Football: Bryan, Springfield defenders getting better by the week
SPRINGFIELD — Two games does not make a season, but it’s safe to say that Springfield is legitimately one of the teams to beat in the Central League.
This team is dangerous.
Whether it’s their stout defensive front that offers no resistance, or their dominating offensive line that opens holes for a churn-and-burn running game, the Cougars appear to have everything going for them after two weeks. Thursday’s home opener was another one-sided affair. One week after blanking Cardinal O’Hara, Springfield began its Central League schedule with a 36-0 shutout of Radnor.
In two games the Cougars (2-0) have outscored the opposition 63-0. And so much of their success can be attributed to a new attitude.
“We’ve completely changed our program around and there’s nothing like winning twice in a row to start the year,” said Gus Bryan, a 6-2, 240-pound junior lineman. “The intensity, the attitude is just different. We all believe. The offensive line has the hardest working kids in the Central League and to shut out a team, there’s no better feeling.”
Defensive linemen Fred Withrow and Mike Miller brought the heat in the first quarter, getting a good push at the line of scrimmage and bottling up Radnor’s ball carriers for losses. It happened again and again.
“It’s come down to conditioning, man,” Bryan said. “Conditioning and we lift heavy. It just comes down to wearing them out. It’s the third quarter and we’re still in there full sprint … and we have depth, too. One man comes out, another one comes in. We rotate. It’s all about strength and conditioning. We just love to work hard.”
Junior linebacker Ryan Johnston ignited the home crowd in the first quarter with an interception of Radnor quarterback Tucker Graham. Johnston took the ball 20 yards to the house, breaking multiple tackles along the way, to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead.
Springfield’s next offensive possession was controlled by the running backs. The Cougars ran 12 plays – all runs – and covered 78 yards. Junior fullback/linebacker Nate Romano capped off the drive with a two-yard scoring run. Ty Gougler’s two-point conversion run made it 15-0.
Gougler led a balanced rushing attack with 123 yards on 13 carries. Brad Barber added 48 yards on four totes, while Romano had 31 yards on six carries. All three players found the end zone. The Cougars averaged better than 7.5 yards per carry.
“Whenever they get the ball, I do my hardest to block for them,” Romano said. “And when I get the ball, I run my hardest. That’s how I think all the time and it’s working out well.”
With the success of their running game the Cougars haven’t had to lean on senior quarterback Jake Rama, who has one of the best arms in Delco. Rama was 4-for-11 for 85 yards, including a beautiful strike to a open Aidan Kreydt for a 43-yard touchdown. It was the first big pass of the season for the Cougars.
“Finally,” Kreydt said with a smile. “It felt good to get one and to start off 2-0. As long as we’re winning and we get the ball down the field, that’s all I care about. It’s fun.”
Radnor (1-1) gave Kyle Yeiter a 25-6 win against West Philadelphia in his head coaching debut last week at Springfield. Their second visit didn’t go as well.
The Raptors couldn’t establish a running game and Graham had trouble connecting with his receivers, who had eight drops on the night. The bright spot was senior athlete Amir Byrd, who showed his game-changing ability when the Raptors were able to get the ball in his mitts. Byrd rushed for 62 yards on five carries and had three catches for 25 yards. He also excelled in the defensive secondary.
Yeiter knew Springfield would be very tough, but as many Central League teams are soon to find out, he didn’t know how improved the Cougars are compared to a season ago.
“I mean, you watch a ton of film from last year and some film on them this year. This is a much, much better team than they were last year,” Yeiter said. “The Central League is the Central League, it’s as good of a league as there is and these guys are good. Next week we get Garnet Valley, so it won’t get easier.”
