Strath Haven’s crushing ground game tramples Radnor
RADNOR — Somewhere around Matt Shuler’s high step through the linebacking corps, or as Chase Barlow powered over the goal line on an end-around, the threads started to come together. By the time the fifth different Panther danced into the end zone, and the rushing total ticked up over 400 yards, the common denominator became clear.
Everything that worked for the Panthers in Friday’s season-opening 56-27 win at Radnor began with the big boys on the line.
“I’m no Barry Sanders,” said Christian Mazur, who did his best to contradict himself with two rushing touchdowns and a 97-yard kick return. “Those holes were wide open. I think anybody could go through them. Those guys are gritty. They’re the reason I’m getting those yards, I’m getting those touchdowns or the reason anyone’s getting those touchdowns. They’re going 11-step blocks all the way. They want to win.”
Christian Mazur slices and dices for. 15 yard TD.
14-all, Haven and Radnor. 5:30 to half. pic.twitter.com/xWAtXeCQsG— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) October 23, 2020
In the trenches and on the scoreboard, they got their way Friday. Led by tackles Jake Millett and Ben Farabaugh, guards Ethan Barrar and Nick Filos, and center Jack Beck, it was a dominant performance by the Haven line.
And throw in tight end Peter Blackburn, who augmented a 22-yard reception with a day of diligent blocking, to the mix.
“People think it’s all about strength or whatever and hitting them,” Millett said. “But it’s all about technique, getting around them, how you’re hitting them, how low you are. It’s not just about your strength.”
Which of the stats best hammer the point home? There’s the 406 yards on 59 carries. There’s the clock-suffocating 27 first downs. There’s the fact that the longest carry was a 36-yard touchdown by Shuler, the Panthers punishing Radnor into submission. Or the fact that on only one carry was Haven stopped for no gain or a loss. Or that seven Strath Haven drives resulted in seven Strath Haven touchdowns, the string only broken when the end of the game halted the backups.
Then there’s the parade of touchdowns. Quarterback Jack Ryder started it with a two-yard sneak in the first quarter. Mazur (15 carries, 88 yards) scored on a 15-yarder, and his kick return in the second quarter. Shuler (eight for 70) cashed in the first of two Alex Hemingway interceptions with a 36-yarder, his first of two scores, with 68 ticks left in the first half, for Haven’s first lead.
Adams, who led the way with 20 carries for 148 yards, barreled home for a two-yarder in the third quarter, then Barlow (10 for 83) added his name to the list in the fourth with a 14-yarder.
Through traps, sweeps, end-arounds and all of Kevin Clancy’s diabolical gadgetry, it was working for the Panthers. And that’s without Evan Blake, who figured to be a key piece as the speed back, in the lineup. It’s a testament to the linemen’s work, even if they’re shy about taking credit.
“It’s incredible,” Millett said. “You just go faster and faster and faster. It’s ecstatic. … They’re unstoppable. I don’t know how they do it, but they’re amazing. They make us that much better.”
Inside handoff to Matt Shuler who stampedes 36 yards. Strath Haven with its first lead, 28-21. 88 seconds left in the first half pic.twitter.com/D7rUFSdY05
— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) October 23, 2020
For a while, Radnor matched strike for strike, in a game that saw just four flags (none pre-snap) and one punt. The explosiveness is there for Radnor, with three touchdowns on big gainers. But they couldn’t sustain drives against the Panthers.
“Tonight, our only scores were on big plays,” running back Scott Belveal said. “Our first drive, we grinded down pretty well, but the majority of our scoring plays were big plays. It’s tough because we had to rely on that. We didn’t have any way to grind them down and move the ball.”
JP Moreland, who won the job out of camp, started well, the lefty singling 4-for-4 to start, including a 70-yard TD to Mark McKeon. Belveal, who churned out 16 carries for 145 yards, scored on a 71-yard run in the first half. But Moreland hit a rut around halftime, missing six straight attempts. He finished 5-for-12 for 168 yards with two scores, including a 56-yarder to Jahmir Dixon, and two picks.
That wouldn’t be enough to push the Panthers off the win.
“It started off a little rough, but once we got it going, we knew our assignments, we knew what we had to do,” Millett said. “We just took them down.”
