Springfield

It wasn't the most exciting, and it lacked the scoring punch of the other periods, but the third quarter of its 12-6 win at Springfield (Delco) was perhaps the most emblematic reason that Downingtown East continued to roll Saturday in boys' lacrosse. After building an 8-2 halftime lead in the nonleague game, East (8-3) dominated possession for nearly 11 of the 12 third-quarter minutes, practically camping in Springfield's defensive zone. Oddly, Springfield (7-3) had scored the stanza's first goal, with 1 minute, 17 seconds to go. But East wasted little time in re-extending its lead to six. Junior midfielder Kyle Lauletta netted his third goal of the game by posting up a Springfield defender, like a power forward on the low block, before slinging the ball past goalie Jeremy Cavanaugh just 26 seconds later.

The underdog finally had its day. Madison Poplawski and Samantha Tulskie each scored four goals to lead third-seeded Springfield (Delaware County) to a 14-9 victory over top-seeded and heavily favored Radnor in the District 1 girls' lacrosse championship last night at Marple Newtown. The Cougars (21-2), who never trailed, avenged a 15-5 regular-season loss while handing Randor (20-1) its first defeat with a shockingly easy victory. Springfield started fast, scoring five of the first seven goals, then withstood a Radnor rally before finishing off the victory with the final four goals.

Springfield (Delco)'s 1989 football season is officially over. Berwick defeated previously unbeaten Dunmore, 6-0, in their Eastern Conference final Saturday afternoon. With 1 minute, 18 seconds left in the third quarter, quarterback Joe Kelchner scored the game's only touchdown on a 1-yard run to give Berwick the win and the Class AAA Region 1 state playoff berth. With the win, Berwick (13-0) finished with 70 points in the PIAA rankings, 2 points ahead of Springfield (Delco)

For the first time in the '80s, the best football team in the Central League may not be Ridley. Statistically, anyway, Springfield has to be the favorite. After yesterday's 42-7 annihilation of Marple Newtown, the Cougars can boast of the following: They have outscored their first five opponents by a combined score of 156-17. They have held the opposition to a total of 57 yards rushing on 112 carries. Their junior tailback, Chuck Robinson, yesterday rushed for 239 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries, bringing his five-game total to 892 yards and 12 touchdowns.

A decade of dominance is complete. Ridley vanquished host Springfield (Delco), 28-6, yesterday before a crowd of about 5,000 to capture its 10th consecutive Central League championship. The Green Raiders ended Springfield's school-record winning streak at eight games. Despite the success the Cougars enjoyed this year, winning nine games for the first time in their history, they have not defeated the Raiders since 1963. That hex might have been snapped had the Cougars been able to play the second half the way they did the first.

When the Central League title was there for the taking, Springfield pitcher Nicole Zitarelli took it by tossing a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over Marple Newtown on May 7. When the District 1 Class AAA title was there for the taking, Zitarelli stepped forward again with three shutouts in the district playoffs and a gritty four-hit effort in the Cougars' 3-2 victory over Council Rock in the district final Thursday. This was a year for taking. Stacey Zagol was pitching for the University of Virginia, not for a Conestoga team that had won nine straight Central League titles and last year's district championship.

The curtain closed on the 1987-88 basketball season for Springfield with a first-round, 37-31 loss to host Kennett in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AA playoffs Wednesday. And the critics were not impressed. "It was a horrible game to watch," Springfield coach Jack Spinella said. "Both teams were sloppy, there were numerous unforced turnovers on both sides, and both teams looked nervous. It was outrageous. " Kennett coach Rick Nelms agreed, somewhat, with Spinella's observations.

Following his team's 47-7 demolition of Upper Darby, Springfield (Delco) senior quarterback Chris Fox acknowledged that he had never had a passing day even close to the one he enjoyed yesterday. Fox pitched a perfect game, completing 8 of 8 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns. Pull out a calculator and it comes to a one-game passing efficiency rating of 573.7, an unheard-of figure. "That was one of the best performances I've seen by a quarterback in my 12 years of high school coaching," said Upper Darby coach Rich Gentile.

Springfield (Delco) prevailed over Conestoga, 29-25, last week and firmly established itself as the team to beat in the Central League this season. Conestoga, now 1-1 in the league, still has the bulk of its league season left, as do the Cougars (1-0), but Conestoga coach Art McCall knows it will take quite an effort to knock off the driven Springfield wrestlers. "I guess we have to hope for a miracle," McCall said. "Springfield has a nice, balanced team. And they seem like good kids.

