Strath Haven Panthers Defeat Penncrest Lions 42-0 In First Round Of Playoffs

Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs

Ted Podberesky | November 2, 2024

The brisk air filled George L. King field tonight, awaiting the first round of playoffs between the Strath Haven Panthers (9-1) and Penncrest Lions (6-4). These teams saw each other earlier in the beginning of the season and once again found themselves face to face in the playoffs. Strath Haven continued their electric season tonight hosting the Lions and defeating them 42-0. 

Penncrest started with the ball to start the 1st quarter and went three and out. The Panthers on the other hand, made their mark with their first drive of the game. 

Running backs, Shane Green and James Fisher were carrying most of the load for the offense. However Quarterback, Caden Shuster, delivered a dart on third down to Jahi Curtis to keep the chains moving inside Penncrest territory. Green cleaned it up for the Panthers running in on a one yard touchdown for the first points of the game. 

Down 7-0 early, the Lions opted to start passing the ball. Defensive end, Jahi Curtis made an unbelievable play, breaking through the line of scrimmage and deflecting the pass where he caught the ball and ran back for a 40 yard pick six. 

The second quarter was a defensive battle, both teams had multiple fourth down stops. 

With 40 seconds remaining in the second quarter, James Fisher took it upon himself to score one more time. Caden Shuster uncorked a 60 yard bomb downfield, finding Fisher in stride for a touchdown to push their lead 21-0 before halftime. 

Lions came out and tried to catch the Panthers sleeping on kick return with an onside kick. In the first play of the quarter, John Reilly snagged the ball out of the air and took it back for another Strath Haven touchdown. 

Penncrest responded by putting a big drive together and getting inside the Panthers red zone. Unfortunately, Strath Haven’s defense made a big stand on fourth down and forced a turnover on downs. 

The Panthers offense kept feeding Shane Green, letting the hard runner pick up multiple yards in the middle of the defense. Then Strath Haven flipped over to their speedster, James Fisher who broke multiple tackles on his 43 yard run to the house, extending the Panthers lead 35-0. 

Eventually, Strath Haven’s offense got another chance on the field in the fourth quarter and did not pass it up. Ben Milligan led the way this time, before setting up a one yard touchdown run for his Quarterback, Caden Shuster. 

With little time remaining in the game, Penncrest let the clock wind down to the final seconds. 

Strath Haven Panthers win over the Penncrest Lions 42-0 and move onto the second round of playoffs. 

 Running back, James Fisher, who had over 100+ all purpose yards to pair with 2 touchdowns states that, ” We just have to keep working hard in practice every single day. What motivates me at the end of the day, is the guys around me. 

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