The Panther Pod

Hosts Manny and Jasper are on the other side of the podcast today for an interview done by our new hosts for next year, Patrick Tolson and Kenji Melby-Griffin. We learn about their experiences with podcasting, their sports careers, and their plans after high school.

Seniors Keira Mattai and Brooklyn Taylor sit down to talk about their run in states last year, their personal growth through the sport, and advice for younger girls in the program.

Boys lacrosse seniors Oliver Gwinn and Quinn Fromal sit down with the Panther Pod to discuss how they got into lacrosse, how the sport could expand, and the best place to get some eggs in the area.

Senior captains of the Varsity baseball team, Quinn Kell and Eli Price, sit down to talk their season, fictional characters and the best fast food chicken places.

Softball senior captains Annika Slootmaker and Avery Smith join the Panther Pod to discuss a major milestone, the mentors throughout their careers, and how to not let other people's expectations define your game.  

Senior captain Eddie Gebhardt joins the Panther Pod to talk about the team culture, future of tennis as a whole, and how his role as captain has evolved throughout the season.

This episode of The Panther Pod follows Manny and Jasper's day at Penn State for the PSPA state finals. They talked to three contributors to the event about the recent transition in journalism to digital media,  how they are adapting to this changing landscape, and how truth is the most important factor in reporting.

Panthers baseball head coach Mr. Brian Fili joins the podcast to discuss his time as a player, how he developed his small ball philosophy, and his favorite places to spend a weekend away from the dugout.

Brendan Ricciardi '17, Founder and President of Delco Baseball Now, joins the podcast to discuss the progression of his interest in journalism, his favorite moments since starting his media company, and what's next for him as baseball season approaches.

Episode 16 of the Panther Pod hosts girls basketball captains Emelia Kerr and Leah Moretti as they discuss their mentors, the future of the program, and their favorite Starbucks orders.

Girls swimming seniors Mira Gold and Maya Putty sit down to discuss their favorite swim team memories, energetic pregame routine, and their favorite activities during a snow day.

Boys swimming senior captains Jamie Taub and Will Reitmeyer join the Panther Pod as they discuss their favorite events, working at a swim club, and their predictions for the new year.

Episode 13 of The Panther Pod brings on senior captains Mason Duffus and Theo Jauregui as they discuss their biggest basketball influences, favorite drills at practice and what shot they would take if the Martians had the death beam pointed at Earth and they had to hit it.

Episode 12 of the Panther Pod hosts senior captains Michael Spielman and Jesse Lin as they discuss their introduction to wrestling, grueling practices, and their favorite moves to put their opponents in a less than favorable position.

Episode 11 of Season 3 brings on Gino Maraglia, head coach of the girls varsity team and 2024 PSCA AAA Head Coach of the Year, to recap the season, talk about the future of the program, share his favorite chocolates and non-chocolate candies, and more.

Episode 10 of Season 3 brings on seniors Luke Mulhern and Greyson LaFrance, two captains of the Strath Haven Varsity Football team, to talk about their journey as football players, what a typical week of preparation looks like, and their favorite Gatorade flavors.

Episode 9 of The Panther Pod hosts boys soccer captains Tyler Mickelberg and Jack Leuthold as they reflect on their favorite games, interesting superstitions, and an even weirder companion for a zombie apocalypse.

Hosts Manny Pickup and Jasper Hals sit down with the two senior captains of Haven's boys cross country team, Owen Goldberg and Mason Barrar, as they discuss pre-race nerves, their go-to running tunes, and their favorite places for a late night snack.

Season 3 Episode 7 features golf captains Luca Kleinschmidt and Jack Degnan as they discuss the mental side of the game, the most memorable moments of their careers, and their favorite breakfast crunch.

Season 3 Episode 6 welcomes senior captains of the girls varsity Cross Country team at Strath Haven to talk team culture, inspiration on ribbon design and the shared love for 320 Market & Cafe.    

Season 3 Episode 5 hosts field hockey captains Anna Warley and Astrid Beach as they give an overview of the sport, how to get started, and a specific someone they hope to see at a game. Manny Pickup also provides a controversial take.

Episode 4 of the season 3 features head football coach Mr. Kevin Clancy as he discusses developing his classic offense, working with a younger group of players, and how to get involved in the program.

On the third episode of Season 3, hosts Jasper Hals and Manny Pickup introduce Ruby Lane and Katie Trout, two senior captains of the girls varsity soccer team at Strath Haven. Last season, the team won the PIAA 3A State Championship.

On the second episode of season three of The Panther Pod, girls tennis team captains Lilah Santore and Minori Saito discuss their season, their hopes for the future, and their run-in with bees on the court.

On the opening episode of Season 3 of The Panther Pod, hosts Manny Pickup and Jasper Hals introduce Leah Cohen and Eliza Jauregui, two senior captains of the volleyball team at Strath Haven. Cohen and Jauregui talk about their volleyball journeys and discuss their thoughts on the 2025 season.

