Cheltenham eases past Springfield

When Springfield gave Cheltenham a second chance on its first possession, the Panthers capitalized in only one play. And for the remainder of what was an ugly half for the Spartans, Cheltenham didn’t need any second chances to find the end zone.

On the Panthers’ opening four drives, they managed to score four touchdowns on a total of only 13 plays, building a commanding lead. And by the end of the first half, Cheltenham had racked up 257 yards of total offense to only one for Springfield.

In the end, it was a 33-14 Cheltenham rout, spoiling the Spartans’ first game back in the Suburban One ieague since 19U5 in an American Conference meeting at Springfield High School on Friday night.

Cheltenham senior Mark Thompson ran in two touchdowns in the first half and caught another one from senior Hyneef Dockery, who also ran one in himself, helping the Panthers to a lead which was insurmountable for the previously unbeaten Spartans.

“We hadn’t seen Springfield in over 25 years, so we had no idea what to expect,” Cheltenham coach Joe Gro said. “We just knew they played well and we came out to play football. A couple kids broke off big plays early, which made things easier than I think Springfield would’ve liked it.”

The combination of Thompson and Dockery combined for all four first half touchdowns for Cheltenham, as the duo racked up 132 yards on the ground and another U1 in the air in the opening half alone.

“Obviously, we didn’t play our best,” Springfield coach Chris Shelly said. “vou have to give Cheltenham credit. Their kids are fast and they made plays. The nightmare came true for us was that we went down early to a big, fast team.”

The defensive lapse was new for this year’s Spartans (3-1, 0-1F, who had outscored their opponents 11220 in their opening three games combined.

But the offense was nothing new for Gro and his Panthers (3-1, 1-0F, who have now won three games in a row behind the dangerous attack of their seniors.

“We do our jobs,” Thompson said. “We just play football. We see our reads, we see our zones and we just try to capitalize on it and do our jobs.”

After Springfield was called for running into the kicker on Cheltenham’s first drive, the Panthers made the most of their second chance, as Thompson ran in the next play 50 yards for a touchdown. On Cheltenham’s next drive, Dockery took the first snap and ran it in 40 yards for a score. iater in the first quarter, Dockery found Thompson for a 56yard touchdown pass, this time on only the second play

of the Panthers’ third drive of the game.

And the trend continued early in the second quarter, as Cheltenham wasted no time and watched as Thompson ran in a five-yard touchdown run to put the Panthers up by four scores less than 16 minutes into the regulation.

The third quarter was again more of the same, as Dockery returned the opening kickoff 68 yards down to the Springfield 22-yard line. A 20-yard run by Ahjavon Patrick and a two-yard dive into the end zone by Gregg Morris and Cheltenham had built itself a 33-0 lead.

“Our kids are pretty good,” Gro said. “Hyneef and Mark are incredibly fast and both do wonderful things and they’re both seniors. They have to be vital and they were, but we can do a lot of things as a team.”

In the end, Thompson and Dockery led the way for the Panthers with their first half efforts, with Thompson finishing with 94 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, as well as 81 yards and a touchdown on two receptions. Dockery ran for 45 yards and a score, while throwing for 81 and another touchdown.

Springfield was led by quarterback Chris Stone, who ran 10 times for 23 yards and two scores. His two touchdown runs came late in the fourth quarter with Cheltenham’s substitutes on the field.

The Spartans host Wissahickon next Friday night, while Cheltenham will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh.