Haverford High School Hall of Fame to induct 15th class

The Haverford High School Sports Hall of Fame will honor nine new members and one team at its 15th annual awards dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at Llanerch Country Club in Havertown.

This year’s inductees are Linda Edelman Murphy (1976), Siobhan Campbell Rondolone (1985), Donald Ridge Maclaren (1966), Colleen O’Hara (1999), Beckett Hollenbach (1998), Ann Kerns (1978), Mark Mondschein (1970), Ken Leonard (posthumous 1969) and coach Wayne Heim. Long time coach, teacher and administrator Valerie Walchak, who played in integral role in promoting the game of women’s lacrosse on a regional and national level, will receive this year’s Special Recognition Award. The 1993 4 x 800 relay team of Ed Poynton, Chris Duckworth, Bob Freas and Mark Wilson is being presented with this year’s team induction.

The Haverford High School Sports Hall of Fame board of directors, along with its growing membership, nominated and voted for these inductees. After their induction, a plaque featuring each honoree will be placed in the lobby outside of Haverford High’s Juenger Gymnasium.

Tickets for the banquet, which has been filled to capacity each of last the 14 years, are available by calling 610-449-6711. There will be a social hour at 6 p.m. followed by the banquet at 7 p.m. The cost for the evening is $40 per person.

Fund raiser to benefit Aston-Middletown Little League

Aston-Middletown Little League will host a Flood Relief Benefit 6 to 9 p.m., Saturday (Nov. 6) at Barnaby’s of America in Aston. The ticket price of $30 includes domestic draft beer, house wine and a chef’s choice buffet.
Tickets will be available at the door or call Kim at 215-327-4989.
All proceeds will help rebuild the Aston-Middletown Little League complex which suffered severe damage caused by recent flooding.

Haverford Soccer Club hosts Orio Palmer Intramural Festival

By Tricia Woodman

The beautiful Columbus Day weekend was a perfect setting for a soccer festival hosted by Haverford Soccer Club at the Haverford Reserve. Over 400 players from HSC's U8 and U9 intramural teams were invited to celebrate the season by playing in four games over the course of the weekend at the Township’s newest field complex.
With spectators that included parents, grandparents and extended families, children played games and had the opportunity to participate in mini-clinics that took place throughout each day on ball skills and goal keeping. Both the turf and sod fields were utilized. There was a moonbounce for children to enjoy as well as a refreshment stand hosted by Haverford High School's girls' soccer booster club. T-shirts were sold and a 50/50 raffle was held to raise money to sponsor area firefighters doing stair climb races in Center City.

The festival atmosphere was evident as the focus of the games was on enjoying the day and one another's company. Team standings were not kept, and the emphasis was on having fun.
Sean Sharkey, a U8 boys coach, said, "The kids had a blast. I hope this becomes an annual event."
Noreen Farkas, whose son Jack plays for the U8 Blue Busters, was very pleased with the festival.
"Our son has been dragged around to so many of his sister's travel soccer games that he was thrilled that he would get to play soccer four times in one weekend!" Parent Joan Naehr agreed that her daughter and her teammates, "really enjoyed themselves." A Recreation Department official said that one thing he noticed at the festival was that everybody was smiling as they were leaving.
The Orio Palmer Intramural Festival was named for Orio Palmer, a hero and a NYC firefighter who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Remembered for getting higher and further than any other rescue personnel, Orio reached the 78th floor of the second tower before it fell. Relatives of victims who died on the 78th floor credit Orio Palmer with giving hope to their loved ones before they perished. Orio Plamer was also a fitness buff whose motto was, "live life while you're alive." HSC's organizers thought his courage and zest for life made him an appropriate role model for this tournament.
Haverford Soccer Club hopes that the festival's success over Columbus Day weekend will be the first of many more to come. The Club intends to make the festival an annual event, and looks forward to giving intramural players the opportunity participate in this type of event each year. Organizer Michael Gove lost track of how many positive emails he received about the event after it was over. As fall soccer winds down, the teams who participated will certainly count this as a highlight of their season.

It was a Columbus Day weekend of sun and soccer

The weather was sunny and beautiful, the fall foliage was brilliant and it was a perfect weekend for soccer.
Teams from Haverford Soccer Club's travel program played in games all over the area during Columbus Day weekend. Twenty-seven of the Club’s 29 travel teams — that’s over 400 players — participated in tournaments as far away as Allentown and Cape May.
Lehigh Valley Fall FestSixteen travel teams from Haverford Soccer Club made a trip to the Lehigh Valley Fall Fest over Columbus Day weekend. The Fall Fest, a two-day tournament that takes place near Allentown, is a favorite for teams and their families. Each team plays four games over the course of the weekend and winners of each division are awarded medals.
Many teams stay overnight in the area to allow players and their families the opportunity to get to know each other. The Fall Fest drew 141 teams this year from as far away as New York. Games took place at five different field complexes in Lehigh County. Coach Aimee Moran was especially proud of her team’s performance in their very first tournament at Lehigh.
The U9 Lightning finished fourth in their division with one win, two losses and a tie. The girls played a tremendous game against the first place finishers, losing by only one goal for a final score of 2-3.
Parent Sally Lynch enjoyed watching her three children play with each of their teams during “the day Havertown moves to Allentown.”
The U12 Girls Hurricane, coached by Bernie Holtz, placed third in their division after playing three shutouts. They scored 11 goals over the course of the tournament and only let in two. It was a great weekend for all. Here’s a round-up of how Haverford’s teams did at the Fall Fest:
Team Final Division Place
Haverford Strikers (U10 Boys) 5
Haverford Blackhawks (U11 Boys) 4
Haverford Blaze (U11 Boys) 5
Haverford Fury (U14 Boys) 2
Haverford Lightning (U9 Girls) 4
Haverford Hawks (U9 Girls) 7
Haverford Hot Spurs (U10 Girls) 6
Haverford Firebirds (U10 Girls) 7
Haverford Flames (U11 Girls) 2
Haverford Rockets (U11 Girls) 4
Haverford Chargers (U12 Girls) 6
Haverford Hurricane (U12 Girls) 3
Haverford Elite Knights (U14 Girls) 4
Haverford Thunder (U14 Girls) 5
Haverford Red Tornadoes (U15 Girls) 8
Haverford Inferno (U16 Girls) 5

