By Brian Carroll –
On paper, a couple of District 1 5A playoff games in the opening round looked to be mismatches. The #4 Strath Haven Panthers hosting #13 Upper Moreland seemed to be tilted heavily the Panthers way based on record and results against common opponents. The #12 Unionville Longhorns, with a 6-4 record, looked to have an uphill climb with a long road trip to Ambler to take on #5 Wissahickon, who had only one loss. Still, the energy and execution of high school players can change week to week, and playoff chaos can ensue. The Panthers did just enough to overcome a frightening second-half deficit. Likewise, the Longhorns awoke after a slow start of their own to pull the upset and allow both to advance to this Friday’s second round.
Unionville arrives in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2021 after rallying to knock off #5 Wissahickon last weekend, 27-14. The Longhorns fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter, but four unanswered touchdowns and several defensive stops, including a blocked field goal from #7 Jack Law, vaulted Unionville to their seventh win of the season. Go-to running back #16 Brody McLaughlin ran for 196 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and quarterback #11 Tommy McGinnis rushed for one and tossed another to #3 Drew Puleo. The run-heavy Unionville offense, led by McLaughlin’s 1,325 yards and 26 touchdowns on the season, leads Chester County teams in averaging 33 points per game. McGinnis, also a talented runner, has still thrown for over 1,300 yards, and a ball-hawking Longhorn defense that has created 24 turnovers in 11 games allows just over 200 yards per game to opposing offenses. Linebacker #24 Alex Gonzalez is a sure tackler and playmaker, while #51 Caden Brooks and #55 Brett Patroni are stalwarts on the defensive line.
Strath Haven got a Halloween scare in the opening round, trailing Upper Moreland 21-7 midway through the third quarter. But #18 Jalen Starr’s 73-yard kick return and a fumble recovery from #17 Quinn Kell set up two scoring runs from #35 Ryan Mudrick in just under two minutes, and the Panthers suddenly drew even. 14 tackles from #15 Luke Mulhern, 13 from #7 Cole Haly and pressure up front from #57 Zach Milligan and #73 Paul Oblek helped the defense slam the door the rest of the way, and #4 Yosef Ali blasted his way 70 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the second half to provide the 35-21 margin of victory. As expected in the playoffs, teams will need contributions from all three phases—offense, defense, and special teams—and the Panthers ultimately cleared that bar with a big second half effort.
Unionville Head Coach Tim Murphy brings the Longhorns to George L. King Field with confidence, having already defeated a higher seeded team on a much longer road trip. Further, the four losses Unionville has suffered on the season were by a combined total of only 10 points, so the Longhorns are battle-tested and experienced in close games. If Head Coach Kevin Clancy and the Panthers want to advance, they’ll need to find a way to contain Unionville’s patient and tough rushing attack and cannot afford a slow start on offense that has hampered the Panthers in recent weeks.
Strath Haven will need all hands-on deck this Friday, including a big crowd in what could be their final home game of the season. For those not attending, join the livestream beginning at 6:45pm on www.havenfootball.net, and see if Strath Haven can take another step in what hopes to be a busy November. Go Panthers!
