NETHER PROVIDENCE — Long before he enrolled at Strath Haven, Marco Kaufman knew the football deal: Play not just for the present, but also for the past.
“It’s pressuring sometimes, because I want to play well for all those players before me,” Kaufman said. “All of us growing up, watching the game as little kids, watching those guys, it’s crazy to know that we are now those guys playing.”
It’s the blessing, as it is the burden, of playing for a top-tier program, and some of those burdens are loaded more recently than others. The Panthers of 2023 know they are following a 2022 Central League championship team, and a 2021 group that came within a game of playing for a Class 5A state championship.
That will take work, which they are quite willing to do.
“I’ve been excited about them,” said 33rd-year Panthers coach Kevin Clancy. “I’ve got to be honest with you, it’s been a great offseason. It’s always about depth. But if we can stay healthy, I think we can have a nice club.”
The rebuild will begin at quarterback, where the Panthers lost two-year starter Sam Milligan, who has gone to Bucknell as a wide receiver. But senior Jake Kitchin went 5-0 as a starter last season when Milligan was injured, so that practical experience of Clancy’s eternally successful Wing-T offense has kept the uneasiness about the loss of Milligan to a minimum.
“Last year, I think Jake showed he is really ready to be a varsity quarterback, and a really good quarterback at that,” said Cole Miller, who will make an offensive-line slide from guard to tight end. “I have complete trust in him. He’s been putting a lot of work into it in the offseason, and he has been throwing the ball really well and running the ball very well. So I am pretty excited for that.”
In addition to Milligan, the Panthers will need to replace leading rushers Anthony Crawford, an All-Delco fullback, and Bob Fooskas. The running back duties will fall to James Fisher, who returned two kickoffs for touchdowns last year, and Mekhi Clarke. Shane Green will be back to play some fullback, and Kaufman, a linebacker, will also take some backfield shifts. A.J. Glavicic, who finished fifth in the state in the 400 meters, will be a speedy wide receiver threat.
The growth of the offense will be eased by the return of the entire league-champion offensive line, including center Carter Law, guards Jackson Jeremiah and Gavin Pilson, and 6-foot-4, 300-plus-pound tackles Billy Brown and Will Leuthold.
With Sean O’Neill, Miller will provide bulk at defensive tackle. Defensive ends Alexei Gustafson and Vince Hales lead the pass rush, along with linebackers Kaufman, Green and Sean Henry. Clarke and Ben Miller will man the corners. Fisher and Glavisic will be the safeties.
The Panthers are aware that the Central League will be typically rugged, but they have enough returning from a couple of very successful teams to ensure that the road to the championship will be through the newly replaced artificial turf at George L. King Field.
“I believe that is due to the coaching,” said Kitchin, who regularly keeps in touch with Milligan to share thoughts on the offense. “Our class, when we were in eighth grade, was 0-and-8. But last year, we went 10-and-0 with a lot of our class. So I believe our coaching really helps us get better year after year.”
The Panthers have won 12 Central League championships since 1992, long before any of the players were born. They figure it’s their turn to add to the lore and return to the playoffs.
“Definitely,” Kaufman said. “I believe so, 100 percent.”