More tournaments: The Lehigh Valley wasn't the only place Haverford teams traveled over Columbus Day.
The Haverford Firecrackers, U10 girls coached by Sandi George, traveled to Cape May for the George Pratt Memorial Soccer Tournament.
Haverford’s Boca Juniors, a U9 Boys team coached by Tom Rickards, took first place in their division at the United Junior Soccer League Columbus Cup tournament.
The Delco League Columbus Day Tournament drew a number of Haverford boys teams. The Haverford Celtics, U10 boys, coached by Tom Timoney, came in first in their bracket.
The Haverford Fireballs, U13 boys coached by Mike Stein, attended as well. After two tough losses, the Fireballs won their final game with a score of 5-0 and celebrated with a team lunch at The Winner’s Circle Restaurant. Five more teams from Haverford also competed at Delco: the U9 Storm, the U10 Rangers, the U11 Golden Stars, U12 Dynamos and the U12 Gunners.
The Haverford Highlanders U13 boys team competed in the Jack Walsh Memorial Soccer Tournament hosted by Hunter Soccer Club in Glenside. They lost in the final of the silver flight after stopper Justin Mascone broke his clavical. Coach Bill Bradley thought the boys deserved to win, but decided it was a "good steppingstone for the rest of the season."
The Haverford Heat, U13 girls coached by Bill Neef, finished first in their division at the 2010 Explorer Cup in Philadelphia.
As the fall season winds down, Haverford’s teams look forward to The HSC Banquet on Sunday, Nov. 7, at Drexelbrook from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $16 for children and head coaches and $27 for adults. Go to HSC’s Web site to order your tickets, www.haverfordsoccer.org .

Springfield Sports Notices

SFA Winter Sports Sign-up

Sign-ups for all winter sports will take place on Monday, Oct. 25 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Conway Hall.

Intramural basketball grades 1-4 (boys and girls)

*Basketball grades 5-8 (boys and girls)

Competition cheerleading grades 6-8 (girls - coach needed)

High School basketball grades 9-12

*Must be registered in order to tryout and CYO family fee must be paid.

For more info, call Maureen Ward at momikenmk@verizon.net or 610-544-3142.

SAA Girls Spring Travel Lacrosse Evaluations

Girls Spring Travel Lacrosse evaluations will be held on Saturday, Nov. 6 and Sunday Nov. 7 at Memorial Park. Cancellations due to weather will be posted on the www.springfieldaa.org.

4th, 5th and 6th Grades: - 3 - 4:15 p.m.

7th and 8th Grades - 4:30-5:45 p.m.

(Times are the same for both days.)

All girls in 4th through 8th grade that are interested in playing spring travel lacrosse must attend one tryout to be eligible to play. Those not attending a tryout or making alternate arrangements with Michelle DeBernardi at mdebernardi@yahoo.com will be placed on a waiting list for the upcoming season.

Do not contact your coach from last year if you are unable to attend.

SAA Spring Boys Travel Lacrosse Evaluations

Boys evaluations will be held on Nov. 13 and 14.

3rd and 4th graders - 2 p.m. to -5 p.m. (Registration Only—evaluations will be in February)

5th and 6th grades - 2 p.m. to -3:30 p.m.

7th and 8th graders - 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

(Times are the same for both days.)

The location and other details will be posted on www.eteamz.com/springfieldaaboyslax/

SAA Boys' Travel Basketball Tryouts

Candidates must be members of the Springfield Athletic Association prior to tryouts. Once a player is selected there will be a $40 travel fee due to the SAA and given to the age division coach.

U-14 boys cannot turn 15 until Jan. 1, U-12 boys cannot turn 13 until Jan. 1, and U-10 boys cannot turn 11 until Jan. 1.

Tryouts Dates and Times

Saturdays, Oct. 30 and Nov. 6

U-10 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

U-12 from 10 a.m. to noon

U-14 from noon to 2 p.m.

Sundays, Oct. 31 and Nov. 7

U-14 from 1 p.m .to 2:30 p.m.

U-12 from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

U-10 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

SAA Girls' Travel Basketball Tryouts

Candidates must be members of the Springfield Athletic Association prior to tryouts. Once a player is selected there will be a $40 travel fee due to the SAA and given to the age division coach.

U-14 girls cannot turn 15 until Jan. 1, 2011, U-12 girls cannot turn 13 until Jan. 1, and U-10 girls cannot turn 11 until Jan. 1.

Tryout Dates and Times

Saturday, Nov. 6

U-14 from 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

U-10 from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

U-12 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 7

U-14 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

U-12 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

U-10 from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Springfield SYC Versus BYC

80-pound JV Blue

Blue 12

BYC 12

The 80-pound JV Blue squad tied its second game of the 2010 campaign on Oct. 17 against BYC (Brandywine). Blue now carries a record of 1-5-2 on the season.

The offense scored on its first possession of the game when Connor Smith ran for a 40-yard touchdown after a handoff from quarterback Shawn Atkins.

The Cougars second touchdown came on a run from Alex Williams. Running back Matt Ellison also tallied rushing yards.

Nick Santivasci, Cole Rhodes, Ethan Scott, Dylan Archer, Brett Gougler, Anthony McBride, Danny Barrett and Chris Impriano provided offensive blocking.

