Football Notebook: Learning from the best, Milligan making his mark at Strath Haven
After Sam Milligan put forward another impressive performance last Saturday night, leading Strath Haven to a 49-35 victory at Haverford, head coach Kevin Clancy didn’t mince words about his junior quarterback.
Clancy loves what Milligan has accomplished in the first three weeks of the season. But in a progressively pass-first Central League, Clancy has never deviated from his classic Wing-T system, which has facilitated his resume as one of the greatest coaches in Pennsylvania history and Delco’s winningest football coach.
This year, let’s face it: the Panthers (3-0) have the dudes in the backfield (Matt Shuler, Chase Barlow, Anthony Crawford) and on the offensive line to stick with what works. It’s a Haven offense that is reminiscent of the program’s successes in the 1990s and 2000s.
Dual-threat Milligan steers the ship and has done so with the assurance of a veteran leader.
“Let’s be honest, I hurt him because I don’t throw the ball a lot,” Clancy said . “I know that, OK? But it’s what we have to do with our style of football, run the ball. But he can make plays and he can play with anybody. He’s a competitive guy, he’s got very good foot speed as I think people see now, and he’s an accurate passer. And he’s got poise.”
Milligan is 10 of 15 passing for 226 yards and three touchdowns. When he rolls out of the pocket, opposing defenses have to respect his speed and ability to miss tackles — he is averaging close to 10 yards per carry.
Milligan said he learned from watching Jack Ryder, another talented QB limited in Clancy’s run-first offense, the last two years. It also doesn’t hurt Milligan that he’s playing for assistant coach and former Strath Haven quarterback Mike Connor, the Daily Times Player of the Year in 2000 who guided the Panthers to back-to-back PIAA Class AAA championships
“I’m friends with Jack and he was a big help to me,” Milligan said. “And then playing behind Coach Clancy and also for Coach Connor, the greatest quarterback in Strath Haven history. They know when there’s a mistake and how to correct it right away, so it definitely helps playing for great coaches.”
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Academy Park is preparing to play the remainder of its 2021 home games on Saturday mornings in the aftermath of last month’s tragic shooting that left an 8-year-old dead and several others wounded shortly following the Knights’ season-opening win against Pennsbury.
The Knights begin the Del Val League portion of their schedule against Chichester this Saturday. Kickoff is 10:30 a.m. at Knight Park.
“I’ll say that there’s always hope of playing (on Friday nights), but at least the next two home games are on Saturday morning,” Academy Park coach and athletic director Jason Vosheski said last week.
AP is off to a perfect 3-0 start, including a 41-6 rout of Reading last Friday. The Knights have outscored their opponents 125-13.
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An ongoing renovation project at Radnor High School has left the football team without a home in the first month of the season.
According to the school district’s website, the renovations are costing an estimated 29.7 million “to address outdated and inaccessible facilities at Prevost and Encke fields, including new bleachers/seating on both fields, new walkways/ramps, and an adequately sized concession stand/field house between the fields, as well as the RHS pool area, fitness room, and locker rooms/bathrooms, among other areas.”
Radnor i(1-2) is set to play its fourth consecutive road game Friday at Springfield. The team now has the Raptors nickname following a lengthy student-driven movement to eliminate the “Raider” name and imagery.
Despite the team’s struggles, Damien Falcone has been excellent on both sides of the ball. The running back/linebacker racked up 14 tackles in last week’s 17-0 loss to Upper Darby and has 33 tackles on the season. He ran for 102 yards in a 35-7 win over Penncrest earlier in the year.
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Haverford Ethan Mahan produced catches for 123 yards and a touchdown in the loss to Strath Haven. The 6-0, 175-pound junior made an incredible catch for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, leaping high and ripping a would-be interception away from a Strath Haven defender in the end zone.
Mahan’s first sport is baseball. He is a left-handed pitcher who is garnering interest for his work on a mound.
“He’s a great athlete and an awesome kid who is a Division I-bound baseball pitcher,” first-year Haverford coach Luke Dougherty said. “Football is fun for him. He’s coming off an elbow injury that prevented him from pitching last year. And then he comes out here for football and he’s been incredible. He’s with his friends and he loves playing football. I give him a ton of credit because he could be just focusing on baseball, but he has been great for us and we love that he’s on the team.”
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MOVING THE CHAINS >> Of the 18 passes Garnet Valley quarterback Max Busenkell has completed, seven have gone for touchdowns. Four of the TD catches belong to Sean Gallagher, who is averaging 27 yards per reception. … Jayon Hailey of Penn Wood’s 92-yard run against William Penn (Del.) last week is the longest by any Delco player so far this season. … Chester junior Jeremiah Gates has made a big impact for the undefeated Clippers. The defensive lineman has recorded seven tackles for a loss and one fumble recovery for a defense that has allowed only 12 points in three games.
