SPRINGFIELD — There was no panic. Not this time. There was no finger-pointing. No chaos. No sideline frustration that would spill out onto the field in missed assignments, or players trying to do too much that would leave them out of position.
No, this time, the Springfield Cougars knew exactly how to handle the adversity that they were faced with on Friday night down 10-0 against visiting Garnet Valley.
The Cougars responded by scoring 21 unanswered points in a 35-23 victory over Garnet Valley.
The victory sets up a Central League showdown next Friday between Springfield (8-1) and Strath Haven (8-0) in what might be for the Central League title and improved seeding in the PIAA District 1 Class 5A standings.
Entering the schedule on Saturday, Strath Haven, which will play 1-7 Lower Merion, tops District 1 Class 5A with a 176.250 ranking to Springfield’s No. 4 spot with its 167.778 points.
The Cougars took an important step in winning the biggest comeback of their season.
Springfield was led by explosive junior tailback Brad Barber, a national level Maryland-bound lacrosse player who scored two touchdowns and rushed for a game-high 178 yards on 19 carries.
What gnaws at the Cougars is their 21-13 loss to Haverford two weeks ago in a game in which Springfield turned the ball over three times.
“Our coaches do such a good job of stressing the fact that we have to stay together, and it doesn’t matter if we are up by 40, or up by one, losing by 10 or losing by 40,” Barber said. “We still do believe we should be undefeated. We beat ourselves against Haverford. Garnet Valley is a great team. We knew they were a good team. They fought, and we had to fight back. I believe this team does a very good job of reading the game.”
Springfield coach Chris Britton had a difficult day, stuck in a no-win situation. His sons, senior middle linebacker Chase Britton, and sophomore offensive lineman Owen Britton, play for Garnet Valley. His family sat on the Garnet Valley side during the game and they all gathered afterward for a family photo.
Chris was happy it was over—and very pleased how it worked out.
“We talked all week how we had to play responsible football and trusting each other,” Chris said. “Our guys battled back. We knew we were going to get punched in the face. We stayed together. We have a lot of kids and a lot of weapons. We could have a lot of ‘Me’s,’ and this was definitely a rough week, facing your own kids.
“But this game proves a lot for us. Our kids dialed this up and performed. This is a team that is very selfless. It was a rough week. I’m happy it’s over. I don’t even think I want to bring it up (with his sons). I just want to go to the next game.”
The next game looked like it might not have had any meaning for Springfield by the way the Cougars started. Garnet Valley quarterback Luke O’Donoghue took the second play of the game for 70 yards, setting up a Michael Medici 24-yard field goal.
On the Jags’ second possession, they drove right back down the field for a 10-0 lead, when O’Donoghue hit Luke Vaughn swinging out of the backfield for a 21-yard score. With 2:59 left in the first, Springfield was two scores down.
The Cougars answered by scoring on four of their next five possessions, with Barber doing most of the damage.
“I think tonight it was a mindset, (Springfield) came prepared and locked in, and on our side, we did not execute the way we usually do,” Jags’ coach Eric Van Wyk said. “There were some things we did right, but as an entire, collective group, the energy wasn’t there and the overall focus I don’t think was there. The challenge this week coming will be to tell the guys to their jobs. That’s the biggest thing.”
For Springfield, the Cougars are in a position to do some damage in the District 1 playoffs. They can attack a defense in a variety of ways and they showed they could bounce back from games that look hopeless early on.
“Our defense stayed together and this was definitely a confidence boost to win a game like this,” Cougars’ junior defensive back Luke Valerio, who is bound for Penn State for lacrosse and who made several key defensive plays. “We need to stay level-headed going into the Strath Haven game. We do have an identity. We showed fight being down early. We had to learn from the Haverford loss and I think we obviously have.”
Scoring Summary
Garnet Valley (7-2) 10 0 7 6-23
Springfield (8-1) 0 14 14 7-35
1st Quarter
GV – Michael Medici kick 24 FG, 9:15
GV – Luke Vaughn 21 pass from Luke O’Donoghue (Medici kick), 2:59
2nd Quarter
Spr. – Chris Dolan 29 pass from Jamie Stevenson (Brad Barber kick), 10:35
Spr. – Nate Romano 1 run (Barber kick), 5:47
3rd Quarter
Spr. – Barber 5 run (Barber kick), 7:39
GV – Caden Olinger 15 pass from O’Donoghue (Medici kick), 4:15
Spr. – Barber 28 run (Barber kick), 2:24
4th Quarter
Spr. – Romano 16 pass from Jackson Kennedy (Barber kick), 7:02
GV – Dean Koehler 1 run (kick failed), 2:24
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.
Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball
