Barlow, and good coverage from #5 Kasey Hudson on Unionville’s final snap. The offense, while being held to an unusually low 184 rushing yards and zero through the air, still managed to move the chains to score on two quarterback sneaks from #15 Luke Mulhern in the first half, and got a huge 4th quarter from #4 Yosef Ali (75 yards) to help seal the deal. And the special teams units were a huge difference maker for the second week in a row, as Hudson’s 87-yard sprint with a Unionville kickoff tallied the last Panther score, and the combination of long snapper #64 Jackson Miller, holder #80 John Reilly, and kicker #47 Matt Styer provided the margin of victory, converting all three extra point attempts.
Leading into this week’s matchup, Springfield Head Coach Chris Britton will continue to lean on a balanced run/pass offense that leads District 1 in scoring average and has been extraordinarily efficient on third downs. Further, the Cougars’ defense has not allowed Strath Haven to score in the second half in any of their last three meetings. On the flip side, the Panthers’ coaching staff will look to duplicate the terrific defensive effort they showed the Cougars three weeks ago, while also looking to open up the offense a bit to shake loose another big play or two. Expect another close battle, as Springfield looks to return to the district final for the second straight season, while the Panthers try to land there for the third time in five years.
Arrive early to get a good seat at Springfield High School on Friday night, or check out the livestream at www.havenfootball.net beginning at 6:45pm. Can the Cougars get over the hump and knock off Strath Haven in the postseason for the first time, or will the Panthers rebound from last month’s defeat and punch their ticket to a District 1 record 16th district final? The atmosphere will be electric either way, so enjoy yet another Central League rematch this weekend. Go Panthers!