Strong Cougar defense held BYC to two touchdowns by forcing three turnovers. Defenseman Brian King recorded his first sack of the season with a crushing hit to the quarterback. Colin Renning delivered the second sack of the game. Vincent Divario recovered a fumble for another strong outing. Tough defense was shown by the remaining Cougar defenseman Kieran Morse, Aidan McLane, Todd Garrett, Art Minchin, Jake Methlie, Michael Leon, Alex Klein and Matt Johnston.

Blue continues its season with a game on Sunday, Oct. 24 versus Coatesville 2 at home at 1:30 p.m.

80-Pound Varsity

Springfield 26

BYC 0

Springfield continued its undefeated streak with a hard-fought 26–0 victory over BYC.

The Cougar offense, led by QB Pat Marley, took control early. The offense rallied behind the excellent blocking of Aiden Shandley, Jake Vaughan, and Brendan Hilden. Running Back Anthony Rightley had several 40 plus yard runs that resulted in two touchdowns. Pat McCann added both extra points using some swift moves up the middle. It was 14–0 by early in the second quarter.

The formidable defensive line of Kevin Rechner, Michael Eberhardt, and Pat Dougherty had huge stops that showed why the Cougar defense is among the most feared in the Bert Bell League. An incredible sack by Klaus Gabel and big stops by Nick Cariola and Joe Pontano rounded out an unstoppable defensive showing by the Cougars.

Steven Griffin added to the Cougars scoreboard with a fantastic 30-yard run down the left side to give the Cougars a 20–0 lead at the half.

The fourth quarter opened with a big run by Jimmy O’Neill. Shortly after, an explosive 60- yard run by Tanner Robinson gave the Cougars a first and goal at the one. With a push up the middle, Robinson added another six points to cap a hard-earned 26–0 win.

SYC will take on Coatesville next Saturday at noon at Cougar Stadium.

100 -Pound Varsity

Springfield 14

BYC 0

The Cougars and Bulldogs fought to a 0-0 tie in the first quarter with both defenses checking the others offense. Springfield’s Justin Shields and Jeff Biancaniello were particularly affective in stymieing BYC’s offense.

In the second quarter, Springfield’s Jimmy Donegan, Jimmy Clark and Pat Clemens began to open holes for the backs. Jaden McKenzie ran through a huge hole opened by Vince Puppio and Luke Gutowski to get the Cougars a 7-0 lead.

On defense, Chris Finizio, and Vince DiMichele made stops to regain possession before the half was over. The clock ran down and the score was 7-0.

In the third quarter, Zack Kennedy led the Cougars downfield until a fumble turned the ball over.

On defense, Jaime Bove and Trevor Robinson made big stops to prevent the Bulldogs from driving the ball downfield. The Cougars still led 7-0 to end the third quarter.

In the final stanza after an affective drive, Jaden McKenzie broke for another Cougar score thanks to a block by Frankie Durham to make it 14-0.

On defense, Michael Tulskie came up big with three stops on the next Bulldog possession. That set up pressure from Jeff Houtmann, Max DiFonzo, and Luke Palumbo that caused an interception by Trevor Robinson and sealed a 14-0 win. The coaches prepared the team well for the game. Next week, the team plays the Coatesville Kid Raiders at home at 1:30 p.m.

A Week Of Wins For Springfield CYO Teams

SFA’s Nick Matty is on the run after hauling in a pass from Connor Ringwalt. Multi-talented Matty later ran for a touchdown, intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble.

Holy Cross JV

Holy Cross 30

St. Pius X 0

It did not take long for the Holy Cross to strike on Homecoming Day as Johnny Henderson took the kick off to the house for a 60-yard touchdown. That was only the beginning of St. Pius troubles as the superior play of the Holy Cross line took over and controlled the line of scrimmage all night long, pounding a very good St. Pius team for five unanswered touchdowns.

The blocking of Bill Issertell, Kevin Deal, Zach Venit, Ryan Harlow, and Nick Kurko was key to the Holy Cross amassing long powerful drives into the heart of the St. Pius D. The hard yards picked up by Chas Hunter, Brian O'Neill, and Ethan Cook helped pick-up first down after first down to keep the clock running. Also helping out on the O-Line was Frank Leahan, John Taylor and Ian Reger.

The defense gave all they had to put up their first shutout of the season. Tommy Toal played very well from the safety spot, helping to shut down the St. Pius ground attack. Nate Lohr, Jason Estep, Nate Shimkutis and Jake Gindhart, all helped to insure the zero for the defense.

Also on the field this night after a long time was the return of Christian Lane to the gridiron and what an impact on the field, as he recorded his first Holy Cross sack of the year. Daulton Dephillipo anchored what was a very good night on the defensive line along with Johnny Hally playing a very physical presence.

The Crusaders will battle with St. Gabe's on Sunday for the division title.

Holy Cross Varsity

Holy Cross 26

St. Pius X 6

On a chilly Friday night under the lights at Scullion Field Holy Cross defeated St. Pius X on Homecoming to remain in the playoff hunt.

Holy Cross drove the opening kickoff the length of the field. Mostly off of the carries of hard- running Brad Murphy and Jeff Govanicci, then capped off with a 12-yardsweep for a touchdown by Dave Licalzi.

Holy Cross defense forced a quick three and out, but the punt was mishandled and that led to the only St. Pius score.

With 23 seconds left in the half, the Crusaders scored on a one-yard sneak by Quarterback Bill Ryan.

The Holy Cross team came out for the second half fired up after a great halftime performance by the Holy Cross Cheerleaders and a homecoming tradition of the eighth grade boys presenting their mothers with roses.

The St. Pius offense was shutdown in the second half by a swarming Holy Cross defense led by Matt Bilotta with 12 tackles and Ryan Fox with great pass coverage, while the offense added two touchdowns behind the blocking of Joe Martin and Kyle D'Angelo.

