Milligan ready to ignite ‘fire’ under talented Strath Haven

NETHER PROVIDENCE >> Another summer practice at Strath Haven had just ended in a flood of sweat and optimism when Kevin Clancy called his players together to appreciate a couple of gems.

One was Bill Bradley, football royalty, the former All-Pro safety who still holds Eagles records for interceptions.

The other was what Bradley had draped from his neck.

“See this?” Bradley said, addressing the Panthers. “This is my medal from 1964, when we won a state championship at Palestine High School in Texas. I still have it. And that’s what you should strive for, too. Win a championship together and never forget it.”

By then, Sam Milligan — who was among the captivated gathering — already had that inkling. The quarterback last season as the Panthers won the PIAA District 1 Class 5A championship before falling in the state Final Four to Imhotep of Philadelphia, Milligan was back for the encore.

“It feels like that just happened,” Milligan said, eight months later. “That’s definitely going to be on our minds a little bit. It wasn’t the best way to end the year. But it’s fire for this year.”

The Panthers were 8-1 in the Central League, falling only to Class 6A district champion Garnet Valley. They were nicked by graduation, but not terribly, and will return 10 starters, including Milligan, a strong safety who was first-team All-Delco for his all-purpose skills. The quarterback is rarely a statistics accumulator in Clancy’s wing-T offense – which has produced a Delaware County record 332 victories in 31 seasons – but Milligan will be responsible for more than numbers.

“He is an outstanding leader,” Clancy said. “The biggest problem is that we have to keep him out there on defense. We have to keep him healthy. My heart is going to be in my stomach. He is really fast. He is legitimately a 4.5 guy. His ‘worst’ sport is wrestling, and he made it to states last year. College coaches want him to play baseball. He can really hit the ball and is an outstanding outfielder. He is one of the best athletes ever to go through this place.”

Among Milligan’s chores will be to help spread the touches to, among others, senior fullback Anthony Crawford, junior Austin Conner, senior Bobby Fooskas and senior Chase Nangle, he of the big-play capabilities, in a committee-style offense.

For more potential scoring oomph, athletic 6-3,230-pound tackle Ben Farabaugh will slide over to tight end.

“Everybody knows we are going to run,” said Milligan, who is receiving Division 1 recruiting attention as a safety. “It has worked for years. No one has stopped it. We know what we have to do. And if we do that, there’s not going to be anybody who will be able to beat us. That’s how we feel.”

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