A night that began quite memorably with the rededication of Springfield Community Stadium’s main gate in honor of Rick Upchurch–the Blue Devil legend now 50 years removed from his high school playing days–did not end in the same fashion as Springfield’s late comeback effort fell short in an 18-13 defeat to Southview.
The loss drops the Blue Devils to 0-3 on the young season, though this contest was by far their closest to date. Save for a few key plays–and a play or two that were not made–the outcome may actually have been much different.
Both teams had fought largely to a stalemate in the first half. Southview’s first drive covered 85 yards, ending with a three-yard touchdown run by sophomore tailback Isaac Sexton.
Springfield answered with a long drive of their own–one that included a fourth and 14 conversion late–capping it with a stretching touchdown run from senior tailback Brandon Langston to make it 7-6. Neither team would threaten for the remainder of the first half, though there were opportunities.
The Blue Devils caught the Cougars off-guard with an onside kick attempt following their touchdown, but the play was blown dead due to an illegal procedure penalty assessed on Springfield.
On the next drive, the home team came up short on another big play when a sure interception slipped through the grasp of junior Dominic Bracey, though the ball appeared to have been tipped prior to reaching him.
Nonetheless, the pass breakup forced a Southview punt that yielded Springfield good field position. Feeling momentum, Head Coach Jerry Bell elected to go for it again on fourth down at his own 44. The play call was a good one, too, but Langston was unable to reel in a deep pass up the middle from sophomore quarterback William Scott to keep the drive alive.
The defense, much rejuvenated from the initial drive, held tight again to force a punt just before halftime. According to their coach, the adjustment they made as a unit was quite simple.
“We started playing with some physicality,” said Bell. “When you look at one of our linebackers, [senior] Danny Bussell, he started finally making some plays and coming down and sparking some things. But we started to get penetration from the d-line as well. So, when those things happen, you take away that run game that they were hitting us with and then the fullback trap we were stopping along with hitting the tailback.
“Those are things defensively that I thought we made great adjustments. Our kids played really well after that first drive.”
That showed in arguably the defense’s biggest play of the game less than three minutes into the second half.
Again defending in their own half of the field following a 20-yard punt return, the Blue Devils battened down the hatches and forced the Cougars into a fourth down. Too far out to try a field goal but too close to punt, Southview elected to go for it, only to have their quarterback sacked and stripped of the football, which Springfield promptly pounced on at their own 26.
The Blue Devils’ ensuing drive looked destined for paydirt, especially following a 35-yard pass from Scott to junior wideout Jack Semler on a beautifully designed third and 12 play that saw the young signal caller roll to his right only to throw back deep over the middle to a wide-open man.
A similar iteration of that same play resulted in their only other touchdown late in the fourth quarter to senior Javon Fletcher-Johnson.
“Those are things that we’re practicing,” said Bell. “Our sophomore quarterback, he’s growing every week and we feel like we’ve got really good receivers. So, there were some things that we saw early that we liked, and we came back to them later.”
Unfortunately, miscues prevented the Blue Devils from capitalizing on that key third quarter drive. Semler’s big catch was followed by an illegal substitution penalty, and on the next play Langston fumbled away the pigskin while trying to overpower a defender in the flat, a loose ball that the Cougars recovered at their own 26.
Bell likened that play and Langston’s performance overall to something of a catch-22. His style of running is admirable and intimidating, but his desire to run through defenders can lead to costly mistakes.
“I think that’s just a learning piece for him because he wants to be such a physical back,” the coach explained. “When we were down here, all he had to do was put the foot in the ground and get vertical and he would’ve had a touchdown. Instead, he wants to run the kid over, and that’s his style of running. But what he has to do is learn to cover up that football when he does those types of things.”
“He’s learning how to be a patient runner. He’s a guy that, when he sees it, he wants to go right now and we’re trying to teach him to be a patient runner and allow the blocks to get set up.”
That was the first of a few big plays for the Cougars that ultimately decided the outcome. After being forced into another third and long, Southview ran a play action pass to speedy sophomore receiver Emite Lamb who managed to slip just far enough behind the Springfield secondary after they were caught peaking in the backfield.
The pass-and-catch resulted in a 53-yard touchdown and 12-7 advantage, a lead the Cougars would not surrender.
“Our secondary is relatively new,” Bell said. “We moved some guys around this week and they bit on that play action and Southview was able to pop that touchdown late. Those are things that our kids have to learn, to trust their eyes and do their job in reading their receivers and not peaking in the backfield.”
Southview’s final blow again came from a Springfield miscue. Scott was intercepted midway through the fourth quarter by junior Michael Alexander who returned it 25 yards to the Springfield 32.
A little over two minutes later, sophomore quarterback Avery Offenburg again connected with Lamb on third and long, this time on a deep slant pattern, for an 18-yard touchdown that effectively sealed the game with 3:30 to play.