The big homecoming win over a very good St. Pius X team leaves Holy Cross at 4 and 1 in the division and in great position for a playoff spot.

St. Francis JV

SFA 21

OLC 0

The St. Francis of Assisi (SFA) fifth and sixth grade football team scored all its points in the first half and defeated Our Lady of Charity (OLC) on a blustery Homecoming Day.

SFA's record remains unblemished at 6-0.

SFA jumped out of the chute quickly by scoring on two of its first three offensive plays. After receiving the opening kickoff, Kyle Long swept around right end for twenty yards on the first play from scrimmage, and on the next play swept around left end for a 32-yard touchdown. David Strawley drilled the extra point between the uprights and SFA led 8-0.

On the next possession, Andrew Paulus rambled 54-yards for a touchdown. The extra point attempt failed, but SFA was on top 14-0.

SFA tacked on its final touchdown in the second quarter when Nick Matty scampered off tackle into the end zone from a yard out. A Connor Ringwalt-to-Matty 25-yard pass to the one-yard line set up the touchdown. Ringwalt then connected with Paulus for the extra point and the scoring for the game was complete at 21-0.

Offensive linemen Matty, Chris Delaney, Joe Kennedy, Jared Morris, Michael Ward, Chris Alfonsi, Joey Radico, Kevin McKeon, Connor Sadoff, Jerry Curran and Strawley opened the running lanes for the three scoring drives.

SFA's defense throttled OLC, allowing only one first down, 16 total yards and forcing four turnovers en route to recording its sixth shutout of the year.

Leading tacklers were McKeon, Curran, Paulus, Morris, Ward, Strawley, Long, Sadoff, Andrew Pickett and Greg Tamaccio.

Matty intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble, and Strawley and Sadoff also recovered fumbles.

SFA will travel to Haverford Friday to take on unbeaten St. Denis at 8 p.m.

Rose Tree soccer champs

Rose Tree Soccer’s U-12 girls’ soccer team, The Rose Tree Rebels, came in first place at the Woodstown, NJ Columbus Day Tournament recently. Team members include (kneeling) Rudy Loper, Joy Om, Christina DiFelice, Avery Toper, Olivia Rigby, Annalise McLarnon, Caroline Hosier; (standing) Assistant Coach-Linda DiFelice, Maddie DiDomenico, Amy McGroarty, Erin Gilligan, Maria Michels, Danielle Heller, Alyssa Bonatsos, Lydia Hannemann, Sally Stockett, Sarah Roberts, and Head Coach Sheila Roberts. (Not pictured: Cameron Toddy)

Springfield Cougar golfers make waves in Central

The Springfield team, led by Michael Kelley, Jr. Supper and Kyle Hakun, had a strong finish in the Central League with wins over Upper Darby, Marple and Ridley. In the Central League Championship, Kelley, Supper and Hakun advanced to the District 1 Championship be held this week at Turtle Creek Golf Club. This is the first time in many years Springfield sent three golfer to the District Championship. Pat O'Connell, Brandon Wynne, Tim Houtmann and Brian Todaro also played in the Central League Championship but did not advanced to the next level.

Springfield High School golf team members are: (knelling) captains JR Supper and Michael Kelley; (first row) Assistant Coach Steve Gronile, Kenneth Lynch, Andrew Peranteau, Colin Ringwalt, Pat O'Connell, Brian Todaro, Kyle Hakun and Head Coach Jim Heller; (back row) Ryan McKnight, Jason Karian, Eric Russo, Tim Houtmann, Brandon Wynne and Connor Doyle.

St. Francis of Assisi winter sports sign-up

Sign-ups for all winter sports will take place on Monday, Oct. 25 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Conway Hall.
Intramural basketball grades 1-4 (boys and girls)
*Basketball grades 5-8 (boys and girls)
Competition cheerleading grades 6-8 (girls - coach needed)
High School basketball grades 9-12
*Must be registered in order to tryout and CYO family fee must be paid.
For more info, call Maureen Ward at momikenmk@verizon.net or 610-544-3142.
SAA Girls Spring Travel Lacrosse Evaluations
Girls Spring Travel Lacrosse evaluations will be held on Saturday, Nov. 6 and Sunday Nov. 7 at Memorial Park. Cancellations due to weather will be posted on the www.springfieldaa.org.
4th, 5th and 6th Grades: - 3 - 4:15 p.m.
7th and 8th Grades - 4:30-5:45 p.m.
(Times are the same for both days.)
All girls in 4th through 8th grade that are interested in playing spring travel lacrosse must attend one tryout to be eligible to play. Those not attending a tryout or making alternate arrangements with Michelle DeBernardi at mdebernardi@yahoo.com will be placed on a waiting list for the upcoming season.
Do not contact your coach from last year if you are unable to attend.
SAA Spring Boys Travel Lacrosse Evaluations
Boys evaluations will be held on Nov. 13 and 14.
3rd and 4th graders - 2 p.m. to -5 p.m. (Registration Only—evaluations will be in February)
5th and 6th grades - 2 p.m. to -3:30 p.m.
7th and 8th graders - 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
(Times are the same for both days.)
The location and other details will be posted on www.eteamz.com/springfieldaaboyslax/
SAA Boys' Travel Basketball Tryouts
Candidates must be members of the Springfield Athletic Association prior to tryouts. Once a player is selected there will be a $40 travel fee due to the SAA and given to the age division coach.
U-14 boys cannot turn 15 until Jan. 1, U-12 boys cannot turn 13 until Jan. 1, and U-10 boys cannot turn 11 until Jan. 1.
Tryouts Dates and Times
Saturdays, Oct. 30 and Nov. 6
U-10 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
U-12 from 10 a.m. to noon
U-14 from noon to 2 p.m.
Sundays, Oct. 31 and Nov. 7
U-14 from 1 p.m .to 2:30 p.m.
U-12 from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
U-10 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
SAA Girls' Travel Basketball Tryouts
Candidates must be members of the Springfield Athletic Association prior to tryouts. Once a player is selected there will be a $40 travel fee due to the SAA and given to the age division coach.
U-14 girls cannot turn 15 until Jan. 1, 2011, U-12 girls cannot turn 13 until Jan. 1, and U-10 girls cannot turn 11 until Jan. 1.
Tryout Dates and Times
Saturday, Nov. 6
U-14 from 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
U-10 from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
U-12 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 7
U-14 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
U-12 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Springfield girls three-peat cross country