For the last episode of season 2, Manny Pickup turns the mic on his co-host, graduating Panther Press Editor-in-Chief Matteo Ventresca, for a discussion about his experiences in journalism and sports.  Watch for season 3 in fall 2025!

On the twentieth episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup introduce Colin Jarvis and Andrew Mennig, two senior captains of the boys Ultimate Frisbee team at Haven. Both the boys and girls Ultimate Frisbee teams qualified for the national tournament from June 13 to June 14.

On the nineteenth episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup welcome Luke D'Ancona and Ben Milligan, two senior captains on Haven's baseball team. The baseball team ended their season on Wednesday, May 21 against Chichester.

On the seventeenth episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup welcome Dr. Russell Johnston, the new Superintendent of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District. Johnston began his role on May 1, bringing experience from his previous position at the Massachusetts Department of Education.

On the eighteenth episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup welcome Anya Agha and Emily Lin, two seniors on Haven's girls track team. Agha and Lin share some insight on their 2025 season.

On the sixteenth episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup introduce Sebastian Reed and Jaden Hunter, two senior captains of the Hi-Q team at Haven. The Hi-Q team won the Delco Hi-Q Championship followed by the Hi-Q National Championship this year.

On the fifteenth episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup introduce Mallory Cavanaugh and Kate Fox, two senior captains of the girls lacrosse team at Haven. The girls lacrosse team is currently the first seed in PIAA District 1 2A.

On the fourteenth episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup introduce Lane Harrington and Kai Czaplicki, two members of the girls wrestling team at Haven. The girls wrestling team was a new PIAA-sanctioned sport this year.

On the thirteenth episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup introduce Katie Stack and Lily Hodges, two senior captains for the girls Ultimate Frisbee team (SHUG) at Haven. SHUG recently won the Youth Ultimate League of Arlington (YULA), advancing to the national tournament in June.

On the twelfth episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup introduce Colin LeStourgeon and Jack Shronk, two senior captains for the boys track team at Haven. Shronk set the school record time for the 4x400 relay in the spring of 2024 along with three students who graduated last school year.

On the eleventh episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup introduce Robbie Valcich and Dylan Zeitz, two junior starters for the boys lacrosse team at Haven. Valcich and Zeitz shared some insight before their 2025 season began.

On the tenth episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup introduce Cate Whitehead and Whitney Taylor, two captains of the girls swimming team at Haven. Whitehead and Taylor both qualified for this year's district tournament.

On the ninth episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup introduce Olivia Voshell and Maryella Gill, two captains of the varsity girls basketball team at Haven, to discuss their season before entering the district playoffs. The team is currently 10-11 and the fifth seed for the district playoffs.

On the eighth episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup introduce Mr. Kevin Haney, English teacher and varsity basketball assistant coach at Haven, to uncover his life story. Haney has taught at Haven since 2001.

On the seventh episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup introduce junior Brock Reid and senior Carson Farrington, two captains for Haven's boys varsity hockey team, to discuss the team's dynamics and their goals for the season.

On the sixth episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup introduce Gavin Shifflet and Charlie Detweiler, two senior captains for Haven's boys varsity swimming team, to discuss their passion for the sport. Shifflet committed to American University, and Detweiler committed to Wesleyan University. Both received swimming scholarships.

On the fifth episode of the season, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup bring on two players of Haven's Unified Basketball team, Ryan Killeen and Patrick Conway, to discuss their experiences playing a unified sports season. Killeen and Conway are both helpers on the team.

On the fourth episode of the season, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup bring on two captains of Haven's mens golf team, Matt Caputo and Davis Fairbanks, to discuss their season. Caputo and Fairbanks both qualified for Districts.

On this episode of The Panther Pod, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup introduce Caden Shuster and Philip Collins, two senior starters for Haven's varsity football team, to talk about their 8-0 season before playoffs begin.

On the first episode of the new season, hosts Matteo Ventresca and Manny Pickup bring on two captains of Haven's womens soccer team, Annie Dignazio and Kaia Smith, to talk about their undefeated start to the 2024 fall season.

On this season's final episode, host Jake Kitchin talks about what has transpired in his life up to this point. He also explains what his future holds and where he expects to see himself.

On this week's episode, host Jake Kitchin brings on Haven's athletic director Lynelle Mosley to talk about her journey to becoming one of the most beloved figures at the school as her first year at Haven comes to a close.

On this week's episode, host Jake Kitchin brings on Strath Haven alumnus John Clark '93. Clark, who is now a reporter for NBC Sports Philadelphia and NBC 10, discusses his challenges and memories from high school and what it took to be where he is today. Also, learn about which restaurant in Delco was his favorite growing up.

On this week's second episode, host Jake Kitchin brings on two record-holders for Haven's track and field, AJ Glavicic and Gavin Schmidt, to talk about what it took to reach these achievements.