The nationally-ranked Springfield College football team scored 14 points in each quarter to earn a 56-14 victory over Norwich on Saturday in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) meeting on Stagg Field.
Ranked 22nd in the latest AFCA Division III Tpp 25, Springfield pushed its record to 8-0, 5-0 against NEWMAC opponents. The Cadets remained winless at 0-8, 0-5.
The Pride's offense had the ball for 36 minutes in the game and racked up 578 yards of total offense, including 485 yards on the ground as they averaged nearly eight yards per carry. Arsen Shtefan (West Hartford, Conn.) carried the ball 19 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns, while Jacob Silvester (Lancester, Mass.) threw for 93 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 48 yards. JT Kinsey (Savannah, Ga.) notched a team-best eight tackles as the Pride limited Norwich to just 1-of-10 on third down.
After Springfield forced a punt on Norwich's opening drive, the Pride went 80 yards in seven plays to find the game's first touchdown on a one-yard plunge from Shtefan at the 7:21 mark. The drive was highlighted by a 49-yard run by Bradley Barcello (Weston, Conn.) on third down. Following a three-and-out by the Cadets, Springfield marched 61 yards in nine plays before Sean Brown (Westford, Mass.) found room on the left edge from 14 yards out to double up the Pride's score with 49 seconds remaining in the first.
Norwich benefited from a Springfield fumble on special teams and Pride unsportsmanlike conduct on the ensuing drive which set them up for a 10-yard scoring strike from Aidan Sullivan to Henri Borque with 11:33 remaining in the first half.
The hosts answered right back with an eight-play drive that culminated in Dante Vasquez (Rockland, Mass.) scoring from 12 yards out on his first carry of the afternoon at the 7:12 mark. Norwich would manufacture a 10-play drive on their next possession which chewed up over six minutes off the clock, but the Pride's defense stood strong with a goal line stand. Springfield ultimately turned the Cadets over on downs following a big stop from Nick Gonzalez (Parsippany, N.J.) and Will McKay (Tewksbury, Mass.) following the visitors third rush from inside the two-yard line.
Despite taking over from their own one-yard line with just 61 seconds left, Springfield was able to tack on another score as Barcello delivered a highlight reel score with a 56-yard catch and run where he made a number of Norwich defenders miss before making it a 28-7 game with five seconds left in the stanza.
Springfield kept up the momentum in the third, taking the opening drive 65 yards in just under five minutes as Silvester found Logan Schenck (Bristol, Conn.) down the left seam for a 22-yards catch and score just under five minutes into the period. Shtefan would later add his second touchdown of the game, this time from 21 yards out, as he motored through the Cadets defense to make it 42-7 with 6:42 on the clock.
Norwich would find the end zone early in the fourth when Sullivan connected with Bourque for a five-yard score, only to have Springfield answer 49 seconds later when Bode Dunn (Stockton, N.J.) plowed his way over the goal line for a six-yard score at 11:47. A three-and-out by Norwich set up another quick-scoring drive from Springfield as Cam Pedro (Cumberland, R.I.) raced down the left sideline for a 51-yard score with 9:11 remaining in regulation to close out the scoring.
Next Saturday, Springfield will travel to Long Island and square off with Merchant Marine in a 12 pm contest.
Springfield College Earns 56-14 Win Over Norwich
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241102_81j2.xml
2024
Norwich
14
Springfield
56
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwich (0-8) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| No. 23 Springfield (8-0) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 56 |
Nov 02, 2024