Kennett handles Unionville by capitalizing on Longhorns’ mistakes
KENNETT SQUARE >> Head football coach Lance Frazier and his staff have been at Kennett for five years. And in light of the eye-opening successes, many would probably be surprised to hear that his Blue Demons had never topped archrival Unionville on their home field … until Friday.
Still looking for the program’s first Ches-Mont American title, Kennett forced the visiting Longhorns into seven turnovers (four conventionally), and converted them into all but 10 points in a dominating 37-7 triumph.
“It’s special for either side if you win this one,” Frazier said. “These players went to grade school together, their families are close, and it is bragging rights.
“To get this win is always special. And this is the first time we’ve beaten (Unionville) here in our tenure as a staff. So that makes it extra special for us.”
Now 4-0 in the division (4-3 overall), the Demons have now beaten traditional powers Unionville and West Chester Rustin, and may have a chance to grab the crown with a win over Great Valley in the regular season finale on Oct. 28.
“We don’t have any football banners in our gym, so we are focused on it,” Frazier said. “We’ve taken some lumps this season, and we’ve lost to some really good teams, but we are battle tested.”
Unionville falls to 2-2 in the league (3-4 overall), and has some work to do to make it back to the District 1 5A Playoffs. The ’Horns were 10th in the power rankings heading into Friday.
“It’s a big game, and you have to execute from the start, and we did not do that,” Unionville head coach Pat Clark said. “Kennett is a very good and experienced defensive squad. They definitely out-executed us.
“It’s really hard for any team to overcome short fields and turnovers. We will work on fixing the mistakes and we will come out and give a better effort next week.”
Kennett forced four turnovers and turned them into 20 of the team’s 23 first half points. There was a fifth turnover – a punt block – but the Unionville defense staged an early goal line stand.
Late in the first period, a Xavier McGreal interception led to a 14-yard scoring toss for the Demons from quarterback Brett Kauffman to McGreal.
Kennett then added 16 more points in the second quarter, including a trio of field goals by Penn-State bound kicker Ryan Barker of 34-, 37- and 39-yards. The first came soon after a tackle for loss by linebacker Julian Saracino turned it over on fourth down at the ’Horns 40. The third was in the final seconds of the half after a deflected interception by sophomore Ian Guyer.
Guyer also had an earlier pick deep in Unionville territory, and on the next play Kauffman went 11-yards on a keeper. And in the third quarter, McGreal – also a sophomore – nabbed his second interception of the game, and returned it 82 yards for a TD.
“(Guyer and McGreal) have been forced into action,” Frazier said. “We are veteran in the trenches, but young on the outside. Somebody had to step up, and those guys have been doing a wonderful job.
“Guyer also had two picks against Rustin that changed the course of that game. And we haven’t had McGreal for the last two weeks with a concussion.”
The Longhorns avoided the shutout with a seven-play, 57-yard drive early in the second half that culminated with an 8-yard pass from Levi Brawley to freshman Brody McLaughlin. Unionville prevented the Demons from registering a single second half first down until Sparacino sprinted 91 yards for the final score in the last three minutes of action. The senior runner finished with 147 yards on 16 carries.
“We always seem to be the underdog against Unionville. Last season they beat us 42-7, and we’ve felt that pain for a year. We put all of our anger into this game,” Sparacino said.
“Julian wants to play college football,” Frazier added. “He’s a team guy, but he also has some individual goals he is going after that makes our team even better. He’s had a lot of explosive games, and he is on the field almost every play.”
Despite the final score, it was actually a defensive struggle. Kennett finished with a modest 242 yards of total offense, and Unionville had just 160.
“It was a defensive struggle. The difference was the turnovers and our special teams,” Frazier said.
“It’s been the story of our season,” Clark acknowledged. “When we’ve made opponents go the distance on us, I think we are a solid defensive team.
“Once we settled in, I thought we played well in spots. I was really proud of our effort in the second half. We were trending in the right direction.”
It was a rough day for Brawley, the Longhorns’ junior quarterback. He completed 6 of 21 passes for 73 yards, a TD and four interceptions.
“We knew we would be strong on special teams this season, and our defense is always good,” Frazier said. “And a key tonight was field position. We took advantage of our opportunities, which is something we stressed all week.”
Despite the setback, Clark believes his team can challenge for a postseason berth, but Unionville is going to have to take better care of the football.
“Every game on our schedule is winnable, and every game we could lose,” he said. “That’s the balance of (the Ches-Mont American) division. We are going to have to get back to work, and we all – myself included – have to make a commitment to limiting mistakes.”
Kennett 37, Unionville 7
Unionville 0 0 7 0 — 7
Kennett 7 16 7 7 — 37
Scoring
K –McGreal 10 pass from Kauffman (Barker kick)
K – Barker 34 FG
K – Kauffman 11 run (Barker kick)
K – Barker 37 FG
K – Barker 39 FG
U – McLaughlin 8 pass from Brawley (Reichert kick)
K – Sparacino 91 run (Barker kick)
Team Totals
U K
First downs 9 8
Yards rushing 87 186
Yards passing 73 56
Total yards 160 242
Passing 6-21-1-4 4-12-1-0
Fumbles-lost 1-1 3-0
Punts-ave. 2-35.5 3-34.6
Penalties-yds. 5-50 8-62
Individual Statistics
Rushing – U: King 9-24; Brawley 15-44; McLaughlin 7-18; Stang 1-1. K: Sparacino 16-147, TD; Guyer 4-(-5); Lillis 2-5; Kauffman 9-39, TD.
Passing: U: Brawley 6-21, 73 yards, TD, 4 Int. K: Kauffman 4-12, 56 yards, TD.
Receiving: U: Ferentinos 1-12; D’Amico 1-11; Tarr 2-33; McLaughlin 1-8, TD; Wenturine 1-9. K: McGreal 1-14, TD; Sparacino 2-38; Barlow 1-4.
Sacks – U: Minter. K: Jung, Sparacino, King.
Interceptions – K: McGreal 2; Guyer 2.
