- Lower Merion High School

NETHER PROVIDENCE — It seems the only thing that could slow down Strath Haven
Thursday night was the weather. And even that didn’t last long.

After a 10-minute lightning delay to start the game, the Panthers (2-1, 1-1
Central) found the end zone three times in the first quarter on their way to a
49-0 drubbing of Lower Merion.
At 8:46 of the first, Anthony Myers punched the ball in from a yard out to
open the scoring. Less than three minutes later, Alex Bratsis took an end around
and scampered untouched for a 38-yard touchdown. After the Strath Haven defense
jumped on a Lower Merion fumble, quarterback Bryan Mizell found John Ruza
streaking down the sideline with an inch-perfect pass to bring the score to
21-0.

Charles Fryson made it 28-0 three and half minutes into the second quarter.

For the second week in a row, the Aces (0-3, 0-2) were on their heels. To
their credit, Lower Merion responded with a strong drive following Fryson’s
touchdown. Quarterback Kristian Dougherty, who took most of the snaps after
splitting time last week with Andrew Kerber, threaded a short pass to senior
running back Jack Garton who bulled his way into Panthers territory.

But just when it looked like the Aces might crawl back into the contest,
Strath Haven’s Ruza made the play of the game. He intercepted Dougherty’s pass
at the Panthers’ 15 and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown.

“‘ Wow,’ I thought, ‘ This is pretty long,” Ruza said. “I’m tired

now. I just wanted to get (the ball) in.’

Get it in he did. His 85-yard return sealed Strath Haven’s first Central
League win of the season. The Panthers’ backups found the end zone twice more in
the second half to close the scoring.

After a tough double-overtime loss last week to Marple Newtown, head coach
Kevin Clancy expressed need for improvement, classifying the practices leading
up to Thursday’s game as “back to camp’ week.

“We didn’t play our kind of football last week.

Tonight was one step forward and next week will hopefully be another step
forward,’ Clancy said.
Ruza echoed his head coach.

“We needed a pickup from last week,’ he said. “We have a long ways to go
still.’

Haverford lurks in the distance for the Panthers, a team Strath Haven will
need to be “near perfect’ to defeat, according to Ruza. In blowouts like
Thursday night, the players’ execution and work ethic take precedence over the
final score. Such a mentality prepares the Panthers for more difficult
tests.

On the other side of the result, the Aces were noticeably despondent
following a second straight one-sided loss.

Garton, who finished with 26 yards of total offense, admitted that moving the
ball in the fourth quarter “felt good,’ but quickly added “What can you say when
you give up 49 points?’

Words from an unlikely source, however, lifted the Aces’ collective spirit.
Before he spoke to his own team, Clancy made sure to acknowledge the effort of
the visitors.

“What Coach Clancy said meant a lot to us,’ said Garton. “He showed a lot of
class by doing that.’

“To me,’ Clancy offered, “It’s easy to play on winning teams. (Lower
Merion’s) kids are loyal to their school. Forget the result, these kids played
their hearts out. I’m a big fan of Lower Merion football tonight.’

As for his Panthers’ Central League hopes, Clancy is looking forward to
facing the Fords and no further.

“It’s a one-game season. I’m worried about next Friday.’