Football: Young gets kicks in while Strath Haven’s D dominates

NETHER PROVIDENCE >> When Strath Haven’s first drive of Friday night’s Central League game against Harriton stalled at the Rams’ 10-yard line, the Panthers trotted out Emmet Young.

Three steps back, two over. Young eyed up the snap, and when the ball was placed down, he booted it over the crossbar and through the uprights from 27 yards out. He looked the part of a seasoned veteran in the process as he received congratulations from his nine blockers and holder.

You’d have been hard-pressed to imagine that it was his first field goal attempt at the varsity level. An offensive shootout against Interboro only gave him extra-point attempts in the opening week, so the freshman had to wait a little longer before his first field goal.

Not a problem, and by the end of the night, he added six more points via extra points to help the Panthers roll over the Rams, 47-8, in the teams’ Central League opener.

“I was a little bit nervous, but you’re always a bit nervous,” Young said. “I have an amazing line, a good snapper, a good holder, so I felt pretty confident that I could get the kick up. It felt amazing when I saw it go through. The first one is pretty special.”

As most kicking careers do, Young’s got started thanks to…baseball. Panthers assistant coach Steve Grohman coached Young in baseball, and he asked him to consider kicking. Young got his feet wet because he preferred that alternative over middle school soccer, and while he’s returned to the pitch, he’s shown that he can handle the kicking game for Strath Haven.

“Last year I could only get kickoffs to the 20, but I practiced a lot in the offseason,” Young said. “(Assistant) Coach (Erik) Hollingsworth helped me with squats, too, to help my legs get stronger.”

It’s worked. He was placing his kickoff between the 10 and 15-yard lines all night and giving Haven’s coverage team plenty of time to get downfield. From there, the defense took over. The Panthers limited the Rams (0-2, 0-1) to a mere 51 yards of offense, and nearly all of those came against Haven’s backups. Harriton was missing starting running back Colin Prigent, starting left tackle Nate Wilkins and lineman Demarcus Johnson. It would have been tough sledding for the Rams at full strength, but without those players, they struggled.

Click HERE to read the full article.