All in Sports
We are thankful that the 2021 District 1 5A Champion Strath Haven Panthers gave us lots of reasons to smile since mid-August, and for many years to come.
After an incredible, exhilarating, improbable finish in the District 1 5A Final that saw the Panthers eke out a thrilling, 34-33 four-overtime victory over West Chester Rustin—literally by their fingertips—it seems fair to ask how a more satisfying encore could even be imagined.
An exhibition of photography and verse by the Page Brothers, Paul (photographer) and David (author), will be on display from December 2 to January 2, 2022, at Swarthmore Borough Hall. The public is invited to the opening reception on Friday, December 3, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This project has been a creative collaboration between the two brothers, an exploration of light, image, and possibilities filtered through a photographic lens and a keyboard.
Stefan Roots brings us up to speed on two recent Swarthmore College men’s basketball games, including a surprising home loss against Widener.
This week’s championship matchup could not look any more even “on paper.” The #1 seed will play the #2 seed. Both teams vanquished a league opponent for a second time in the playoffs. Both teams favor a “ground-and-pound” approach with a Wing-T offense. Both teams have longtime coaches with a history of success. And so, the District 1 5A Championship football game will land as predicted by the playoff bracket, as top-ranked West Chester Rustin will host #2 Strath Haven, with a trip to the state semifinals on the line.
On to Round 2 of the District 1 5A football playoffs, where the Strath Haven Panthers will have the added challenge of facing an opponent for a second time this season. While the #2-seeded Panthers were pounding out a convincing 35-0 whitewash of Upper Merion last Friday night, the possibility of facing #7-seeded Marple-Newtown in the quarterfinals came into focus.
Wins in eight of the last nine weeks have been a pleasure to watch, and suddenly, in what seems like a blink-of-the-eye, the Panthers have just one more contest before the District 1 5A playoffs begin.
If you have had young kids involved in sports activities with the Swarthmore Recreation Association (SRA), chances are you too have seen Coach Terry in action. Terry Lynch has long been a fixture on our local soccer- and tee-ball fields. With an infectious energy, Terry has dedicated his Saturdays to teaching kids the basics of soccer and baseball, emphasizing the importance of having fun. Greg Hoy chatted with Terry this past week after learning he was planning to (mostly) hang up his black cleats after 27 years on the field.
“The Media Bowl trophy will stay on S. Providence Road…,” was the call last Friday night, as Strath Haven continued their recent dominance in their local rivalry with Penncrest, marching to a 42-6 victory.
You may remember back in early April of this year, Ben Yagoda crafted an Unscientific Survey attempting to apply the concept of the “wisdom of the crowd” to the 2021 baseball season. We asked at that nascent part of the season (the Phillies were off to a 4-0 start) to guess how far they would make it into the postseason, if they would at all. Also, we asked how many games you thought they’d win. So, how wise is this crowd?
Former Ohio State Head Coach Woody Hayes once said, “There are only three things that can happen on a pass play, and two of them are bad.” While the Strath Haven passing attack has certainly been productive this year, last week’s game versus 5-1 Conestoga ended up following the recommendation of Mr. Hayes, as the Panthers kept the ball in the hands of four capable runners for the entire evening in a 35-14 victory over the Pioneers.
After a gut-punch loss to Garnet Valley seven days earlier, the Strath Haven Panthers were teetering on the edge of a possible losing streak for the first time in 2021. Last Friday, a dominant first half and 14-0 lead over Springfield evaporated late in the fourth quarter and the Cougars had all sorts of momentum on offense and defense alike. But a late drive pushed the ball close enough for Panther kicker (and soccer goalkeeper) Charlie Shankweiler to nail a clutch “full send” 31-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired, giving Strath Haven (5-1) a dramatic 17-14 victory.
After taking their first loss of the season, Strath Haven will look to bounce back on the road this week against a Springfield Cougar squad on a two-game winning streak.
For Strath Haven and Garnet Valley, on paper it cannot get much closer. Both have identical 4-0 records. Both teams have a reputation for powerful running attacks that is extending into the 2021 season. High school football fans expect this matchup between two storied programs this Friday at George L. King field in Wallingford to be the Central League’s game of the year.
Three weeks down, and three wins in the books for the Strath Haven Panthers have many high school football fans taking notice of the silver and black. And with an impressive 49-35 road win over 6A Haverford High last Saturday, the Panthers are poised to move to 4-0 this week with a challenging Central League schedule looming.
Rereading articles from this past January and February is like peering through the wrong end of a telescope into a lost world. Here’s a review of what we were doing and thinking about in 2020, as it showed up in the pages (and website) of this newspaper — both BC (Before COVID) and AD (After Distancing).
I came across a plain ole ridiculous article on Chester’s reigning NBA Slam Dunk Champion, Derrick Jones, of the NBA Portland Trail Blazers — formerly of the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns, from NBC Sports Northwest. I was going to let it slide until I spent some time with an 11th-grade Philly high school football player this weekend. We talked sports, and life, and somehow I remembered this crazy article about Derrick Jones. I showed it to him as a lesson on how you have to own your own story and watch what you say to reporters, because they don’t always do their homework.
On Monday, July 6, it poured at Houston Park in Nether Providence. The downpour flashed in streaks of silver past the brand-new lights on the baseball field. The first youth baseball game played under these lights was supposed to take place months ago. But now, even the half-inning of play before the rainout felt like a step in the right direction.
Head coach Landry Kosmalski of Swarthmore College number one-ranked men’s basketball team has been named the 2019-20 National Coach of the Year, the National Association of Basketball Coaches announced on March 20.
Swarthmore College was defeated by Johns Hopkins 73-71 on Saturday, February 29, in a game that proved all the basketball-isms true: it’s hard to beat a team three times in a row; Sports Illustrated feature stories are always followed by bad luck; three-pointers are worth more than two-pointers; UCLA’s 88-game win streak will never be shattered; and, basketball games become way more interesting with four minutes left to play.
