SPRINGFIELD — Marco Kaufman got some of his football genes from his grandfather and some from his father.
“My Dad, Chris, played soccer for Strath Haven,” the Strath Haven running back and middle linebacker said. “They say he was rough like a football player when he was playing soccer.
“My uncle Matt played for two state championship soccer teams when he was at Strath Haven. I always played soccer when I was younger, but when I got to high school it was all football.”
Tom Kaufman, Marco’s grandfather, was one of the backs who helped St. James High to the Catholic League championship game in 1964, the last game the Bulldogs played under legendary coach Francis “Bean” Brennan.
Tom Kaufman was in the stands at Springfield Friday night to watch Marco run 29 yards with 1:46 to play for the touchdown that gave Haven a 19-15 victory over Springfield in both teams’ Central League opener.
After Marco Kaufman’s TD, he donned his middle linebacker game face and pitched in on the other side of the ball as the Panthers (2-0, 1-0 Central) allowed the Cougars to get no closer than the SH 43. Junior Ben Milligan knocked down Ryan Whitaker’s final two passing attempts, sending the visiting team and its fans home happy.
“I try to make sure I find the ball and play off my teammates,” said Kaufman, who shut down a Springfield drive that had reached the Haven 10 on the Cougars’ first possession by making a tackle for a two-yard loss on fourth-and-two.
Strath Haven coach Kevin Clancy was pleased with the way his team bounced back from giving up a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter, by scoring twice in the final 12 minutes.
“They kept their poise when things got rough,” Clancy said. “That’s a big thing to be able to do and to learn from. And I’ve got to give a lot of compliments to those guys over there,” he added, pointing to the Springfield sideline.
The Cougars outgained the Panthers, 290-229, with 196 of the Springfield yards coming on the ground.
“The first thing we wanted to do was shut down (Nate) Romano,” Haven junior linebacker Shane Green said of the Springfield junior who got only 31 yards on nine carries but did grab a 12-yard scoring pass from Whitaker late in the third quarter. “And we had to read the routes in pass coverage and find the ball.”
Springfield senior Mike Turner was the ball carrier who gave Haven fits, picking up 138 yards on 19 carries, including a 51-yard scoring sprint in the second minute of the second half.
“I was proud of our effort,” Springfield coach Chris Britton said. “This was a very good high school football game, and it’s a shame somebody had to lose. But we know there’s still a lot of football left to be played.”
Things turned Strath Haven’s way four minutes into the fourth quarter when Springfield lost a fumble at its 30. Jake Kitchin directed his team on a five-play drive, all runs, in which Mekhi Clark got four carries, the last a five-yard run for six points. Haven’s two-point conversion pass was caught out of bounds, leaving the Panthers two points behind.
“We knew they have a really good team, but all our thoughts were on coming together in those last minutes and doing something special,” Kitchin said.
Turner accounted for 30 of Springfield’s next 51 yards. But when the Cougars didn’t score, Kitchin put Haven in motion with a 36-yard completion to AJ Glavicic. Five plays later Kaufman ran for the winning score.
“I just get behind linemen like Bill Brown, Jackson Miller and Gavin Pilson and run as fast as I can,” Kaufman said. “It’s really good when you run the ball and don’t wind up on the ground and you get to win your first Central League game.”
