SPRINGFIELD — The survey was informal, the summertime conversations about Central League football standard, the conclusions many.
One message, though, was consistent, even if a little muffled. Typically, it went like this: “And Springfield is going to be very good.”
So it would be, a steady beat backing up the chatter about the usual conference standard-carriers, a reminder that the Cougars were in the second round of the last District 1 Class 5A tournament and had more than enough to do even better in the encore.
After one game, a 50-6 victory over visiting Cardinal O’Hara in the season-opener Friday, it’s already clear that somebody knew something.
“We have a lot of returning seniors and they worked hard,” coach Chris Britton said, “and they have been waiting for this.”
The Cougars proved they were back for business with a 29-point first quarter. Including a 70-yard punt return for a touchdown by senior Vinny Valerio, they not only scored on their first four possessions but consistently squeezed the Lions into punt formations.
O’Hara responded with a counter-punch 52 seconds into the second quarter when Keon Powell dashed 37 yards for a touchdown to narrow the difference to 29-6, but the Cougars resumed dominating in the trenches on their way to generating 360 rushing yards. So crisp was Springfield offensively that it enjoyed a 50-burger without completing a single pass.
“Strath Haven has been doing that for 50 years, probably,” Britton said, laughing. “So what’s the difference?”
The gap between the Cougars and the rest of the particularly deep Central League is shallow at best. As for that running game, it is deep. Already anxious to welcome Nate Romano, Mike Turner, Chris Dolan and Ethan Marshall to the backfield, the Cougars were boosted Friday by Luke Valerio, who gained some experience as a freshman but dazzled in his sophomore debut. The brother of Vinny, Luke rushed six times for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
“We have a big rotation in the backfield, with a lot of numbers,” he said. “We have a bond with each other, knowing where somebody is going to cut or where there will be a block. That really helps.”
As for bonds, there are none more sturdy than Luke and Vinny, who are just separated enough by age that they haven’t been full-time contributors on the same team since the fourth grade. Luke’s 23-yard TD run in the first quarter preceded Vinny’s dazzling punt return down the right sideline by 1:04.
“The wall got put together well and all I saw was green grass,” Vinny said. “Everyone had their block, and it was just an amazing feeling. It really was.”
Romano juiced his game-high 112-yard rushing game with a 38-yard message-sending touchdown less than four minutes into the game. A 15-yard scoring run by quarterback Ryan Whitaker capped the runaway first quarter.
The Cougars continued to show off their rushing depth in the third quarter, when Tanner Coll ran 12 yards for a touchdown and Luke Valerio added a 10-yard score.
With quarterback John Welde finishing a 101-yard passing night, O’Hara showed improvement later in the game and was deep in Springfield territory amid a 30-yard drive when time expired.
“A little too little, too late,” said Lions coach Mike Ewing. “But it’s all part of learning. No excuses. They came out and punched us in the mouth and we didn’t from it. We’ve got a lot to work on. But hats off to them.”
Considering the preseason talk about the Cougars, there could be plenty of headwear to doff.
“We weren’t talking to anyone else,” Britton said. “We just wanted to work hard on what we were doing. This is on our coaches. And our kids have bought in since January. The coaches and the kids do a great job from top to bottom.”
