Stifling defense, Sparacino carry Kennett to shutout win over Great Valley
KENNETT SQUARE—Early on in Friday night’s Ches-Mont American clash between Kennett and Great Valley, the Blue Demons found a formula that worked—hand the ball to Julian Sparacino on offense, and
let the defense go to work.
Sparacino had over 100 yards rushing by halftime, and the Blue Demon defense was about as stingy as you could ask, as Kennett (6-2, 3-2) was dominant in a 27-0 shutout of the visiting Patriots (3-5, 1-3).
“This was about remembering who we are,” said Kennett coach Lance Frazier. “One thing we do is finish games, and we didn’t do that last week against Unionville. We needed to come out and play four quarters hard. We challenged them—it’s the last homecoming for the seniors—and they really came through and rebounded tough.”
Though Sparacino led all rushers with 224 yards on 26 carries, it was quarterback Kalen Frazier who found the end zone for the Blue Demon’s first two touchdowns. With the game scoreless headed into the second quarter, Frazier capped scoring drives on each of the Demons’ first two possessions of the period.
The first came when the elusive Frazier broke loose on a 45-yard run, and the second six minutes later on a five yard jaunt. Frazier chipped in with 51 yards and three TDs rushing, and also threw for 55 yards on 4 of 7 passing. And for good measure, Frazier picked off a pass just before halftime, killing the only Patriot drive to get inside the Kennett 30.
Sparacino notched his lone touchdown of the night in the third, breaking numerous tackles on a determined 18-yard romp to the end zone.
“The line was opening up some big holes,” said Sparacino. “But I don’t think they could have stopped me tonight if they wanted to. The linemen were great, and the whole team really hit it tonight. We play together like a team. We’re like a family.”
Sparacino’s success came as no surprise to Frazier.
“We knew we were going to ride him tonight, and we did,” said Frazier. “He’s a selfless player, who loves making the key block if he doesn’t have the ball. He also played a full game on defense. That is a kid who is in shape, and loves to play football.”
Defensively, the Blue Demons couldn’t have played much better. In addition to the goose egg on the scoreboard, Kennett allowed just 98 yards of total offense, and limited the Patriots to just six first downs. Add in a pair of interceptions and a couple of sacks, it was about as good a night defensively as you could want.
“We really played fast and aggressively,” said Kennett middle linebacker Connor Jung. “One of the things coach (Scott) Gee preaches is to trust one another to do their jobs. If we trust in each other, we can really fly to the ball.”
Currently number eight in the District 1 rankings, the Demons are all but a lock to reach the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
“We’re not thinking about that yet,” said Jung. “We are focused on the last two games. We want to reach our best, because it’s the teams playing the strongest thos last couple games that make a long run on playoffs.”
Kennett 27 Great Valley 0
Great Valley 0 0 0 0 –0
Kennett 0 13 7 7 –27
Second Quarter
KEN—Frazier 45- run (Barker kick) 7-0
KEN—Frazier 5-run (kick failed) 13-0
Third Quarter
KEN—Sparacino 18-run (Barker kick) 20-0
Fourth Quarter
KEN—Frazier 1-run (Barker kick) 27-0
Team Statistics
GV—KEN
First downs 6 19
Rushes-yards 22-50 44–290
Passing 8-17 4-7
Passing yards 48 55
Total yards 98 345
Punts 4-38.25 4-33
Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-yards 3-40 3-20
Individual statistics
Rushing—GV Tallone 13-37, Coffey 9-13 KEN Sparacino 26-224, TD, Frazier 11-51, 3TD, Good 5-7, Jung 2-8
Passing — GV 8-17, 48, 2 INT KEN—Frazier 4-7, 55
Receiving —GV Callahan 3-23, Riccardi 3-18, Pellicotta 1-1 1 KEN—Boddy 1-21, Good 1-12, Jung 1-9, Sparacino 1-13
INT—KEN—Frazier, McQueen
Sack—KEN Tuk (2)
