Wait worth it for ‘program kid’ Dotsicas, Springfield

SPRINGFIELD >> Following his team’s 19-16 come-from-behind Central League victory over Upper Darby, Springfield coach Chris Britton called Geo Dotsicas a “program kid.” Britton gushed about Dotsicas’ commitment to the Cougars, a four-year player who treated his first three seasons as an apprenticeship.

“He waited his turn,” Britton said. “And he’s done everything right for four years, and this is what a four-year kid looks like. He’s polished. He doesn’t make mistakes.”

That last bit of praise might be the most important on a Friday night soaked with steady rain. The long, wet grass and slick mud made for a difficult surface. The Royals and Cougars put the ball on the ground a combined seven times. There were bad snaps, slips and overthrows. And yet in these conditions, Dotsicas continued to make plays.

He scored three times: He returned an interception for a touchdown and a fumble for another score. And, with 39.3 seconds left in the game, he caught Jack Psenicska’s lone completion of the evening for the winning TD.

“I think we were all playing tough,” said Dotsicas, who added 42 yards on 14 carries. “Plays just happened to land in my hands.”

On its last offensive snap, Springfield had little more than a prayer. Psenicska was 0-for-11 at that point and was apoplectic. Two plays earlier he saw a 36-yard completion to Ben Konah negated by a penalty; the catch-and-run would’ve set up the Cougars at the Upper Darby 12. Psenicska was then drilled, drawing a roughing-the-passer penalty in the process. The Cougars, down three with 38 yards to go, welcomed the yardage, breathed and found a way to get Dotsicas the ball.

“I just trusted everyone on the team. The play was there. It worked,” Dotsicas said. “You just have to trust the coaches, trust your teammates.”

Psenicska dropped back before stepping through the pocket. He hit Dotsicas along the far sideline, somehow free of defenders. Dotsicas turned and raced to the end zone.

Springfield pinned the Royals at their two-yard line on the kick off, and the visitors’ hopes of a signature win were dashed.

“We have a lot of guys who are getting first starts,” Britton said. “And this is their first time with adversity. They look to those seniors to see how to react. I think our seniors showed them, this is what you have to do.”

Dotsicas in particular.

Upper Darby in some ways deserved better. The Royals (1-1 overall, 0-1 Central League) started fast—James Tuayemie took the opening kickoff 86 yards for a score to silence the two-time defending Central League champs. Upper Darby then forced consecutive three-and-outs from the Cougars as its vaunted defensive line made life difficult for Psenicska.

Even Dotsicas’ 80-yard interception return — which tied the game at 7 in the first quarter — did little to deter the Royals. They took back the lead on a safety when Dezhan Peterson dropped Psenicska in the end zone.

That 9-7 advantage held through most of the third quarter. As the rain picked up, offenses stagnated. They were limited to keeping the ball on the ground, which was precarious considering both teams kept putting the ball on the ground.

When Dotsicas picked up a Kevin Kerwood fumble at the eight and scored to give Springfield its first lead, 13-9, with 1:34 to play in the third, it felt like the clinching blow.

But Upper Darby, somehow, found a way to respond. The Royals’ longest play of the second half had been eight yards (a Kareem McAdams carry, one of his 25 — he finished with a game-high 114 yards). With 2:34 left, Kerwood and Co. went 40 yards on two. The junior signal-caller hit Marson Weh over the middle for 14. Kerwood then faked a handoff and sprinted around the right end for a 26-yard touchdown.

That left the Cougars (2-0, 1-0) staring at their first league defeat since 2016.

“We fought them down to the very end, and they made one more play than we did,” Upper Darby coach Rich Gentile said. “I think if we play this team 10 times, maybe it’s 5-5. That’s a good football team. This is a good football team.”
Frank Bullock returned the kickoff following Kerwood’s score to the Upper Darby 46, and Dotsicas, a program kid, the program kid, had one more big play in him.

“It’s tough, but everyone is playing in that condition,” Dotsicas said. “You have to play through it. It’s a Central League game. It’s high school football. It’s all fun.”