Anthony Crawford, Strath Haven ‘keep pounding,’ beat Radnor

NETHER PROVIDENCE — Anthony Crawford rushed for 228 yards and two touchdowns, Austin Conner got into the end zone twice and the red zone defense came up big Friday to carry Strath Haven to a 42-0 win over Radnor in Central League football at George L. King Field.

The surging Panthers (8-0, 6-0 Central) are two games from securing an undefeated regular season.

With 19 touchdowns this season, Crawford is within range of joining Panthers all-time greats Dan Connor, the leader with 29, Dan Mulhern and Chase Barlow, all of whom have tallied 25 or more times.

“Any time you mention my names with those guys it’s an honor,” Crawford said. “But I mean, I’m getting the ball a lot, the O-line is playing great and so is the defense. The O-line these past couple weeks, they’ve been blocking better than they ever have. And our defense came out and just shut (Radnor) down.”

Crawford was five yards short of breaking his personal single-game rushing standard, set earlier this season.

The Raptors (2-5, 1-5) are working their way through a difficult season compounded by stadium issues that have forced them to play 25 straight games away from their field. That streak will end next weekend when they host Conestoga and finish the season with three consecutive home games.

“They’re a machine, an absolute machine,” Raptors coach Kyle Reiter said of the Panthers. “Coach (Kevin) Clancy is a legend and they run those core plays so well. At the end of the game when we were talking to the kids, we were telling them Strath Haven and Garnet Valley, they’re the cream of the crop program-wise when it comes to the Central League. We told them we have a long way to go but as you can see we’re closer.”

Amir Byrd rushed for 110 yards for the Raptors, who were stopped twice in the red zone in the first half. The Panthers brought a 21-0 lead into the break on a five-yard run by Conner, a five-yard scoring pass from Sam Milligan to Conner and a 54-yard run from Crawford, who rushed for 150 yards in the half.

Crawford tallied on a 10-yard run in the third quarter. Bob Fooskas, who rushed for 72 yards, made it 35-0 with a five-yard touchdown run in the first two minutes of the final frame.

Shane Green’s 44-yard run in the final minute ended the scoring.

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Anthony Crawford, left, breaks a Radnor tackle on his way to 228 rushing yards and two TDs amid a 42-0 win Friday night. (MediaNews Group Staff Photo)