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Springfield-Delco takes down Strath Haven in D1 5A Semifinals

Tagged under: District 1, Game Photos-Videos, News, Playoffs

| November 15, 2025

Luke Valerio scores twice in Cougars’ win

The Springfield Cougars topped the Strath Haven Panthers 26-10 on Friday night in the D1 5A semifinal game.  The Cougar offense, led by Sophomore QB John Hopkins, was stellar, along with the Cougar defense, which did not allow a point in the second half. The Cougars improve to 13-0 on the season and have now beaten their rival Panthers twice this season.

Here were my thoughts prior to the game.

Strath Haven started the game with the first possession and took an alternate route to their first drive. QB Luke Mulhern passed the ball four times on the first drive and completed three of them. Mulhern’s passes put the Panthers into the red zone and ultimately allowed them to take a field goal attempt on fourth down. Matt Styers’ field goal was good, and Strath Haven led 3-0 with 5:30 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Cougars almost immediately began to move the chains and found themselves on the Panther side of the 50. John Hopkins found his groove in the pass game early on in the drive and continued to pile on the passes at a high rate.  The Cougars answered back to the Panthers’ field goal with a touchdown, John Hopkins in the air to TJ Valetti for a Springfield-Delco score. The first two drives of the game took up the entirety of the first quarter, and Springfield-Delco led 7-3 over Strath Haven with 10:35 left in the half.

TOUCHDOWN COUGARS. @Johnnyhop_ connects with TJ Valetti to cap off a successful drive with a touchdown. 7-3 @SpringfieldFB with 10:35 left in the half.@PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/KJ6AQAwnLd

Strath Haven could not get anything going on their next drive, and Strath Haven punted the ball right back to the Cougars.

Springfield took an alternate route following the punt, handing the ball off to Luke Valerio nearly every single play and putting themselves into Panther territory. Luke Valerio capped off the drive by rushing to the outside and finding open space for a touchdown. Springfield had themselves up 14-3 with all of the momentum trending in their direction.

In just a few seconds, the Panthers found their squad right back in the game, with Derek Bradley navigating through open holes on the kickoff return and jolting his way into the endzone for a Strath Haven kickoff return touchdown, which shifted the entire momentum back even.

Springfield did not get anything rolling before the halftime buzzer sounded, and the Cougars led 14-10 at the half.

Here were my thoughts at the half.

Springfield-Delco had the ball to start the third quarter and instantly got multiple offensive weapons involved. Rushes from Tanner Coll, Luke Valerio, and receptions from Mike Neville and TJ Valetti had the Cougars across the 50-yard line. Hopkins found TJ Valetti on a perfectly placed pass, and after the play, Strath Haven was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, setting up the Cougars in perfect field position to strike first in their opening drive. The Cougars punched it home once again with another rush from Luke Valerio for a touchdown. The Cougar’s extra point was wide left, and Springfield-Delco led 20-10 with 4:06 left in the third quarter.

Strath Haven went back to the air once again following the Springfield touchdown and did not get any passes to fall. The Panthers had to punt the ball away once again, and Springfield seemed to have the momentum trending back their way.

Right after the Punt, Springfield went back to the ground game, with Hopkins handing the ball off to Tanner Coll and TJ Valetti, who both had first downs on the drive and multiple rushes. Tanner Coll broke free on a handoff from Hopkins and scored a huge rushing touchdown. The fake field goal attempted was unsuccessful, and Springfield led 26-10 with 2:05 left in the third quarter.

Strath Haven decided to mix up their plays on their next drive and quickly found themselves seeking a miracle on fourth down. Mulhern released on a desperation throw on fourth down that was intercepted by Maddox Moleski, and the Cougars had the ball right back.

The Cougars came out of the interception, attempting to burn as much clock as they could. The Cougars did get a huge first down on the drive, but ultimately had to punt it back to the Panthers, who desperately needed a score to keep their hopes alive.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, they did not get the offense rolling, and on fourth down, they were stuffed, and the Cougars entered the victory formation, giving them the win and advancing them to the District 1 5A Championship game.

Springfield will now advance to the District 1 5A championship and will take on the winner of Chester VS Rustin on their home turf at Springfield High School.

After the game, I got the chance to talk with Luke Valerio. Valerio gave his team the upper edge, scoring two touchdowns and playing his heart out defensively.

 

 

 

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