Spring-ford survives against Ridley
Whether you’re talking about life or football, possession is nine-tenths of the law.
Spring-Ford’s football team gave a memorable firVW-hDnG GLVSODy RI WhDW )rLday night in what wound up to be an epic District 1 Class AAAA TuDrWHrfinDO DJDLnVW Ridley.
The No. 7 seed Rams forced a mind-boggling six turnovers against the undefeated Green 5DLGHrV, fiYH RI WhHP FRPLnJ Ln D firVW hDOI WhDW HnGHG ZLWh them up 28 points.
Spring-Ford then survived a furious Ridley rally in holding on for a 28-26 victory that continued their historic campaign.
Zameer McDowell and R.J. Sheldon combined to sack Collin Wright on a fourth-down play at the Rams’ 39 to seal a crazy contest in which the momentum swung like a seesaw.
“We stuck together as a team,” said junior defensive lineman Mason Romano, whose second-down sack was the other huge play in WhH finDO VWDnG.
The Rams (11-1), who won their seventh straight game, advance to next ZHHN’V VHPLfinDO DJDLnVW 1R. 3 seed Pennridge, a 28-27 winner over Pennsbury.
“Our defense played a tremendous first half,” Spring-Ford coach Chad Brubaker said.
Indeed it did, as the Rams got takeaways in nearly every form imaginable.
Ian Hare got the party started by recovering a IuPbOH DW PLGfiHOG WR bOunW WhH firVW SRVVHVVLRn RI WhH second-seeded Red Raiders (11-1). Three plays later, Jarred Jones (21 carries, 134 yards) raced 24 yards to put the Rams up 7-0 with 8:06 left in the opening quarter.
Senior two-way standout Zameer McDowell made his presence felt in a big way in the closing seconds of the firVW TuDrWHr, FRrrDOOLnJ Dn attempted screen pass by Wright and taking it 86 yards for a score to make it 14-0.
Spring-Ford quarterback Hank Coyne connected with Sheldon for a 48-yard strike that set up a Yousef Lundi two-yard scoring run that increased the lead to 21-0.
Then, after Coyne was intercepted by Dennis Bryson at the Green Raiders’ oneyard line, linebacker Robbie Varner recovered a fumbled handoff on the ensuing play to give the Rams — making WhHLr firVW GLVWrLFW TuDrWHrfinDO appearance in school history — a 28-0 lead 3:32 before the half.
“Our coaches preach turnovers, turnovers, turnovers,” McDowell said. “(Turnovers) change a game, and we try to focus on getting them.”
Spring-Ford actually found itself 37 yards from a possible mercy rule running clock when Jones ripped off an eight-yard run early in the third quarter. But Ridley held to force a punt and came storming back into it.
First, Wright — who threw for 413 yards and four TDs — hit Mike Crowley for a 60-yard bomb to get the Green Raiders on the board with 5:52 left in the third. Then on the next possession, Wright hooked up with Mike Smoluk for a 50-yard scoring connection.
Spring-Ford’s defense seemed to seize the momentum late in the third quarter when a big hit by Travis Daywalt forced a fumble (after a fourth down completion to Smoluk) that teammate Joe Bush recovered DnG rHWurnHG WR PLGfiHOG.
The Rams, however, couldn’t quite salt it away after driving to the 20, and Ridley took over with 9:37 left in the game after forcing a fourth-down incompletion by Coyne.
Shane Dougherty took a swing pass by Wright and took it 32 yards to cut the GHfiFLW WR 28-20 ZLWh 8:00 left in the game.
Then the Green Raiders got a 34-yard TD pass from Wright to Crowley with 2:46 left to get within a two-point conversion of tying it, but McDowell stopped Wright a yard short to keep it at 28-26.
Ridley forced a punt and after a nice return by Matt Borchert took over at the Rams’ 32 with 59 seconds left.
With the season on the line, the exhausted defense closed it out with an incompletion, a sack by Romano, another incompletion, and the clinching sack.
“We got off the ball well and we were able to stop them when we had to pick it up,” Varner said.
“Our defense never stops,” McDowell said. “We always NHHS fiJhWLnJ. ,I Rur RIIHnVH is struggling, we try to step it up.”
“Our defense played a heck of a game,” Brubaker said. “7hHy ZHrH Rn WhH fiHOG ZDy too long, but they made some big hits and battled until the end. They really dug in.”
NOTES... Ridley got nine catches for 157 yards from Smoluk and six catches for 151 yards from Crowley in outgaining the Rams, 541270. ... Spring-Ford ran for 170 yards, including 34 from Lundi on 33 carries against a Green Raiders defense averaging 3.3 yards per carry.