By Brian Carroll
Since Head Coach Kevin Clancy arrived in 1991, one of the most impressive aspects of the Strath Haven football program has been its consistency. Whether it is the Wing-T style offense, the aggressive but disciplined defense, or the fact that they have won Central League and District 1 titles in four different decades, fans have come to expect a similar product on the field year after year. Drilling down to a much more recent time, the Panthers have shown a different kind of consistency in 2023: a penchant for hold-onto-your-seat, nail-biting victories. After a convincing win over Interboro on opening weekend, Strath Haven has now rattled off three straight one-score wins after holding off a hard-charging Penncrest squad last Thursday, 20-14. Up next for the “Cardiac Kids”: a road trip to clash with the young and hungry Upper Darby Royals.
First-year Head Coach Darrell Dulaney has the Royals ready to pick up their first win, as the fast Upper Darby defense has kept them competitive in three of their four losses to open the season. A pair of 14-6 losses to West Chester Henderson and Lower Merion opened the season, and the purple and gold bounced back from a one-sided defeat to Marple Newtown in Week 3 to keep Conestoga on edge last Thursday. Senior QB #6 Joseph Sarjoo calls the signals in their shotgun spread attack and has a variety of speedy playmakers on the outside who will test the Strath Haven secondary. And when the Royals run, #2 Jaylen Johnson has shown himself to be more than capable, rushing for 91 yards and a touchdown against Henderson, and returning a kickoff for touchdown against Marple Newtown. Defensively, the Royals return experienced senior linemen #52 Kaleel McLaughlin and #55 JT Senkow, with #7 Zahir Burch very active at linebacker.
