Springfield Youth Club football teams perservere

80-Pound Varsity
Springfield 0       
Coatesville 25
The Cougars traveled to Coatesville to face first-place Kid Raiders. Even though the day did not go well for the Cougars, they hung in there with a very good team on foreign turf.
QB Matt Gagliardi filled in for Matt Dickinson, who was unable to attend and did a nice job running the offense. James Toal, Brett Gougler and Michael O’Donnell ran hard all day, gaining tough yards against a stingy Kid Raider’s defense. 
The offensive line of Bryan Seavey, Connor Roche, Joey Alfonsi, Ethan Johnson, Victor Swafford, Nick Impriano, Matthew Shandley and Colton Moleski, battled all day long.
The Cougar defense held Coatesville to only one score in the second half and was led by Gagliardi, Toal, Gougler, Alfonsi, Shandley, Seavey, Roche, Johnson, Colin Crawford, Luke McKee and Luca DiMarcantonio.
Next week the Cougars are on the road again as they travel to the Brandywine Warriors and try to get back to their winning ways. 
Springfield JV Gold 100-Pound
Springfield 26
Coatesville 0 
The Cougars smoked Coatesville’s Kid Raiders 26-0.
The defensive line of Nico Santini, Todd Garrett, Devin Destefano, Robert Day, Tommy Gabel, Danny Albany and Joshua Wright were on fire. Eddie Cullen stripped the ball from Coatesville to start a roll of turnovers.  The Cougars capitalized with six huge fumble recoveries. Aiden Hoopes and Nicholas Finizio had two recoveries; and, Kieran Morse and Colin Renning had each had one. Renning also created another turnover with an interception. 
The fierce LB team of Marcus McDaniel, Kieran Morse, Colin Renning, Alex Williams and Nicholas Finizio made tackle after tackle. Riley McCarry and Alex Klein let nothing get by. 
The offensive was led by center Aiden Hoopes and QB Matthew Ellison. The hard- hitting OL of Alex Hudyma, Jake Quatrani, Darnell Curtis, Danny Albany, Daniel Ramani and Chris Rich held the Kid Raiders. 
RB Marcus McDaniel speed left, leaving the Kid Raiders in the dust. McDaniel tallied well over 250 yards, resulting in two TD and an extra point. 
QB Matthew Ellison threw two impeccable pass plays resulting in a TD and an extra point. Ellison also ran thru the middle for an extra point. 
RB Chris Rich racked up some good yardage with a 70-yard TD. Todd Garrett broke through the middle for the last TD of day.  The Cougars displayed a complete team effort and are undefeated at 4-0
100-Pound Varsity
Coatesville Kid 6
Springfield 0       
The Coatesville Kid Raiders hosted the Cougars in a battle of two undefeated teams.  A first quarter long Raider TD run would prove to be the only scoring as both teams held each other in check all day long. 
The Cougar defense played solid all day.  Khalid Holman-Dark, Klause Gabel, Jimmy O’Neill, Patrick Marley, Michael Eberhardt, Patrick McCann, Jack Psenicska, Malik Edwards, Tanner Robinson, Garrett Cooley, Brendon Weaver and Aiden Shandley led the defense. 
The Cougar offense moved the ball the entire game but could not cross the goal line. QB Marley captained the offense and completed several passes to Psenicska throughout the game. Running backs Edwards, Dominick Alfonsi and Robinson compiled tough yardage all four quarters.  The offensive line led by Gabel, Jake Vaughan, Holman-Dark, Jake Bush and Kevin Rechner paved the way for the running back trio.
In the end, the Cougars fell just short of their third consecutive victory, but they played well and will carry their good play into next week as they travel to play the Brandywine Warriors.
120-Pound Varsity
Coatesville 13
Springfield 12       
In a matchup of two undefeated teams, the Cougars travelled to Coatesville and lost a nail biter this past weekend. 
Phil Shovlin recovered the opening kickoff fumble and the Cougars went to work.  They controlled most of the first quarter with a ground assault led by Shovlin, Luke Palumbo and Jaden McKenzie.  QB Vince Puppio connected with Jason Estep for a long pass, which set up a Puppio to Chris Finizio six-yard TD pass.  The extra point failed and the Cougars held a 6-0 lead.
The Cougar defense shut down the Kid Raiders for the entire first half, led by Palumbo, Vincent DiMichele, Jimmy Clark, Mike Psenicksa, Trevor Robinson, Chris DiRenzo, McKenzie, Scott Weaver, Estep, Finizio and Puppio.
A long TD run and extra point conversion gave Coatesville a 7-6 lead early in the third quarter. 
Late in the third quarter, a vicious hit by DiRenzo resulted in a fumble recovery and 60-yard TD run by Puppio down the right sideline. The extra point again was no good, but the Cougars regained the lead 12-7. 
A second Kid Raider long TD run stifled the Cougar, crowd and Coatesville took a 13-12 lead after the extra point was stopped.
With four minutes left in the game, the Cougars drove down field with Estep and McKenzie running behind the offensive line of Chris Alfonsi, DiRenzo, Jeff Biancaniello, Psenicksa, Jimmy Donegan and Clark.  The Cougars came up just short however, when the clock ran out.
Also contributing were Liam DiFonzo, Max DiFonzo, Jack Spence, Matt Santarelli, Frankie Lambert, Chris Brolley and Andrew Johnson.
The Cougars travel to Brandywine next week for a matchup with the Warriors.

