Springfield

By TERRY TOOHEY

ttoohey@delcotimes.com

SPRINGFIELD — Chris Britton did not go into a lengthy, fire-and-brimstone, diatribe when he addressed the Springfield football team for the first time as its head coach last February.

Britton’s message was simple: Good isn’t good enough.

“I didn’t want to give them too much to think about,” Britton said. “I wanted to get one thing across and hope it filters down.”

It did.

Seniors Brian Allen and Adam Krauter both used that phase, word for word, when asked to describe Springfield’s prospects for the 2014 season. Hearing two of his senior leaders stress that point verbatim brought a huge smile to Britton’s face.

“It’s nice to see that they were listening,” Britton said.

Britton did not have to explain his message. The Cougars knew exactly what he meant. Merely making the PIAA District One Class AAA playoffs, as Springfield has done every season since 2010, no longer was good enough.

“We have to be better than that,” Allen said. “We have to win a playoff game or two, maybe even make a long run in the playoffs.”

“Coming up short every year is frustrating,” Krauter said. “That’s why the emphasis is on ‘good isn’t good enough.’”

The Cougars stress that point every day. After completing one particularly grueling drill at the end of practice, Allen went back to encourage other players who were struggling to finish the exercise.

“Come on,” Allen yelled to his teammates. “Good isn’t good enough. You have to finish strong.”

With 14 starters back (six on offense and eight on defense) Springfield has a strong nucleus returning from a team that won its final two regular season games to lock down a spot in the District One Class AAA playoffs.

Leading that list of returnees is Allen, a two-year starter at quarterback. He threw for 818 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago, and ran for another 387 yards and eight scores. He also picked off three passes on defense and earned honorable mention All-Delco honors as an all-purpose player.

This year, the 6-1, 190-pound Allen is being tutored by one of the best QBs in county history. Haverford High All-Delco, 1974 Maxwell Award winner and former New York Jet Steve Joachim joined the staff at Britton’s request.

“He coached me in youth baseball,” Britton said. “I went to school with his son Steve.”

Allen is glad the Joachim is along for the ride.

“Coach Joachim is phenomenal,” Allen said. “I’ve learned so much from him. The big thing he’s taught me is that slow is smooth and smooth is fast.”

“The thing about Steve is that he sees things so quickly,” Britton said. “Brian will make a throw and Steve will say that the pass has to come out a second earlier. Things may be done a little differently now, but it’s still the same pass he threw nearly 50 years ago.”

Another key returnee for the Cougars is running back Colin Braconnier, who finished sixth in the county in rushing last season (888 yards, seven touchdowns). Seniors Mike Fleagle, James Harris, Alex Masino and Luc Spence bring experience to the receiving corps.

The big question is up front, where size and depth is a bit of an issue. Senior Joe Sciarino (5-10, 185), and juniors Matt Cella (6-2, 245) and Charlie Carbin (6-1, 245) are the most experienced of the group. All three are expected to go both ways.

Two-way players are a way of life at Springfield and leading the defense is Krauter, who earned All-Delco honors as a junior. The 6-2, 225-pound senior linebacker, who also will see time at tight end and running back, was in on 111 tackles last season including 16 for loss.

Spence (5-10, 170) and senior lineman Brian Layden both earned honorable mention All-Delco honors last season. Braconnier (linebacker) Ricky Sterling (running back/linebacker) also time on both sides of the ball.

“We know what it takes to win,” Allen said. “We’ve been there, but it’s not enough. Coach Britton wants us to be great and I think we have a chance to be great.”

Those are words a coach loves to hear.

“We’re not accepting the status quo,” Britton said. “We want to see what the next level looks like. We’re not interesting in just making the playoffs. We’re aiming higher.”