Falcons Finally Surmount Strath Haven

The Strath Haven mystique starts with the band; a black and white suited legion flanked by phalanxes of flags and pompoms, whose sheer size and sound has almost assuredly affected the outcome of a game on more than one occasion. It extends to the simple black, white and silver uniforms, and the history that the Panthers who wear those colors have amassed, including a 4-0 record against Pottsgrove and a 12-0 record against the PAC-10 in the postseason. And it ends with Falcons fullback Robby Curtin finding the end zone from three yards out. 

Curtin's run earned the Falcons the two-point conversion they needed to defeat the visiting Panthers 29-28 in overtime. After a back and forth battle -- including splitting the second half right down the middle, the third going to the Grove, the fourth scored for Strath Haven -- both teams found themselves knotted at 21 with no time on the clock.

Strath Haven had the first possession and four downs from the 10-yard line to maintain their historical dominance. Two runs up the middle by powerful fullback Keith DeCindis brought the Panthers to the 4-yard line before DeCindis punched one in to put the onus on the Pottsgrove offense.

Undaunted, the Falcons scored on their second play of overtime, a quarterback keeper by Tory Hudgins. Then it was merely three yards separating Curtin and the Grove from history. 

Pottsgrove head coach Rick Pennypacker never hesitated when considering going for the two-point conversion and the win.

"I told the kids with about six minutes left, if we went, we're going for two," Pennypacker said. "I told the seniors at the end of the game, if we get a touchdown we're going for two. We called the time out, we knew what we wanted to run, and the kids did a great job."

The play in and of itself was simple. 

"I asked the seniors how they wanted to go out, and they said we're going for two," Pennypacker said. "Madison O'Connor and (Steve) Ambs said run it over top of me, and we did."

O'Connor and Ambs paved the way as Curtin gained the three most important yards of his career. The fullback accounted for 113 yards and a touchdown for the Grove in the game, while Hudgins led the team with 161yards and two touchdowns of his own.

The Falcons found themselves facing off against a near mirror image, as Strath Haven had also been bludgeoning opponents all year with a multi-faceted rushing attack and lack of the forward pass. Despite both school's run heavy reputations, Strath Haven signal caller Kevin Mohollen did find some success through the air.

"Two big passing plays killed us," Pennypacker said, referring to a pair of strikes that turned the game around late in the third and entering the fourth. The first was a 39-yard touchdown pass from Mohollen to James Griffin to pull the Panthers within seven. Then a long bomb to a streaking Wellington ZaZa on third down set up the Panthers at the Grove's 20-yard line for the eventual game tying touchdown. Both passes were instrumental in getting Strath Haven back in the game after a monstrous third quarter for the Grove.

Coming out of the half tied at a touchdown apiece, the Falcons first play of the second frame did not bode well. A misplaced pitch was recovered by Haven, putting the Panthers in business on the Grove's 28-yard line and seemingly poised to score. It was at this critical juncture that the Falcons received the rarest of all gifts: a second chance. DeCindis fumbled on Strath Haven's first play following the turnover and Hudgins and his wrecking crew up front were back in business. O'Connor, in conjunction with fellow tackle Scott Schollenberger, guards Eric Bonenberger and Zach Birch, and center Dylan Pritchard went to work again, opening up holes for Curtin and Hudgins, who bulled their way past Panther defenders in a relentless rushing attack. Finally, Hudgins broke free on a 17-yard scamper for six.

Riding high on the offensive performance, the Falcon defense found an answer to Haven's running game. Facing a third-and-8 on his own 39-yard line, Mohollon was forced out of the pocket before heaving a desperation pass right into the hands of Pottsgrove's Marquis Barefield. Eager to cash in on yet another opportunity, Curtin once again went to work. Chipping away on the icy field, the Falcons managed to devour most of the third by the time Curtin blasted one 28 yards up the gut and into the end zone.

While Strath Haven brought the bigger band, Pottsgrove's was the first to play, as Hudgins struck up "Hail to the Victors" with a quarterback keeper early in the first. The drive was set up by Pottsgrove linebacker Sean Figueroa's fumble recovery on the Panther's opening possession. The Falcons defense was keyed by their front seven, as Figueroa was joined by defensive end Steve Ambs and sophomore linebacker Jeff Adams in bottling up the Strath Haven skill players. The Grove never trailed in the contest.

"He played a great game," Pennypacker said of Adams, who was making his first start. "A tremendous game."

The history of this rivalry was not last on the head ball coach; a longtime nemesis had been vanquished. Accomplishing the feat required a careful handling of the indomitable history that Strath Haven had built up behind it.

"My big thing was, I wanted the kids to have their own identity here," Pennypacker said. "I told them today that everyone who has played Strath Haven in the Pottsgrove program, and everyone in the PAC-10 who's played Strath Haven … they're all pulling for them tonight. I said you know, they can make a name for themselves if they beat them tonight here, and they did it in fashion. My hat is off to those kids; I'll tell you what, I get a lot of credit. I don't deserve the credit tonight. My coaches, my assistant coaches and those kids deserve the credit."

With the afterglow of a victory that had at times seemed impossible still visible on his face, Pennypacker looked around at his emptying stadium beneath the cold, black sky.

"That's one of the greatest games that has even been on this field," he said.