Francie McNally led the Springfield girls to their third consecutive sweep of a Central League Meet defeating Penncrest and Upper Darby at Rose Tree Park. Christina Smith finished fourth, followed by Mary Galligan finishing sixth, Julie Marrow seventh and Shannon Duffy tenth, completing the scoring for Springfield. Later in the week, the girls competed in the Delco Championships at Rose Tree Park. McNally (right) finished 14th and Smith finished 19th. The Springfield girls team finished fifth overall.

"JV Cougars rout Penncrest football

Springfield’s Pat White and Seamus O'Hara (#63) bring a Penncrest runner down on fourth down in action on Oct. 11. The JV Cougars downed the Lions 36-6. Photo by Whitney Dougherty.

Springfield U9 'Sizzled' To The Top

In their first ever soccer tournament, the Springfield Sizzle U9 travel soccer team came home with the championship trophy after beating the division 3 Westmont Blue Thunder 2-1 in the Hunter Jack Walsh Championship game over the Columbus Day weekend. Teammates are (bottom row): Gia Panichelli, Emma Whitaker, Aidan Gallagher, Emma Sulipizio, Natalie Bruinsma, Erin Gormley, Julia Carlin, Dana Mirgliano, Bria Hemphil and Jordan Galloway; (back row) Jamie Galloway and Abby Aughe. Coaches are Kate Bruinsma, Tom Aughe, Frank Mirgliano and Theresa Whitaker.

Springfield AA Girls Travel Played In Tournament

The Springfield AA Girls Travel team participated in the Jack Walsh Tournament in Glenside on Oct. 2 and 3. Coaches are Mark Winter, Mike Donlan and Craig Caceci. Team members are (back row) Bianca Caceci, Olivia Vearling, Syndney Salas, Kaitlyn Dougherty, Abby Peichel, Emily Donlan and Julia Dath; (front row) Julia Hennessey, Christine Russella, Angela Winter, Juliana Kissinger.

District One qualifiers recognized

District One qualifiers Michael Kelly, Kyle Hakun and JR Supper were honored.

MVP golfers

MVP awards went to Michael Kelley and Kyle Hakun.

SHS golfers honored

Brian Todaro received the Rookie Award and J R Supper the Ed Johnson Award.

Springfield High School golfers honored

The SHS Golf Banquet was held at Rolling Green Golf Club on Sunday night, Oct. 10. Eric Russo received the Senior Award and Pat O'Connell the Most Improved Award

Cougar cross country girls sweep Central League rivals again

Francie McNally (followed by Christina Smith) led the Springfield girls to their third consecutive sweep of a Central League meet, defeating Penncrest and Upper Darby at Rose Tree Park. Smith finished fourth, followed by Mary Galligan finishing sixth, Julie Marrow seventh and Shannon Duffy tenth, completing the scoring for Springfrield.

Springfield SYC Teams

80-Pound JV Gold

The Cougars traveled to Avon Grove this past weekend to take on the Wildcats. The Wildcats proved to be a worthy opponent, however the Gold team was able to add another win to their record by posting a 6-0 victory over Avon Grove.

Defense was the name of the game on Sunday afternoon. Brian Layton and Paul Conlan turned in phenomenal performances and led the way for the Cougar defense. Alex Sciarrino, Nicolas Finzio and Dan Tommarelli were a constant presence in the Wildcat backfield and made it tough for Avon Grove all afternoon.

The combined effort of Edward Cullen, Riley McCarry, Logan Chambers, Chad Ruppert, Robbie O’Brien, Kevin Farren, Kieran Roche, Nico Santini and Stephen Graney allowed Springfield to control the line of scrimmage and hold Avon Grove to only one first down all day.

Thomas Dougherty, Michael Wells, Aiden Hoopes, Fran Grady, Alex Hudyma, John Godsey and Anthony Teufel battled hard all day against a formidable Wildcat defense. Their persistence paid off late in the first half when Chris Rich broke free for a 50 yard touchdown run.

Jake Eden, Dominick Alfonsi, Alex Sciarrino and Nick Donegan carried the ball well and provided the tough but necessary yards the Cougars needed to secure another win.

Congratulations to the Gold team and coaching staff on a terrific team effort.

The Cougars will host BYC at Crowell Park on Sunday, Oct. 17 at noon.

80-Pound JV Blue

Blue (1-4-1) lost an intense battle to Marple 2 under Friday night lights on Oct. 8. Another hard fought battle for the Cougars ended in a score of 13-0 with Marple 2 on top. Penalty flags were thrown frequently in the game for both teams. The Cougars and the Tigers battled earlier in the season in a game that ended in a 6-6 tie.

After a strong initial defensive by the Cougars, the ball was handed to the offense. Persistence moved the ball up the field with rushing yards tallied by Connor Smith, Matt Ellison, Shawn Atkins and Alex Williams.

In the remainder of the first half, the defense allowed two touchdowns by Marple for a score at halftime of 13-0.