Springfield CYO football season continues

Holy Cross JV Football
Holy Cross 28 
Mt. Carmel 6
It was a big night at Scullion stadium last Friday (Sept. 14) as the Holy Cross Crusaders took on Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, winning 28-6.
Lead by a strong ground attack that included Anthony Rightley, Jaden Boswell, and Ian Deal. Patrick Toal stayed protected by a fierce offensive line anchored by Ryan "The Rock" Rockenbach and Nicholas Faraglia. Rightley ripped off runs of 60-plus yards and 40-plus yards Jaden Boswell split the Mt. Carmel defense in half, pancaking the entire left side of the defense.
Coach Don's defense kept up its strong season by dominating the line of scrimmage, keeping Mt. Carmel pinned down in the backfield. Stephen DiBattista, Zach Broomall and Dom Addona lead the defense. There was nowhere for Mt. Carmel to run or hide from this gritty club from the lower eastside of Springfield.
Jason Rodden and Joey Hally capped off the night with a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery.
Holy Cross takes on St. Gabriel's on Friday night, Sept. 21.
Holy Cross Varsity Football
Holy Cross 22
Mt. Carmel 7
 Friday night down at Scullion field spelled doom for yet another one of Holy Cross's opponents, a very tough Our Lady of Mt. Carmel team bounced in and was promptly bounced out. After a two-play touchdown drive, Mt. Carmel never scored again.
Tommy Toal lead the offense on multiple scoring drives, dishing the ball off to Matt McBride and Jack Gibson. Helping the team offensively was Christian Lane and Harry Riley. A pick six by McBride put the Crusaders ahead. The offensive line with the likes of Jason Haly, Frank Leehan, Bill Issertel, Anthony Reginelli, and Ryan Harlow carved out the Mt. Carmel defense, slicing them up for 22 points. John Henderson added the extra point kicks.
Defensively Holy Cross stiffened and would not allow Mt. Carmel to score. The HC defensive tone was set by a punishing hit by Lane right before half that seemed to put to bed any fear of this becoming a match.
Gibson led the team in tackles and there was great pursuit by Zach Venit and Ethan Cook. Holy Cross plays St. Gabriel's Friday night Sept. 21 at Scullion Field at 8 p.m.

