By Matthew DeGeorge –
For 12 weeks, Springfield’s football team had controlled just about every aspect of what transpired on the field.
Friday was installment No. 13.
Springfield quarterback Johnny Hopkins runs in the first half of the District 1 Class 5A semifinal against Strath Haven Friday night. (PETE BANNAN – MEDIANEWS GROUP)
Springfield controlled the clock from start to finish, suffocating Strath Haven’s offense and posting a 26-10 win in the District 1 Class 5A semifinals.
The top seed Springfield (13-0) returns to the final, where it lost to Rustin, 34-2, last year. It also made the 5A final in 2017. Rustin could get back there again, the Golden Knights visiting second-seed Chester in the other semifinal Saturday.
If Chester wins, it would mark the second all-Delaware County final in three seasons. A Central League team has been in the 5A final four of the last five seasons.
Though the final margin was only two scores, it felt at times like 20.
The Cougars denied Strath Haven the ball, churning through long drives and getting its defense off the field on third down. At one point, Strath Haven had run 19 offensive plays, and Springfield had collected 19 first downs. When Haven touched the ball for the first time in the third quarter, it had 16 offensive snaps to Springfield’s 48.
