By Matt Smith
During the long football offseason, the Springfield High quarterback contemplated the “what ifs” of a season-ending loss. What if he didn’t fumble the ball or throw a costly interception in the fourth quarter?
After going undefeated in their first 13 games of the 2017 season, the Cougars met their fate in the District 1 Class 5A final. Psenicska chose to use this gut-wrenching experience as fuel for his senior campaign.
“My phone’s screen saver, after the last play when I fumbled, is me on the ground,” Psenicska said during summer training camp. “It’s there every day to remind me. I watch film of that game, too much. At first it was hard to get over, but right now I use it as motivation. The goal is always to get better than last year and that’s what everyone thinks.”
Week 2 marks the official start of the Central League schedule. The Cougars are vying for their third consecutive title and Psenicska is poised to lead them the entire way.
And even though that last game in ‘17 stalks the memories of many Cougars, Psenicska and his boys have turned the page. They looked impressive in taking care in their opener, a 44-6 beatdown of Glen Mills, which should serve as a reminder to the rest of the league that Springfield isn’t going away. It is striving for a three-peat.
The Central League is stacked with title contenders, but who can unseat Springfield at the top?
Here’s a look at each Delaware County team’s chances at becoming the next champion:
