By Brian Carroll –
Maybe the football gods just needed it to happen. When the 2026 high school season kicked off in Week 1 in August, Strath Haven fans were looking at a different uniform on the opposing sideline for the first time in over a decade. With the exception of the shortened/rescheduled 2020 season, the Panthers and Interboro Bucs have battled every season since 2015. This season, however, with Interboro’s move back into the 5A classification, each team found new opponents to start the 2026 campaign, and both have had enjoyed enough success to again qualify for the postseason. Thus, it seemed fitting that once the District 1 5A playoff bracket was finalized on Sunday morning, the stars would align to see #8 seed Interboro hosting the 9th-seeded Panthers this Friday evening to launch what both teams hope to be a long postseason run.
In his third year at the helm, Head Coach Pat Fisher has led Interboro to an impressive 9-1 record, with the Bucs’ only loss coming to top-seeded Chester. The Bucs high-energy ground attack has given opponents fits to the tune of 31.4 points per game, with several dynamic options to carry the ball. #1 Momadu Rogers has topped the 1,000 rushing milestone for the second year in a row, as he and #7 Mason Marshall-Speights often line up side-by-side in shotgun formation, keeping defenses guessing as running and passing threats. Marshall-Speights accounted for three scores in last week’s comeback, 27-22 victory over Executive Education Academy, which included a 23-yard scoring toss to #18 Levi Lowry. #2 Roman McCrary and #11 Vince Petrancuri are solid outside targets, while #9 JJ Clark is a strong lead blocker and receiver out of the backfield. Defensively, the Bucs allow only 14 points per game, with McCrary, Petrancuri manning the safety spots and Rogers and #24 Abassai Kemokai lining up as speedy corners. Linebacker #10 Jontaye Bumie’s quarterback pressure caused #32 AJ Gonzalez’s game-sealing interception last week, and #55 Bobby Neiss joins Clark and #72 Aiden Doyle as formidable defensive linemen.
Strath Haven’s short road trip to begin the playoffs come on the heels of a two-game losing skid, falling to undefeated Springfield, 14-0 last weekend. Not unexpectedly, the Panthers found tough sledding against the top-rated scoring defense in Pennsylvania, achieving only two first downs through the first three quarters. Still, Haven’s defense came up with enough big plays from #53 Pat Burke (13 tackles), #84 Tyler Slaughter (10 tackles), and #3 Landon Barlow (9 tackles, sack) to keep the game tight throughout. Barlow also contributed 57 rushing yards, and #8 Jake Plunkett connected with #11 Jalen Starr four times for 46 yards in a busier-than-usual passing attack. With Strath Haven having battled well with two of the state’s stingiest defenses in the last two weeks, the Panthers will be hungry to get their ground game back on track against a Bucs’ team who, while more experienced and skilled this year, struggled to slow them down in last season’s 44-6 victory.
Surprises may be hard to come by in this week’s game, with the teams having played annually for many years. Further, as a Strath Haven alumnus who played for the Haven coaching staff, Coach Fisher will have the Bucs quite familiar with some of the ins and outs of Haven’s Wing-T attack. Head Coach Kevin Clancy and the Panther staff will be well-prepared defensively, and may need to come up with a few wrinkles in the blocking schemes to spring the Panther ground game back to life after two straight weeks under 100 rushing yards. But the Panthers’ ball-control scheme and experience is often built for November football in the Delaware Valley, which could be a big factor if the rainy Friday forecast holds. Conversely, Interboro’s spread offense, while overflowing with big-play possibilities, could find a wet football on a grass field quite challenging with continuous shotgun snaps. Regardless of weather, expect a physical, hard-fought battle with two senior-laden lineups trying to extend their high school football careers, and both teams possibly looking for a rematch with top-seeded Chester or Marple-Newtown in the quarterfinals.
Plan to arrive early and account for some MacDade Boulevard or Chester Pike traffic on a Friday evening, as parking around the South Avenue Sports complex can sometimes be a challenge. For those not in town to cheer in person, the livestream right here on www.havenfootball.net will begin at 6:45pm, and Panther fans, players, coaches and families can begin the nail-biting, week-to-week win-or-go-home experience of playoff football. Go Panthers!
