SPRINGFIELD — For the third year in a row the Springfield football team will play in the state semi-finals. The Wildcats though hope that for the first time they’ll make it to the last week of the season.
In 2020 Springfield went 8-2, falling to eventual state champions St. Xavier 12-10. In 2019, Springfield posted a record of 12-2 eventually falling 31-24.
Springfield has rolled through most of the season facing little to no adversity. In the playoffs the Wildcats have three consecutive shutouts. The only touchdown Springfield has allowed in the last five weeks is a 4th quarter touchdown when they were already leading 42-0.
>> Touchdown 7
The Wildcats have only allowed more than 7 points in 3 of the 13 games this season. St. Ignatius, Wayne, and Miamisburg are the only teams that have managed more than 200 yards and 7 points against Springfield’s vaunted defense.
Springfield will face Moeller in the state semi-finals. The Crusaders have played a challenging schedule, not too dissimilar from the Wildcats. Moeller edged a very talented Lakota West team 21-17 and were pushed by Princeton in a 28-21 regional semi-final tilt.
Moeller’s defense has been vulnerable most of this season. The Crusaders have allowed 353 points and in 9 of 14 games they’ve allowed 21 or more points. Both teams played and beat St. Ignatius. Springfield won 24-20 in the season opener and Moeller won 29-28 in overtime on a two point conversion. It was the second of three straight overtime games for the Crusaders.
Before Springfield North and South combined into one school the two football programs made a combined 6 trips to the playoffs going a combined 4-6. Springfield, since its merger, has made 7 trips to the playoffs including four in a row and five of the last six years. Springfield has won 10 playoff games in the last 3 years alone.
Springfield has been waiting more than a year to be back in this position to try and write a new legacy in its history.