The Cougars defense came out strong in the second half and held Marple 2 scoreless with stellar tackling by Keiran Morse, Art Minchin, Aidan McLane, Alex Williams, Matt Gagliardi, Todd Garrett, Colin Renning , Vincent Divario and Matt Johnston. An impressive tackle early in the second half by Garrett stopped a possible runaway touchdown by Marple. Michael Leon recorded his first sack of the season. Defensive lineman Divario recovered a fumble at the 50 yard line to open the way for the Cougar offensive final series. The Cougars marched their way up the field threatening to score as the time ran out on the game clock.

The night’s quarterbacking duties were shared by Shawn Atkins and Matt Ellison. Blocking for the offense was provided by center Dylan Archer and offensive linemen Brett Gougler, Brian King, Cole Rhodes, Nick Santivasci, Danny Barrett, Ethan Scott and Matt Johnston.

Cole Rhodes, M’khai Terry, Tommy Ward, Jake Methlie and Alex Klein rounded out the Cougar defense.

The Cougars will look for a victory at home on Sunday, Oct. 17 versus Brandywine Youth Club at 1:30 p.m.

80-Pound Varsity

The Cougars continued their winning streak on Saturday against Avon Grove. The team battled hard to the final whistle and prevailed with a 19-0 shutout over the Wildcats.

The Cougar defense was virtually unstoppable from the start, causing Avon Grove to fumble multiple times early on. The first half saw outstanding fumble recoveries by Tanner Robinson, Michael Eberhardt and Steven Griffin.

Despite impressive runs by Pat McCann and Jimmy O’Neill, the Cougar offense consistently met tough opposition and was unable transition their long drives into points on the board.

Late in the second, the formidable offensive line of Brendan Hilden, Kevin Rechner and Aiden Shandley gave the offense the time it needed to execute. QB Pat Marley succeeded in a difficult handoff which resulted in a 30 yard run and TD for Anthony Rightley. The Cougars led 6-0.

Avon Grove’s next drive was thwarted thanks to impressive stops in the backfield by Jake Vaughan and Pat Dougherty. An amazing sack by Klaus Gabel kept the Wildcats off the board at the half.

Shortly after, a long 2nd and 25 attempt by the Cougars resulted in a 70 yard TD run by Rightley to further improve the Cougars lead to 12-0. Big stops by Nick Cariola and Joe Pontano kept Avon Grove off the board for the remainder of the second half.

Late in the fourth, a TD run and extra point by Rightley cemented the Cougar lead. A last ditch effort by Avon Grove resulted in an interception by Rightley to finalize a 19-0 victory for the Cougars.

The Cougars look to continue their winning streak next Saturday at home, against Brandywine Youth Club.

100-Pound Varsity

The Cougars started up fresh against the Avon Grove Wildcats. After winning the toss, Avon Grove received the ball. Frankie Durham hustled downfield after a nice kick by Vince Puppio and got the Cougars the ball to start the first half. To open the drive, Jaden McKenzie ran through a huge hole opened by Luke Gutowski. Later in the drive, McKenzie got the Cougars a touchdown. The score was 7-0.

Puppio kicked another long ball that was recovered once again by the Cougars. The fumble was forced by Trevor Robinson, and recovered by Chris Finizio. On the first play, McKenzie broke a 40 yard run on first down. Later in that drive, Jaime Bove scored a three yard touchdown thanks to a hole opened by Pat Clemens, Jimmy Donegan and Jimmy Clark. The Cougars led 13-0 after the first quarter.

After shutting the Wildcats offense down, the Cougar offense came firing again in the second quarter. Bove started it off by gaining a solid 15 yards. Then on 4th and 12, the Cougars did a pitchout to McKenzie that got the Cougars a first down. Durham got a four yard touchdown run on the next play. After that, Zack Kennedy threw for the extra point and Finizio made a nice grab to put the Cougars up 20-0. On defense, Justin Shields put a smashing hit on a Wildcat on 2nd down. On third down, Puppio and Michael Tulskie tackled a Wildcat to set up a fourth down. Luke Palumbo made a diving stop on fourth to prevent a first down for Avon Grove. That ended the first half with the Cougars leading, 20-0.

To open the second half, Clark recovered an onside kick by the Wildcats. That set up a 15 yard run by Bove, followed by a 10 yard run to move the chains. That set up a four yard tuchdown by McKenzie to put the game out of reach with a 27-0 score.

Vince DiMichele, Max DiFonzo and Jeff Houtmann mde stops on the next defensive series to end the third quarter.

To start up the 4th quarter, Palumbo ran the ball to eat up the clock, gving the Wildcats almost no time to score. On defense, Durham defended a pass and recorded a tackle. Jeff Biancaniello also made two stops down the stretch. The Wildcats did score, but Tulskie would kneel to finish the game with the Cougars winning, 27-6.

Next week, they play the BYC Bulldogs at home at 1:30 p.m.

For more SYC pictures, visit the Delco Sports Net blog at http://delcosportsnet.blogspot.com/.

Springfield CYO Football Update

The undefeated Holy Cross Crusaders JV team members are (first row) Chaz Hunter, Frank Leahan, Jason Estep, Daulton DiPhillipo, Jake Gindhart, Brian O'Neill, Nick Kurko, Nate Lohr, (second row) Pat Toal, Billy Isertell, Kevin Deal, Ethan Cook, Zach Venit, Anthony Torrelli, John Herderson, Tommy Toal, Ian Reger, John Taylor, John Haley, and Ryan Harlow. Coaches" Pete Murphy, Don Rimel, Dan Cook, Craig Harlow and Joe Martin. Missing from photo is Nate Khimkiates.

Holy Cross JV

Holy Cross 33

Annunciation 13

The Holy Cross JV football team is undefeated mid way through the season. The boys defeated Annunciation this past week 33-13; this victory puts HC 5-0 this season. The explosive offense is led by quarterback Tommy Toal. With the dynamic running and throwing game, HC has been sensational.