Springfield Youth Club begins football season

80-Pound JV Blue
Springfield 20
Haverford 6
Coming off of an impressive comeback win over Drexel Hill on Sept. 1, the 80-Pound JV Blue team took on Haverford on Sept. 7 and again produced another come-from-behind win. The offense really got the fans fired up with several blistering runs in the first half by Michael Hoey (37 yards) with blocks provided by Corey Johnson, Xavier Wendel, Sammy Gibson, Kieran Farren, Robert McCarry, William Day and Jim Kennedy. Tariq Edwards added 28 yards, including a touchdown, with blocks provided by William Day, Sammy Gibson and Connor Aughe. JZ Grafstom added 15 yards with blocks provided by Xavier Wendel, and Rocco Bruno.
The defensive line of Anthony Micelli, Vincent Califano, William Adolph IV and Robert McCarry held Havertown to one touchdown in the first half. A fumble recovery by Patrick Keenan further thwarted Haverford’s progress down the field.
Tariq Edwards had a second half touchdown run after blocks by Bruno, Day and Farren. Michael Hoey follow blocks by William Day, Grafstom, and McCarry.
The defense of Steve Price, Aiden Sceno, Marcus Puppio, JP Devinney, Michael Raum, Michael Vickerman, Mark Quatrani and Sean Eberhardt held fast and strong - not allowing a single second half point.
Brain Hudak was on the disabled list with a cast on his arm from a mountain climbing incident. The SYC cheerleaders also provided a great performance.
80-Pound JV Gold
Springfield 39
Rose Tree 19
Last week the 80-pound JV Gold team defeated the Rose Tree Colts 39-19 in its opening game of the 2012 Bert Bell season.
Springfield Head Coach Brian Gouglar and his fellow coaches Anthony McBride, Paul Klein, Glen Huntley, Steve Staud and Shawn Atkins had their team ready for the opener.
Brian Flaherty recovered a fumbled extra point putting the score at 6-0.
Springfield answered right back on the first play from scrimmage as QB Colin Atkins handed the ball off to Aiden Kreydt for a 60-yard touchdown run behind the blocking of Zach Santivasci and Danny "Blind Sides" Chambers. Matthew Klein’s extra point put the Cougars in front 7-6.
After the Rosetree Colts answered right back at 13-7, Nicholas Staud ran strong on an end around play contributing to a second score and 13-13 tie.
The Cougars defense behind the play of Gavin Von Berg, Bobby "Mad-Dog" Marker, and Jack Laverty became a force and tacked the Rosetree running backs for losses on the next four consecutive plays ending with a fumble recovery by Nolan Huntley. The next consecutive defensive stand featured outstanding play by Jacob Rama, Benjamin Kutufaris, Evan Farrington and Dan Flaherty. The defensive effort matched with another offensive drive gave the Cougars the first lead going into half-time 20-13.
The second half was almost all Cougars as offensive lineman Connor Higgins, Aiden Brill, Ryan Convery, and Sean Dougherty create inside lanes for the running backs and a fourth rushing touchdown as Springfield extended the lead to 27-13.
Rosetree answered back but Springfield’s relentless team approach gave the Cougars their first victory of the year with a final score of 39-19.
The game also featured strong game time performances by Kyle Daniel Collins, Colin Downey, and Brandon Peters.
80–Pound Varsity
Springfield 20
69th Street Wildcats 6
The 80-Pound Varsity opened the season with at 20-13 lost the Rose Tree Colts.
The Cougars was ready the following week when they hosted the 69th Street Wildcats and rolled to their first victory of the season. 
The Cougars jumped out to an early lead with Brett Gougler running around the left side for a five-yard TD. The extra point pass from QB Matt Dickinson to James Toal made the score 7-0 in the first quarter.  The Cougar defense frustrated the Wildcats the entire first half with hard-hitting tackles by Matthew Shandley, Bryan Seavey, Connor Roche, Toal, Matt Gagliardi and Gougler.
The Cougars scored again just before halftime on a Dickinson two-yard TD run, followed by a Gougler extra point run.  The Cougar backs ran wild all day behind their mammoth offensive line of Seavey, Roche, Joey Alfonsi, Ethan Johnson, Victor Swafford, Nick Impriano, Shandley and Colton Moleski.
The Cougars went up 20-0 in the third quarter on an eight-yard TD run by Gougler, set up by his own long runs.  The extra point was no good. 
69th Street was able to get on the board but Gagliardi stuffed their extra point attempt.
The fourth quarter went quickly as the Cougars ground game controlled the tempo for much of the quarter. Toal and Gagliardi chewed up the clock with solid runs as the defense led by Colin Crawford, Luke McKee and Luca DiMarcantonio shut down any chances of a Wildcat comeback.
Next week the Cougars travel to play an always-tough Coatesville team.
100-Pound JV Gold
Springfield 12
Kennett-Union Titans 0
The 100-LB JV GOLD team hosted the Kennett Union Titans and won 12-0. Alex Kline had a fumble recovery early in the game that set up a Cougar drive. QB Matthew Ellison capitalized and scored the first TD. 
Todd Garrett and Danny Albany also had key fumble recoveries.
The offensive team was led by center Aiden Hoopes who flawlessly snapped the ball.  RB Marcus McDaniel, Alex Williams and Todd Garret gained significant yardage. 
The furious OL of Daniel Ramani, Jerry Coia, and Alex Hudyma held the Titans.  Tight ends Chris Rich and Darnell Curtis crushed the Titans, allowing for a 70-yard TD by McDaniel. 
The Cougars defense of Nicholas Finizio, Colin Renning, Tommy Gable, Nico Santini and Kieran Morse made game saving tackles.
KU scrambled to put some points on the board and drove to the Cougars 10 yard line.  The defense of Daniel Tommarelli, Devin Destefano, Robert Day, Jake Quatraini and Eddie Scullin held tight and sent the titans away empty handed.
100-Pound Varsity
Springfield 27             
69th Street Wildcats 0
The Cougars opened their season at the Rose Tree Colts and came away with an impressive 29-0 win.
The Cougars tallied their second win of the season the following week with a 27-0 victory over the 69th Street Wildcats.  The Cougars survived a first quarter drive by the Wildcats, but their defense led by Khalid Holman-Dark, Brendon Weaver, Patrick McCann and Klause Gabel kept the Wildcats out of the end zone. 
Tough runs by Malik Edwards, Tanner Robinson and Dominick Alfonsi kept the Wildcat defense honest throughout the first quarter. 
The Cougars erupted in the second quarter when Weaver recovered a Wildcat fumble and the Cougar running game took over.  Alfonsi opened the Cougar scoring with a two-yard TD plunge, followed by an Edwards’s extra point run. 
Leading 7-0, the Cougars quickly got the ball back on an Aiden Shandley kickoff fumble recovery. QB Patrick Marley crossed the goal line on a twp-yard QB sneak. The extra point was no good, but the Cougars took a 13-0 lead into the half.
In the third quarter, the Cougar defense led by Gabel, Holman-Dark, Jimmy O’Neill, Kevin Rechner, Jack Psenicska, Garrett Cooley and McCann, punished the 69th Street running game.  
Springfield’s ground game continued to rack up the yards behind the offensive line of Gabel, Jake Vaughan, Shandley, Rechner, Michael Eberhardt and Jake Bush.
In the fourth quarter, a 20-yard TD pass from Marley to McCann ignited the crowd.  Robinson added the extra point and the Cougars led 20-0. 
The knockout blow came when Alfonsi busted up the middle for a 20-yard TD run.  Robinson added another extra point, making the final score 27-0.
Next up for the Cougars are the Coatesville Kid Raiders.
120-Pound Varsity
Springfield 28   
69th Street Wildcats 0
Two weeks ago the Cougars traveled to Rose Tree to face the Colts to open the 2012 season. They left the field with a 20-6 victory over the Colts.
This week The Cougars continued their winnings way with a 28-0 victory over 69th Street. 
Phil Shovlin opened up the Cougar scoring with a five-yard TD run, set up by runs by Jaden McKenzie and Luke Palumbo. A Vince Puppio extra point pass to Chris Finizio followed and the Cougars led 7-0.
Shovlin scored again in the second quarter on a 15-yard right side run. Puppio added the PAT on a QB keeper, and the Cougars led 14-0. 
The Cougars carried the 14-point lead into the half due to outstanding defense by Chris DiRenzo, Mike Psenicska, Vincent DiMichele, Puppio, Finizio, Jason Estep, Jimmy Clark and McKenzie.
In the third quarter, McKenzie took a handoff and rambled left for a five-yard Cougar TD. A Puppio to Liam DiFonzo extra point pass completed the scoring and the Cougars held a convincing 21-0 lead.  Shovlin, Scott Weaver and Jack Spence continued the Cougar ground assault behind the outstanding blocking of the Cougar offensive line of Chris Alfonsi, Psenicska, DiRenzo, Jeff Biancaniello, Andrew Johnson, Max DiFonzo and Jimmy Donegan.   In the fourth, Weaver took a Puppio handoff and muscled his way across the goal line for the final Cougar TD. A Liam DiFonzo extra point plunge, made the score 28-0. 
Dominating defense by Trevor Robinson, DiMichele, Matt Santarelli, Frankie Lambert and Chris Brolley secured the shutout for the Cougars and improved their record to 2-0.
The Cougars travel to Coatesville next week for a matchup with the Kid Raiders.

