By Darin MacEacheron
@maceacheron
SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield College football team took home their first win of the 2019 season with a 21-14 victory over Kean University on Stagg Field this Saturday.
Both teams entered the second half tied at 14 and it took until the final seconds of the game for someone to score when the Pride’s Ryan Deguire went six yards for the winning touchdown.
Nine different rushers combined for 420 yards led by Ryan Deguire who had 100 yards on 11 carries. Quarterback Chad Shade also put together a nice day on the ground rushing for 97 yards including a 45 yard touchdown.
The Pride’s rushing attack was good for the most part but ball security was an issue throughout the day. Springfield coughed up the ball six times resulting in three recoveries for Kean.
One of the biggest keys in the rushing game over the last few seasons has been halfback Hunter Belzo who went down early in the game with an injury and had to be carted off the field. Belzo’s presence on and off the field has been a driving force for the Springfield team and his team seemed to rally behind him.
“Hunter is a great leader on our team and when somebody of that magnitude goes down, our first instinct in to go out and pick him up,” said fellow running back Ryan Deguire.
Head Coach Mike Cerasuolo added, “When they asked if he wanted any pain medication, Hunter Immediately said no. That’s Hunter for you. He’ll be alright. He’s tough and we can’t wait to get him back.”
In last week’s defeat against Western New England, the Pride rushed for 312 yard. Whether it’s the quarterback, fullback, or halfback, this team will continue to play complementary football and use their ground and pound rushing attack to be successful.
Springfield will travel to Union on Saturday to play their final out of conference game of the season before heading back home to take on WPI.
Featured photo courtesy Tyler Meurelo