Jake Gindhart, Chas Hunter, Ethan Cook, John Henderson, and Brian O'Neill lead the team in touchdowns.

Defensive standouts are Ryan Harlow, Daulton Diphillipo, Nick Kurko, Johnny Haley, Anthony Torrelli and Billy Issertell.

Ian Reger, Jason Estep, Kevin Deal, Zach Venit, John Taylor, Nate Shimkiates, Frank Leahan and Nate Lohr have all contributed to the undefeated season so far.

The boys had the chance to play at Episcopal Academy (see photo) where they defeated ABVM 28-6.

They will play their homecoming game against St. Pius Friday night at 6:30.

SFA JV

SFA 19

Our Lady of Fatima 0

The St. Francis of Assisi (SFA) fifth and sixth grade football team posted all its points in the second quarter and blanked Our Lady of Fatima (OLF) 19-0 to raised its record to 5-0.

SFA’s first scored resulted from a 14 play 50-yard drive. Kyle Long, Andrew Paulus, and Andrew Pickett alternated carries down to the one-yard line, where quarterback Connor Ringwalt bulled in for the touchdown. The extra point attempt failed and SFA was on top 6-0.

Greg Tamaccio returned a punt 21 yards to the 15-yard line where Pickett scooted 10 yards off into the end zone. Tamaccio connected with Paulus for the extra point and SFA increased their lead to 13-0.

David Strawley recovered an OLF right before halftime. fumble. Ringwalt then threw a perfect pass to Paulus for a 50-yard scoring strike. The extra point attempt failed and the half came to a close with SFA leading 19-0.

SFA scored on all three offensive possessions in the first half, as linemen Nick Matty, Jared Morris, Michael Ward, Chris Alfonsi, Joey Radico, Kevin McKeon, Connor Sadoff, Jerry Curran and Strawley controlled the line of scrimmage.

SFA’s defense recorded their fifth consecutive shutout, allowing only six yards and one first down. Leading tacklers were McKeon, Matty, Sadoff, Strawley, Morris, Long, Pickett, Curran, Paulus, Ward, Joey Kennedy and Anthony Reginelli.

SFA will celebrate homecoming on Saturday at Church Road Field versus Our Lady of Charity. Varsity will play at 10 a.m.with the JV to follow at noon.

SYC 100-Pound JV Remains Undefeated

Springfield's Colin Ellis (#44) and Andrew Johnson (#70) get ready to tackle an Avon Grove running back during the 100-Pound JV game.

SYC 100-Pound JV Running Back Philip Shovlin (#33) sweeps past Avon Grove's defender for a touchdown. Springfield won 26-0 and remains undefeated.

Springfield U10 Sting Played In Tourney

Springfield Sting U10 Travel Soccer team participated in the Columbus Day Tournament on Oct. 9 and 10 in Malvern. The team played hard and lost their final game in the last 20 seconds of the second overtime. Congratulations to Coach Lynch and the boys on a great tournament. Team members are: Stephen Miller, John Miller, James Barbier, Matt Nolan, TJ Royds-Helverson, Chris Zimmerman, Tyler Perkins, James Sissons, Luke Houghton, Dale Lennon, Assistant Coach Charlie Zimmerman and Coach Jim Lynch. Not pictured are Michael Bednar and Patrick Doyle.

Tough Loss For SYC 100-Pound Varsity

Frankie Durham (#3) evades Marple's defense during the Bert Bell 100 LB Varsity Central Division game of the week. Springfield lost their first game of the season 13-12.

100-Pound Varsity

The Cougars took on the Marple Tigers, a match-up of undefeated and un-scored upon teams. Springfield’s Luke Palumbo, Michael Tulskie and Max DiFonzo provided good kickoff coverage to Marple.

Frankie Durham’s Jaden McKenzie’s defense thwarted any Marple drive and gave Springfield the ball.

Back on defense, Pat Clemens, Justin Shields and Durham stop the Tigers.

On offense, Zack Kennedy rolled out for a pass to a wide-open Trevor Robinson wide open for a gain of 30 yards. Vince Puppio, Luke Gutowski, Jimmy Donegan and Jimmy Clark made big blocks. That play would end the first quarter.

Then Jaime Bove ran for an 18-yard touchdown, making it 6-0.

On the ensuing kick, Marple took the ball to Springfield's four-yard line. Although, Luke Gutowski had a sack, Marple’s quarterback then ran the ball in on a sneak. McKenzie had another bone-jarring hit to stop the extra point.

On Marple’s next possession, pressure by McKenzie, Chris Finizio enabled Robinson to pick off a pass. The score at the half was 6-6.

On its first possession of the second half, Marple ran for 40 yards and another Tiger TD putting them up 13-6.

Springfield gave up the ball on downs on the their next drive, even though there was strong running by Shields and Bove

Then Vince DiMichele had a tackle for a loss and

Bove had a touchdown saving tackle. Then Durham picked off a pass at the 25 with just under three minutes to play.

Durham then ran the ball for next three plays, and on the last one scored. The Cougars then trailed the game 13-12.

With the Cougars electing to go for two and the win, an incomplete pass pretty much ended the game.

Michael Tulskie made stops but the Cougars couldn't stop the Tigers from running out the clock and The Tigers won the game 13-12.

The Cougars will head out to Avon Grove to play the Wildcats next week.

One Win, One Loss for SYC 80-Pound

80-Pound Gold

Gold suffered its first loss of the season with a tough 6-0 loss to the Marple Tigers.

The offense was guided by quarterbacks/ running backs Nick Donegan and Dominick Alfonsi. The two hooked up on a nice pitch and catch for a big first down during the game.

