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NETHER PROVIDENCE – Whatever you thought you were going to get from Strath Haven and Springfield in their District 1 Class 5A semifinal Friday night, it probably wasn’t going to be lighting up the scoreboard.
That didn’t mean it wouldn’t be compelling.
Despite Springfield pitching a second-half shutout, and with the Cougars having a chance to win the game with 19 seconds left, Sean Williams’ 40-yard field goal fell attempt fell short in what was left to be a 14-12 Strath Haven win.
The second-seeded Panthers (12-1) advance to next week’s District 1 championship game against the winner of Saturday’s semifinal against top-seeded Chester and No. 5 West Chester Rustin.
Springfield scored the only touchdown of the second half, a 34-yard Mike Turner run with 2:16 left. But a missed extra point in the first quarter meant the Cougars had to go for two, and Vince Hales and James Fisher strung out Turner’s run attempt.
Springfield would force Haven to punt again, the fourth of the night and third of the fourth quarter. Quarterback Ryan Whitaker got them to the 23 with 19 seconds left, including a 33-yard hookup with Chris Dolan. But two incompletions and a spike led to Williams attempting a field goal that fell well short.
It started with four blocks of granite, throwback type stuff. Springfield used 19 plays and almost all of the first quarter to open the scoring, methodically marching 74 yards in 10 minutes, 31 seconds. It included three fourth-down conversions, the last a dive from Ethan Marshall from a half-yard out.
Strath Haven, meanwhile, started its first two possessions buried – first at the 9, thanks to a miscommunication and a bobble on the kickoff, then at the 14. The Panthers needed something to flip the field.
Shane Green obliged on the second series, bursting up the gut for a 75-yard field-flipping gain to the 3. Two plays later, Marco Kaufman galloped in from the 1, and Ben Milligan’s PAT kick put Haven up, 7-6.
Fisher’s burst was more direct on the next series, finding a seam and picking his way to the next level into clean field on a 62-yard burst off right end to make it 14-6 with 3:09 left.
It could’ve been worse had Springfield’s defense not stiffened late in the first half. AJ Glavicic picked off a Whitaker pass and returned it 15 yards to the 31. With Haven having deferred the opening toss, the could’ve buried Springfield before the break.
But the Panthers got one first down before the combination of Lucas Aaron and Mike Miller stuffed Green on fourth-and-2 at the 14.
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Strath Haven’s James Fisher gets well-deserved congratulations from teammate Marco Kaufman, left, after Fisher’s touchdown put the Panthers up over Springfield 14-6 in the first half Friday night in a PIAA Class 5A semifinal game. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
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