Springfield’s defense stands tall, shuts out Conestoga

TREDYFFRIN — Springfield’s defense stood tall Friday evening, which the Central League is finding to not be anything out of the ordinary.
The Cougars shut down ‘Stoga for a 15-0 win, the third shutout they’ve posted this season.

Springfield held the Pioneers’ offense to just a couple of first downs in the first half. The Cougars intercepted two passes and limited Conestoga to less than 150 yards off offense.

Offensively, the visitors controlled the ball with a solid running attack that collected 192 yards on 48 carriers. Quarterback Jake Rama was 9-for-11 through the air for 97 yards.

“I thought we played well in all three phases today,” Springfield coach Chris Britton said. “I think we had a great week of practice; our coaches did a great job working with them. From top to bottom our kids put in a lot of focus this week. It was a team effort, everyone did their job. They’ve bought in, they’ve practiced, they’ve learned, and now we’re starting to see the fruits of it.”

The Cougars (4-3, 3-3 Central) have won two in a row, helping to create a Central League logjam of sorts that includes Marple Newtown and Conestoga (5-2, 4-2).

“We really stuck together all week, had great practices and great energy,” Rama said. “We were coming off another big win, this was a huge win and we’re set up good now. We’re a young team and we’re going to be good for a couple of years.”

The game was scoreless until late in the second quarter, when Springfield put together a 13-play, 56-yard touchdown drive. Facing a third-and-15 at the Conestoga 28, Rama hit senior Mike O’Donnell in stride in the middle of the field for a touchdown. Freshman running back Brad Barber scored on a two-point conversion to give the visitors an 8-0 lead.

“It was a play we were practicing all week,” Rama said. “It’s a pump, kind of a double move by the receiver. All week I knew I had to stick in the pocket on that play and make a good throw. Our offensive line did a good job protecting me; it’s a long pass pattern and it takes time to develop. I put it to a spot and I trust (O’Donnell).”

One of the key plays on the touchdown drive was a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-inches by Rama with the ball at the Conestoga 24. Several times, the Cougars faced fourth-and-short situations and came through with key running plays to keep Conestoga’s offense off the field.

On one drive early in the fourth quarter, Springfield ran the ball 10 consecutive times for 65 yards and a touchdown. Along the way, Barber ran for gains of 12, 13 and 16 yards. Sophomore fullback Nate Romano gained key yardage up the middle, including a five-yard run on a fourth-and-two. The drive culminated with a Romano one-yard touchdown plunge with 10:08 left.

“It’s really easy when you have a nice O-line in front of you, like we do,” Romano said. “I trust them with my life. I can always count on them to block for me. … Even when we messed up, we never got down on ourselves. We picked each other up.”

For Conestoga, the loss at home was a disappointment.

“Coming into tonight, we knew Springfield was a good team. They’ve played every opponent tough,” Conestoga coach Matt Diamond said. “They were coming off a big win against Marple Newtown. But tonight we didn’t help ourselves offensively; we had too many penalties. … At times, we were moving the ball but then some penalties would move us back. It’s disappointing.”

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