Running backs Jake Eden, Chris Rich and Alex Sciarrino ran for tough yards all day long, behind an offensive line that consisted of Anthony Teufel, Daniel Albany, Kieran Roche, John Godsey, Fran Grady, and Alex Hudyma. The ends were sealed throughout the day by tight end Stephen Graney.

After an early touchdown by Marple, the defense dug in and shut the strong Marple offense down. The line backing crew was all over the field. Paul Conlan started things off with the hit of the day, dropping a Marple running back for a big five-yard loss. Linebacker Alex Sciarrino came up with a big stop on third and long, which forced Marple to punt. Daniel Tommarelli came up with a big fumble recover. Linebackers Malachi Hansen, Riley McCary and Logan Chambers left lasting impressions on Marple with their defensive play.

Marple had problems throughout the day with center to quarterback exchanges, because of the tough play of the defensive line of Kevin Farren, Aiden Hoopes, Nico Santini, Robbie O’Brien, Michael Wells, Chad Ruppert and Brian Layton. The defense was anchored by the secondary of Edward Cullen, Nicolas Finzio and Thomas Dougherty.

The Blue Cougars next play away at Avon Grove on Oct 9.

80-Pound JV Blue

Blue (1-3-1) fell to Marple 1 on Oct. 2. A hard fought defensive battle ended in a score of 6-0 with Marple on top.

Marple’s homecoming festivities brought a sunny day, but no victory for the Cougars. Both teams struggled to move the ball offensively. The game was a hard fought battle for field position, with the Marple Tigers scoring the only touchdown of the day midway through the third quarter.

Head coach Shawn Atkins praised his defense. Stellar tackles were recorded by Vincent Divario, Todd Garrett, Art Minchin, Michael Leon, Cole Rhodes, Colin Renning and Kieran Morse. Aidan McLane, M’khai Terry, Connor Smith, Jake Methlie, Alex Klein, Matt Gagliardi and Matt Johnston completed the Cougar defense that held Marple to a single touchdown.

Alex Williams, performing duties on both sides of the ball, had several carries in the game, as well as some nice tackles.

The offense was lead by quarterback Shawn Atkins, with a handful snaps taken by Connor Smith and Matt Ellison.

Williams, Smith, Ellison, Atkins and Cole Rhodes tallied rushing yards behind the offensive line of Anthony McBride, Danny Barrett, Brett Gougler, Brian King, Nick Santivasci and Ethan Scott.

The Cougars will travel back to Marple on Saturday, Oct. 9 to take on Marple 2 at 10:15 a.m.

80-Pound Varsity

The Cougars took on the Marple Junior Tigers on Oct. 2 and came away with a hard fought victory.

On the opening drive, Aiden Shandley created an opening that allowed an explosive run up the middle by Steven Griffin to give the Cougars a quick 6-0.

The Cougar Defense stayed focused, as Marple's offense kept them busy throughout the first half. Brendan Hilden and Pat Dougherty made some big stops. A last ditch effort by Marple was stopped dead in its tracks by a great tackle in the backfield by Kevin Rechner.

Jake Vaughan and Michael Eberhardt provided great blocking for Springfield to spring Pat McCann and Jimmy O'Neill with very impressive runs; unfortunately, penalties stalled the Cougars.

Nick Cariola came up big with key stops in the next defensive series. Joe Pontano had an important tackle early in the third period that kept Marple off the scoreboard.

Anthony Rightley had a big run after an interception in the second half.

A Brendon Weaver block sprung Pat Marley on a quarterback keeper to score a TD and improve the Cougars lead to 12-0.

After a Klaus Gable sack, Marple's final drive was aborted by an incredible tackle in the backfield by Tanner Robinson to keep Marple out of the end zone.

Marley battled through the line again for the Cougars final scoring, making it 18-0.

The Cougars remain undefeated and are looking to continue their winning streak next Saturday in Avon Grove.

Springfield CYO Football

Kyle Long sprints 55 yards along the sidelines for a touch down as father, Frank, cheers him on.

SFA Junior Varsity

SFA 21, St. Anastasia 0

The St. Francis of Assisi (SFA) fifth- and sixth-grade football team faced their biggest challenge of the season and passed the test with flying colors with a convincing 21-0 victory over St. Anastasia. SFA upped their record to 4-0.

SFA’s Andrew Paulus returned the opening kickoff 30 yards down to St. Annie’s 30-yard line, and three plays later Kyle Long sprinted 24 yards around end for a touchdown. Connor Ringwalt booted the extra point, and in a blink of an eye SFA was leading 8-0.

SFA’s defense held St. Annies on downs, and once again Long busted loose for a scoring run, this time scampering 55 yards to pay dirt. Linemen Jerry Curran and David Strawley provided key blocks on both of Long’s touchdown runs. The extra point attempt failed and the first quarter came to a close with SFA on top 14-0.

Neither team was able to generate any offense in the second quarter and the half came to an end with SFA still leading 14-0.

SFA stopped St. Annies on downs to start the second half, and then struck again with another big play on offense when Paulus burst through the middle and rambled 60 yards for a touchdown. Linemen Jared Morris, Chris Alfonsi, Joey Radico and Kevin McKeon opened up the gaping hole. Paulus was then on the receiving end of the extra point from Ringwalt and SFA increased their lead to 21-0. The game remained 21-0 as the third quarter came to a close, and the starters on both teams were done for the day. There was no further scoring in the game.

SFA’s defense remained unscored upon for the year, allowing only 46 yards and three first downs while forcing three turnovers. Leading tacklers were Michael Ward, Curran, McKeon, Paulus, Strawley, Long, Andrew Pickett, Connor Sadoff, Greg Tamaccio, Matt Bendyna and John Powers. Strawley and Matt Ries recovered fumbles and Paulus hauled in an interception.

SFA will travel to Ashland Middle School in Briarcliff to face Our Lady of Fatima on Saturday at noon.