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NEWTOWN SQUARE — One by one, the results streamed in, staggering and impressive, bold and potentially threatening: a 50 and a 56 and a 47.
Such were the points produced by Marple Newtown in a remarkable 3-0 start to the football season.
Such was the production that Mike Miller would calmly dismiss.
“Yes, we saw it,” said Miller, Springfield’s jolting linebacker. “But I truly believed they had not played a defense like ours. I truly believe we are one of the best.”
That was his opinion. And that was an opinion he backed up Friday, leading a swarming Cougars defense in a 22-0 Central League road triumph.
Limiting the Tigers (3-1, 2-1) to 31 rushing yards and containing their dangerous passing game, Springfield (3-1, 2-1) dominated what was as close to a statement game as possible two weeks into September.
Senior quarterback Ryan Whitaker completed five of nine passes for 140 yards and touchdown tosses to Mike Friel for 60 yards and Chris Dolan for 36, but largely relied on a steady rushing attack to keep the clock — and the Tigers’ insides — spinning.
Nate Romano ran for 81 yards including a one-yard touchdown that he would adorn with a two-point conversion run. Mike Turner added 67 yards and the Cougars ran a winning streak to two since a tough loss to Strath Haven.
“Our players are resilient,” coach Chris Britton said. “We work on it. But it’s a volume. It takes a while. Our seniors are leading the way and our juniors are starting to buy in with it. And I think it’s working out for us.”
For Springfield, the big defensive plays started early, at least one out of quick necessity. Marple Newtown quarterback Dave Bertoline, who would pass for 118 yards, would spice the opening drive of the game with a 44-yard pass to Paul DeFruscio, planting the Tigers at the Springfield 1-yard line. But the drive was punctured when Springfield’s Vinny Valerio recovered a fumble in the end zone and returned it to the MN 48.
Suddenly, or so it seemed, the Tigers’ three-game scoring party seemed to lose some air.
“We should have been in,” Marple Newtown coach Chris Gicking said. “But we can’t make mistakes like that against a really good team. And after that, they took it to us.”
After a short push-back, Springfield capitalized on the turnover when Whitaker connected with Friel and Sean Williams added the PAT.
“Our team has been very good at that,” Whitaker said. “Even after big plays, no one puts their head down. Against Haven, we were down at half, but put our heads down and went on a scoring drive. We were tied at half against Conestoga but came back and scored right away. We will not give up.”
The Cougars took a two-score lead on their next possession, with Romano uncorking a 19-yard run for possession at the 1, then spending the next two plays scoring eight points. With Springfield determined to effectively end it early, Dolan recovered the ensuing on-side kick, but the Marple Newtown defense would not buckle.
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Springfield’s Vinny Valerio takes a fumble out of the end zone in the first quarter Friday night against Marple Newtown. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
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