Shuler shines as Strath Haven rolls over Upper Merion
NETHER PROVIDENCE — The luxury of having a stable full of running backs, as Strath Haven does, is that any one of those ball carriers can go off on a given night. Friday night, it was Matt Shuler’s turn.
The senior Panther amassed 226 all-purpose yards and scored four touchdowns as second-seeded Strath Haven rolled over No. 15 Upper Merion, 35-0, in the opening round of the District 1 Class 5A playoffs at George L. King Field.
Shuler ran for two touchdowns, caught a pass for a TD and returned a kickoff for another score. That’s a pretty full night.
“I was hoping for a punt return (for a touchdown) and maybe a pick-six,” Shuler said with a smile. “I’m feeling good. “I’m excited to move on.”
The win gets Strath Haven (10-1) a date at home with Central League rival Marple Newtown next week in the district quarterfinals. Strath Haven pinned a 41-13 loss on the Tigers (8-3) in the second week of the season.
Shuler did it all for the Panthers. He carried the ball seven times for a team-high 62 yards as Haven pounded out 271 yards on 43 carries, an average of 6.3 yards a pop. Shuler scored on runs of 20 and 22 yards, took a wheel route from quarterback Sam Milligan 83 yards for a TD and returned the opening kickoff of the second half 80 yards for a score. His four scores covered 208 of his 226 all-purpose yards.
“The line blocked great,” Shuler said. “That’s all it was. There were huge holes to run through all game, all night long.”
The kickoff return was a back-breaker and a thing of beauty. Shuler had trouble picking up the ball but once he did he put on a show. Shuler cut to his right, avoided several would-be tacklers and raced up the Strath Haven sideline to give the Panthers a 28-0 lead.
“He’s so explosive,” Upper Merion coach Davis Chubb said of Shuler. “He’s a good runner and he’s so hard to bring down. I give all the credit in the world to those guys. I hope they go far and I think they have the ability to do it.”
The defense flourished, too. The Panthers limited the Vikings (4-6) to 164 yards of total offense, 78 on the ground and 86 through the air, to post their first shutout of the season. Most of that came in the first half as the Panthers built a 21-0 lead. Upper Merion managed just 63 total yards in the second half. The Panthers also forced two fumbles and picked off a pass.
“That was all Coach Mike Connor’s came plan,” middle linebacker Bob Fooskas said. “He really prepares us every week. It’s all him and everybody doing their job. That’s the biggest thing, everyone doing their job.”
That was good enough to send the Panthers into the second round and bring Upper Merion’s season to a close.
“I love how we started out, but we made one too many mistakes and you can’t make mistakes against a team like that,” Chubb said. “Coach (Kevin) Clancy has these guys so disciplined and what hurt us was giving up the big plays, but I was so proud of my guys. They didn’t quit and that’s I can ask from them.”
