SPRINGFIELD – Give the ball to TJ Valletti.
Give it to him again.
Then give it to him one more time and see if anybody on the other side can figure out what to do about it.
That was the basic formula for Springfield on its opening drive Friday night against Upper Darby, and it worked pretty much to perfection for the Cougars.
Valletti, Springfield’s senior upback and an All-Delco last season for his work on both sides of the ball, was the freight train at the center of a 15-play drive that lasted nearly eight minutes. By the time Valletti trotted into the end zone with 4:30 left in the first quarter, Springfield had already made its point.
The Cougars were going to run the football, and Upper Darby was going to have to stop it.
Good luck.
Springfield cruised to a 43-0 victory, improving to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the Central League. The Cougars have outscored their opponents 186-10, posting three straight shutouts, and continue to look like a team very much capable of matching or even improving on last year’s run to the program’s first District 1 championship and the PIAA Class 5A semifinals.
Valletti put together a monster night, rushing for 160 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, an average of 7.6 yards per attempt. He did all of it in three quarters.
Naturally, Valletti was quick to point elsewhere when asked about the damage Springfield did on the ground. The offensive line of Kaleb Mattas, Zion Culberth, Tommy DiLauro, Jaxon DeConti and Franco Biunno, among others, was doing plenty of work up front.
“They were so good,” Valletti said. “I wasn’t touched until I was five yards down the field. That sets a tone, and it also says a lot about our coaches. They game planned for that, they knew our scheme. It was incredible, all around.”
The opening drive was a pretty good example of what he was talking about.
Springfield’s (40) TJ Valleti is congratulated by quarterback John Hopkins after scoring the game’s first touchdown against Upper Darby Friday. (PETE BANNAN/MediaNews Group)
Springfield ran 15 plays, chewed up nearly eight minutes and finished the march when quarterback Johnny Hopkins used an RPO and pitched the ball to Valletti, who walked into the end zone.
Just about as textbook as a drive gets.
“It sets the tone for the game,” Valletti said. “Our offensive line did a great, great job.”
There was one play that encapsulated Springfield’s night.
Early in the second quarter, facing second-and-15, Valletti took the handoff and shot straight up the middle. Upper Darby defenders came from multiple directions, but instead of going down, Valletti kept churning his legs as the Springfield offensive line continued pushing the pile.
The result was a 26-yard gain, with Valletti dragging defenders for roughly 15 or 20 yards along the way. Three plays later, Jackson Sheffield ran seven yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0 with 9:25 left in the half.
“That fired me up. I was fired up for them,” Valletti said of his O-line. “They were down field, pushing and making things happen.”
Valletti is the player opposing defenses circle first, but Springfield is hardly a one-man operation. That has been one of the defining traits of offensive coordinator Lou D’Alonzo’s system. Spread the touches around, let the athletes make plays and keep the defense guessing. Alex McGinnis has embraced that philosophy in a new role.
After spending last season as part of Springfield’s outstanding offensive line, McGinnis moved into the backfield this season as a fullback, taking over the spot Valletti occupied a year ago when Luke Valerio and Tanner Coll were the Cougars’ primary weapons.
McGinnis carried three times for 15 yards Friday.
Springfield’s Alex McGInnis runs against Upper Darby Friday. (PETE BANNAN/MediaNews Group)
“I’ve been on the line my whole life until this year,” McGinnis said. “It’s just like the offensive line, really. I get the ball every now and then, makes me happy. But I’m still blocking for these guys.”
He and Valletti were just as busy on defense.
McGinnis had one tackle that looked more like something you’d see on a wrestling mat, wrapping up an Upper Darby runner and driving him to the ground.
Valletti had the defensive highlight of the night.
In the third quarter, he jumped a pass from Upper Darby quarterback Safiy Salley near the Springfield sideline, picked it off and had nothing but turf in front of him. He raced 38 yards untouched for a touchdown, giving Springfield a 28-0 lead.
Valletti credited coach Chris Britton for putting him in position to make the play.
“That’s all Coach Brit. He saw some stuff they were doing in the first half, told me to stay back and try to come for it.”
Valletti then headed straight to Britton on the sideline.
Asked what they said to each other, Valletti smiled.
“There it is.”
Springfield’s offense did have two blemishes they’d like to clean up. The Cougars fumbled twice in the second quarter, mistakes that kept Upper Darby from facing a deficit at halftime that was larger than 15-0.
At one point in the first half, Springfield had run 29 offensive plays. Upper Darby had run three. The second half was mostly about putting the game away.
Salley was intercepted by Mike DePetris on Upper Darby’s opening possession. Four plays later, Valletti ripped off a 38-yard run to put Springfield ahead, 21-0.
Three plays after that, Valletti was celebrating again after his pick-six.
Springfield quarterback John Hopkins throws to TJ Valletti against Upper Darby Friday. (PETE BANNAN/MediaNews Group)
Upper Darby then botched a snap on its next play, defensive lineman Chase Christy recovering the fumble. Four plays later, Hopkins rolled out and found tight end Shane Kilroy, who rumbled 18 yards for another touchdown.
By the fourth quarter, Springfield had turned things over to its younger guys. Junior running back Aiden Carter, who is good enough to start for plenty of Central League teams, took the first play of the fourth quarter 17 yards for a touchdown.
Freshman kicker Brandin Wright was effective. Starting in place of the unavailable Zarel Saurez, Wright made all five of his extra points. He also produced a nice special-teams play in the second quarter, booting a spinning squib kickoff that Springfield recovered.
The Cougars will now have an unwanted bye week after Harriton canceled its season last month, meaning Springfield’s scheduled game next week is off. The game against Ridley (5-0) Oct. 9 is next.
Upper Darby (2-3, 1-2) suffered its third straight loss. The Royals managed just 59 yards of offense and gave the ball away three times. Springfield’s defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown since opening night at Perkiomen Valley.
Springfield accumulated 300 yards, including 274 on the ground.
Give it to Valletti. Give it to McGinnis. Give it to Carter. Let the line go to work, and see what happens.