Football: Springfield takes thriller over Upper Darby to remain unbeaten

First, he needed to make an interception.

Second — he thought, at least — he was going to have to motion for a medic.

“I really thought,’ he said, with the usual sports embellishment, “I was going to have a heart attack.’

Because he crossed that first item off the list by making his second interception of the night to seal Springfield’s 34-33 victory over Upper Darby with 28 seconds left, Spence was thankful that he didn’t need to worry about Plan B.

With a victory formation and a kneel-down, the 7-0 Cougars knew they would be taking a perfect record into a Central League collision the following Friday against visiting Garnet Valley, both teams at 6-0 in the conference.

By then, however, the Royals (3-4, 3-3) had made Spence’s uneasiness contagious.

“Was I nervous?’ Springfield coach Chris Britton said. “I’m always nervous. Of course I was nervous in this one.’

Linder Divos scored on an 11-yard touchdown run to give Upper Darby a 33-28 lead with 4:32 to play. Already, though, the Royals had become a threat to that Springfield perfection. With two Christoff Minott touchdowns in the first 8:10, including a 64-yard quarterback-keeper, Upper Darby had a 13-0 lead … and Springfield’s attention.

“We knew it would be a tough game,’ Britton said. “We knew with the mismatches, they had some things going in their favor. But they coached a great game. And we’re lucky to get out of here.’

The Cougars took advantage of 229 total yards from quarterback Brian Allen, 119 on the ground, including 66 of the game’s most vital. They came on the first play from scrimmage after the Divos TD, on a keeper right through the gut of the Upper Darby defense.

“I prepared for this my whole life,’ said Allen, who rushed for three touchdowns. “And tonight was one of the greatest games I’ve ever played. This was a team effort, all around. No one gave up. No one put their heads down. We fought back and battled.’

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