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Strath Haven falls to Imhotep ending their season one game short of Hershey @HavenGridiron @Havenfootball @knlpix

Tagged under: District 1, District 12, Gameday Hub, News

| December 4, 2021

There’s a saying, that the game isn’t over until the clock hits zero. That was Strath Haven’s mentality on Friday night in their state semi final game against Imhotep. Haven fought until the very last play despite being well out of the game since the start of the third quarter.

Down 36-0, Haven had a drive in the last minute to try and get some points on the board. Chase Barlow got down to the one yard line after a four yard run on third and goal. To finish things off, Barlow got the ball again with four seconds left to avoid the shutout, but the Tep defense smothered him behind the line of scrimmage. Imhotep, then celebrated by running onto the field, leaving the Strath Haven players to walk off in despair for one last time this season.

Sometimes giving your all just doesn’t work out in your favor and that’s what happen to Strath Haven. The gritty Delco team gave every ounce they had, but they never stood a chance against a powerhouse like Imhotep. Tep just had too much talent in the end, with players like Enai White and countless other Division 1 prospects on their roster.

“We’ve got to give Imhotep credit, they’re a true championship team,” Said Strath Haven Head Coach Kevin Clancy, “When you get this far, you’re going to play good football teams and they clearly are.”

Clancy was proud of the effort his team put in and the toughness they showed, “There was no lack of trying on our kids part, our kids were terrific,” Clancy Said, “They did everything they could, and they came up short and there’s no shame in that.”

Strath Haven had a memorable season, with Kevin Clancy winning his 12th District 1 title as a Head Coach, his first since 2010. The record holder for most coaching wins in Delaware county history won’t get a shot at winning his third state championship, but coming up short doesn’t mean the rest of the season was a failure,

“The things that they have done all year have been outstanding in terms of the ways they stick together, and play as a team, they played with heart,” He said. They’re very coachable and they gave us their very best effort every game of the season, including tonight,

Clancy’s 31st season was one to remember, especially Strath Haven’s win last week in the District Championship game. Strath Haven upset top seeded West Chester Rustin in double overtime, in a game they had led for the majority of the four quarters,  but needed a missed extra point at the end of regualtion to send the game into overtime. Sam Milligan won the game on a two point conversion after Chase Barlow had scored on fourth down the play before.

Milligan was emotional after the game, fighting off tears as he spoke, “This is the best team I’ve ever been on for anything,” He said, “Fight for your brothers until the end, that’s all we did”

Milligan rushed the ball 5 times for only eight yards, but he did have a big fourth down conversion on Strath Haven’s first drive which fired up the crowd. The Junior just couldn’t escape a tough Imhotep defense which was swarming to the ball all night long. Running backs Chase Barlow and Anthony Crawford both ran tough and didn’t shy away from contact whenever they got the ball. Each back knew they would be getting the ball a bit more, since Matt Schuler was out injured. Barlow got 16 carries for 47 yards, while Crawford had 17 attempts for 57 yards.

Despite an emotional end to the season, Strath Haven was able to leave the field with their heads held high, knowing that they had gave their all, not just on Friday night, but throughout the entire season. They finish the season 13-2 and as District 1 champions, with their only two loses coming against two of the best teams in the entire state this year. Their only regular season loss was against Garnet Valley, who is playing St. Joes for a chance to make it to Hershey and Imhotep on Friday. Not too shabby from the team from Delaware County.

Photo credits: @knlpix

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