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Ridley Takes Down Strath Haven In Run-Heavy Showdown

 
Tagged under: District 1, Game Photos-Videos, Gameday Hub, News, pfn

| October 25, 2026

Kevin Farley scores 2 in big Ridley win

The Ridley Raiders took down the Strath Haven Panthers Friday night in a big matchup by a final score of 17-14

Here were my pregame thoughts.

Ridley started the game on offense and wasted no time getting the run game rolling. The Raiders were without their top rusher, Jamar Savoy, allowing multiple Raiders the chance to step up. Ridley quickly faced a big fourth down on the opening drive and converted by a half-inch. The Raiders continued to rush the ball and ultimately found the end zone. Kevin Farley, who was in place for Savoy, busted to the outside and made his way in for a Ridley rushing touchdown, giving the Raiders a 7-0 lead.

Strath Haven got the ball for their first drive and couldn’t get anything going, punting it back to Ridley just before the end of the first quarter.

Following the Haven punt, Ridley got right back to work, compiling multiple big rushes and quick tosses to bring themselves into field goal range. Tim Calamitas’s 40-yard field goal was up and good, giving the Raiders a 10-0 lead.

The Haven offense was in desperate need of some points and immediately picked up the pace offensively. Haven, another run-heavy team, kicked off their drive pounding it on the ground before switching to an unusual passing approach. QB Jake Plunkett completed multiple passes during the course of the night, and almost all of them were targeted for Jalen Starr. Specifically, on this drive, Plunkett completed a massive deep ball to Starr, setting up Landon Barlow for a rushing touchdown just before halftime.

Ridley knelt out the remaining first half clock and took their 10-7 lead into the halftime break.

Here were my thoughts at halftime.

The start of the third quarter saw very few yards gained offensively, resulting in a Haven punt, then a Ridley fumble, followed by a Haven punt and a Ridley punt.

After the final punt of the sequence, Plunkett and the Panthers offense got right back to work. The Plunkett-to-Starr connection was going strong as Jake completed another big pass to Jalen Starr, setting Strath Haven up in the red zone. Landon Barlow once again finished the job with a rushing score to give Haven a 14-10 lead.

Ridley wasted no time getting their lead right back, utilizing the ground game and rushing down the field and placing themselves in good field position. The Raiders capitalized on the fantastic drive due to another Kevin Farley rushing touchdown. The Raider offensive line was stellar all night, especially when it mattered most.

Plunkett and the Panthers had 8 minutes to drive down the field and make some magic happen, and they started off the drive well. Plunkett continued completing passes and handing the ball off to star RB Landon Barlow, and after a few plays the Panthers were nearing the 50 with plenty of time to spare. Plunkett continued to try and keep the air game rolling, but unfortunately his pass was out of the reach of his intended target and was intercepted by Ridley’s Jayden Gibson.

Ridley tried to run out the rest of the clock up by 3, but Haven’s defense held strong, and Haven kept their timeouts in the process. Ridley was forced to punt it back to the Panthers. Joey Carroll’s punt was absolutely stellar, pinning the Panthers back on their own one-yard line.

Haven had a long way to go on their final drive. The Panthers tried to pass their way out of their own territory, but nothing was working, and a big false start penalty derailed any momentum they had. Haven faced fourth down inside their own 10 with the game on the line. Plunkett was under immediate pressure and lobbed the ball up, hoping a Panther would come up with it, but this was not the case. Ridley’s defense held strong and forced the turnover on downs.

Ridley knelt out the remaining clock and picked up a big 17-14 victory over Strath Haven.

After the game, I met with Kevin Farley to talk about his teams performance.

 
 
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