All-Delco Football Player of the Year: James Fisher living his dream at Strath Haven

NETHER PROVIDENCE — The first time he belted streamers to his hips as a 4-year-old flag player for the Rose Tree Colts, James Fisher had a dream that would never be yanked away.

It would be there with him as he graduated to youth tackle football. It would grow when he began to play in middle school. So strong was it that when school athletic operations paused for a pandemic he refused to stop playing, instead joining the team at St. Mary Magdalen in Media, allowable even though he was not enrolled at the elementary school.

By the time he reached high school, the dream was becoming more real. By this fall, when the 5-10, 170-pound five-way threat led Strath Haven to championships of the Central League and Class 5A of the PIAA’s District 1, it was undeniable: He was the best player on the best team in Delaware County and was selected by the Daily Times as the All-Delco Player of the Year.

With that, Fisher had followed a family tradition of football success on George L. King Field, where his older brother, Chazz Fisher, was once honorably mentioned as an All-Delco linebacker in 2010, and where he had spent most of his life enjoying watching the Panthers play.

“This is what I wanted to do since I was 7 or 8 years old,” Fisher said. “I wanted to play for Strath Haven. And I think it has been even a greater experience than I imagined.”

The bulk of that enjoyment in his three seasons has come on the field, where the junior already has helped win a combined four league and district champions. Yet as satisfying as becoming a first-team All-Purpose All-Delco player was what was occurring in the stands … and, by extension, in his heart. Invariably at Panthers games – that family football bonds forever strong – Fisher would have a robust rooting section, including, among others, Chazz, dad James Fisher III, sister Jayme and noted football teacher and former Panther Anthony Myers. Also there would be Paula Burton, his father’s longtime companion who helped raise Fisher since he was in third grade after the death of his mother, Regina Ann Mayo Fisher, at age 45.

“I always think of my mother,” Fisher IV said. “Basically, I play most of my football games for her.”

So inspired, Fisher would rush for a team-high 1,347 yards and 18 touchdowns, catch 499 yards and four touchdowns worth of passes, fashion 121 kickoff-return yards, pass 36 stripes with punts and, at strong safety, make 54 tackles to help the Panthers to a 13-2 season.

“A bunch of people were saying this was a rebuilding year,” he said. “And we proved a lot of people wrong.”

Since the Panthers have won 13 Central League championships since 1992, have sent multiple players to the NFL and were district champions as recently as 2021 under Kevin Clancy, the winningest coach in Delaware County history, no memorable season is ever a shock. But sustained success does require buy-in players, particularly the kind with breakaway speed. As he amassed his 1,999 all-purpose yards, Fisher was would prove to be both.

“He is a great teammate,” Clancy said. “The players on the team love him. I imagine he will be one of our captains next year, not just for the way he plays on the field but for how he carries himself in the building. He’s respected by everybody. He’s a great kid.

“His brother played here, so we’ve known him for years. And I really have known his dad a long time, too. So it is a really proud moment for the family. He has talked about how he has wanted to honor his mother, and his play has really meant a lot to the success of our team.”

The impact of Fisher’s speed was evident in the District 1 semifinal – and essentially, the Central League championship game – against Springfield, when he blasted 62 yards for a decisive second-quarter touchdown in a 14-12 victory. The following week, he rushed for 95 yards – including one 42-yard sprint – in a 28-20 triumph at Chester for Strath Haven’s 13th district championship.

“His offense is just a part of it,” Clancy said. “With him, it’s all three areas. He returns kicks. For three years, he has been our strong safety, and that’s where we put our best player. And he is a blocker as well. He does it all. He literally is an all-around football player.”

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Strath Haven running back and safety James Fisher is the Daily Times Football Player of the Year. (Pete Bannan - MediaNews Group)