Springfield Quarterback Leads Cougars' 17-12 Victory Over Marple Newtown

Ryan Strain needed to find something. The senior quarterback had been lugging the Strath Haven loss around for days. In fact, he blamed himself for the Cougars’ loss. What Strain found was a little dose of selective amnesia. He kept a hold of the good things he did, tossing away the bad. He wiped his mental slate clean and looked ahead.

There’s actually a lot to look ahead about—after Strain directed the Cougars to a 17-12 Central League victory over Marple Newtown Friday night. The victory gives Springfield an 8-2 overall record, but more importantly, awards the Cougars what appears to be the No. 2 seed in the PIAA District 1 playoffs.

Tack on a little history-making with lofty spot: For the first time in Springfield history, the Cougars will be hosting a playoff game next Friday night, most likely playing area rival Academy Park.

For Strain, he felt relieved to get right after throwing a pair of interceptions against Strath Haven. He was terrific against Marple Newtown, completing 9 of 16 passes for 136 yards.

“I did blame myself over the Strath Haven loss, I beat myself up about for a few days,” said Strain, who’s been improving each week this season and is a major reason why the Cougars will be playing in their first home playoff game. “This game was big for me tonight. I needed this. It got my confidence going again.”

The game got off to a fast start. Marple Newtown took the opening kickoff 71 yards using six plays to take a 7-0 lead. The first score came when Tigers’ quarterback James Ridinger hit Joey Pham with a perfect 25-yard strike.

Springfield then responded by taking its opening possession 57 yards, which ended when junior Brad Lord booted a 29-yard field goal with plenty of room to spare for a 6-3 Marple Newtown lead.

The twist is that Springfield kept moving the ball, after its initial drive, Marple Newtown didn’t. The Cougars went up for good when a botched punt resulted in Springfield getting the ball at the Marple Newtown five-yard. Cameron Durham rammed home the go-ahead score from a yard out, putting Springfield up 10-6.

The Tigers plowed through Springfield’s very sturdy defense for 71 yards on their first drive. Marple Newtown gained 55 yards of total offense the rest of the half, and wouldn’t score again until the fourth quarter.

Springfield, meanwhile, boosted its advantage with a time-consuming, 12-play, 86-yard drive that culminated in Strain’s 18-yard pass to Warren Allen, who fumbled at the two-yard line, and the fumbled ball was picked up by hustling Barry Foster, who scooped up the loose ball and trotted into the end zone for a 17-6 Springfield lead.

The Tigers didn’t get going again until midway into the fourth quarter. Marple Newtown coach Ray Gionta opted to use star running back Cimirrow Moat after sitting him the first three quarters nursing an injured ankle. Moat scored on a one-yard run with 4:50 left in the game. After a Marple Newtown stop, the Tigers regained possession with a chance to win with 2:52 left to play.

But a missed snap hurt the drive and the Tigers’ hopes of driving down the field fell on an incomplete pass with 1:24 left to play. From there, the Cougars ran out the clock.