Springfield's CYO football begins

SFA Junior Varsity
SFA 35   
St. Patrick 0
The St. Francis of Assisi (SFA) fifth and sixth grade football team opened the 2012 season with a 35-0 victory over St. Patrick at General Wayne Elementary School in Malvern.
SFA struck for four touchdowns in the first half: Joe Carpenter opened the scoring with a 28-yard scamper around end; Luke Sprague connected with Cole Sprague from 22 yards out on a play action pass; Dale Lennon pounced on a fumble in the end zone; and L. Sprague rumbled five yards up the middle on a quarterback sneak. L. Sprague hooked up with C. Sprague for three extra points and Pat Clemens added the fourth tally to give SFA a 28-0 lead at half time.
SFA tacked on a defensive touchdown on the first play of the third quarter when Jonathan Mears stepped in front of an errant pitch and raced 43 yards to pay dirt. Jack Carpenter darted off tackle for the extra point and the scoring was complete at 35-0. 
SFA’s defense recorded a shutout and allowed only one first down and 11 total yards. Leading tacklers were Clemens, C. Sprague, L. Sprague, Lennon, Ryan Culp, Joe Carpenter, Jack Carpenter, Bobby McTeague and John Godsey. C. Sprague also recovered a fumble.
Ahearn, Gavin Atchison, Jack Carpenter, Joe Carpenter, Pat Clemens, Paul Conlan, Tommy Cresta, Ryan Culp, Andrew Franks, John Godsey, James Kutufaris, Dale Lennon, Joe McCallig, Jack McCarry, Tyler McCoach, Bob McTeague, Jonathan Mears, Jim Meehan, Chris Ringwalt, Nicholas Schneider, Owen Sheehan, Cole Sprague, Luke Sprague, and A. J. Tucker.
Editor’s Note: The Springfield Press relies on coaches and parent volunteer writers to cover little league games. All submissions are welcome. If your team is not covered, we welcome your submissions. For guidelines, please contact John Taylor at Jtaylor@delconewsnetwork.com, or call 610-522-9350 ext. 112.