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Strath Haven hangs on late to hand Garnet Valley first Central League loss since 2017

Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News

| October 7, 2023

GLEN MILLS, PA — While there may not officially be a Central League title game, this sure felt like one.

After Strath Haven and Garnet Valley both went undefeated in the conference in 2022 because they did not play each other, they met up at “The Moe” once again undefeated in the Central League with a lot at stake. It was ultimately Strath Haven who prevailed with a 28-19 win, giving Garnet Valley their first Central League loss in six years.

The Strath Haven defense set the tone early as they forced a three-and-out, giving their offense great field position to work with. They were able to capitalize on that when Sheen Green scored on a two-yard run to get the first points on the board.

The next two drives for both teams told the same story, as the Strath Haven defense came up huge with a turnover inside Garnet Valley territory as they recovered a fumble. Once again, it was Shane Green who capitalized, this time from 18 yards out to give Strath Haven a quick 14-0 lead.

For a team like Garnet Valley that has been so good for so long, you knew that they weren’t simply going to roll over and let Strath Haven take it to them all night.

The Jaguars put together a huge drive when they needed it most, with Nolan Carroll punching it in from the goal line to get Garnet Valley on the board and make it a 14-6 game after a missed PAT.

Strath Haven looked like they were ready to go up 21-6, but a fumble on the goal line that was recovered by Garnet Valley shocked the crowd and flipped momentum right back to the Jags. Garnet Valley wasn’t able to do anything with that, and the Strath Haven offense picked up right where they left off following a punt.

With just 1:09 left in the half, James Fisher took a pitch and ran it in for seven yards to open up that 21-6 lead, and the Panther offense was looking unstoppable. If it wasn’t for the fumble, they would have had four touchdowns in four drives.

Garnet Valley needed a spark coming out of the half, and they got it when they were looking for when Head Coach Eric Van Wyk called for an onside kick, and it was recovered by the Jags. It was a gusty move, and one that could have severely backfired if Strath Haven recovered it and went up 28-6.

The decision certainly paid off as Garnet Valley took it down the field and make it a one-score game after Luke Vaughn rushed for a touchdown on their first possession of the half.

After making a huge fourth down stop, Garnet Valley now had the ball with a chance to take the lead. After a long drive, QB Tyler Lassik made an absolutely incredible play as he scrambled around to avoid pressure and ultimately found Drew Keaveney for a touchdown. Unfortunately for Garnet Valley, their two point conversion came up just short to leave the score at 21-19.

Strath Haven looked like they were going to take full control of the game after QB Jake Kitchin found James Fisher down the sidelines for an incredible catch, but the offense stalled after that. It was starting to look like the Garnet Valley magic was in full effect, as the Jags had the ball with a chance to take the lead.

That magic just wasn’t there for them today, as they fumbled the ball right back to the Panthers in their own territory. With just four minutes left and a 21-19 deficit, that was a killer.

Marco Kaufman made Garnet Valley pay as he became the third different Panther to rush for a touchdown, making it a 27-19 score. After an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, Ben Milligan drilled a 35 yard PAT to metaphorically put the game away as it was now a nine point contest.

Garnet Valley made a little noise at the end, but they ultimately were turned away from the end zone as they suffer their first Central League loss since 2017, a remarkable stretch of perfection that has come to an end.

But for Strath Haven, this night is about them.

“This is amazing, this win was about us,” said Ben Milligan. “We’re controlling our destiny now, and that’s how we want it to be. We don’t want to have to rely on another team to win the Central League we want to win it outright.”

Strath Haven now improves to 7-0 and 6-0 in the Central League, but it certainly has not been a cake walk for them.

They beat Springfield 19-15 on a late comeback, they beat Ridley 21-20, and Penncrest 20-14. It’s no mistake that this team keeps getting it done when it matters most late in games.

“The heart that some of the kids on this team have is incredible, we just never give up,” said Marco Kaufman. “We’ve been down so many times but we just keep coming back, all year long we just keep fighting and that’s kind of what we’re getting used to now.”

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