Springfield football coach Rick Taylor had two wishes for his team's season opener against West Chester Henderson on Sept. 7. The Cougars executed half of it. "We were hoping and praying for two things," Taylor said. "We wanted to play sound football, and we didn't want anybody to get hurt. Nobody got hurt. " The absence of injuries eased the sting of Springfield's 38-13 loss to Henderson, and the same thing probably was at least partly responsible for the Cougars' 21-0 victory over Upper Darby on Friday in the Central League opener for both teams.

Springfield (Montco) is one victory short of a school record for wins in a baseball season after beating Devon Prep, 8-1, in the District 1 Class AA championship game Friday at Spring-Ford. Pitcher Anthony Scafidi struck out nine to get the complete-game win, and joined teammates Max Vido, Chris Bornholdt, Tyler Bond, and Ian Quigg in driving in a run apiece. The Spartans (15-6) will face Conwell-Egan on Tuesday in a sub-regional preliminary to the PIAA state tournament.

Alex Poplawski is usually a shoo-in to win draws for her Springfield (Delco) lacrosse team. At 5-foot-11, the Stanford recruit typically uses her height advantage to overwhelm counterparts. But when the Cougars traveled to Upper Dublin on Friday for their regular-season finale, Poplawski was up against Kelly Cross, also 5-11, the Cardinals' Syracuse-signed midfielder with some faceoff prowess of her own. "Alex is able to usually take the draws, but Kelly Cross is just as tall as her and she's a very good player," Springfield coach Keith Broome said.

Highlights of Wednesday's contests can be found at: www.philly.com/rally The Lacrosse Media Rankings are chosen by Phillylacrosse.com and writers from eight newspapers, including The Inquirer. BOYS, PIAA SCHOOLS 1. Conestoga. . . 11-3 2. Downingtown West. . . 14-0 3. La Salle. . . 10-3 4. W.C. Henderson. . . 12-2 5. Ridley. . . 12-2 6. Central Bucks East. . . 12-1 7. Pennsbury. . . 12-1 8. Downingtown East.

It wasn't the most exciting, and it lacked the scoring punch of the other periods, but the third quarter of its 12-6 win at Springfield (Delco) was perhaps the most emblematic reason that Downingtown East continued to roll Saturday in boys' lacrosse. After building an 8-2 halftime lead in the nonleague game, East (8-3) dominated possession for nearly 11 of the 12 third-quarter minutes, practically camping in Springfield's defensive zone. Oddly, Springfield (7-3) had scored the stanza's first goal, with 1 minute, 17 seconds to go. But East wasted little time in re-extending its lead to six. Junior midfielder Kyle Lauletta netted his third goal of the game by posting up a Springfield defender, like a power forward on the low block, before slinging the ball past goalie Jeremy Cavanaugh just 26 seconds later.

Run-scoring hits off the bats of Chris Hens and Casey Saverio in the bottom of the seventh inning boosted Hatboro-Horsham to a key 4-3 win over visiting Pennridge in Suburban One League baseball on Monday. Down by 3-1 after six innings, Hatboro tied the game with Hens' two-run single and ended the Continental Conference matchup on Saverio's bases-loaded single with no outs, scoring Tyler Zingle. Also in the Suburban One, North Penn blanked visiting Central Bucks South, 5-0. Tyler Phifer knocked in three runs, including a two-out, two-run single in the fifth inning.

Maddy Lynch didn't get into Princeton, after being recruited for a spot in the Tigers' prestigious women's lacrosse program, without having some serious smarts - on and off the field. But the on-the-field part wasn't always so clear for Lynch, a senior at Springfield (Delaware County) and star midfielder for the Cougars. As of her sophomore season, colleges were hardly sniffing around. Scholarship offers didn't appear on the horizon, her game was still developing, and it wasn't always certain she would get to the next level.

Maddy Lynch didn't get into Princeton, after being recruited for a spot in the Tigers' prestigious women's lacrosse program, without having some serious smarts - on and off the field. But the on-the-field part wasn't always so clear for Lynch, a senior at Springfield (Delaware County) and star midfielder for the Cougars. As of her sophomore season, colleges were hardly sniffing around. Scholarship offers didn't appear on the horizon, her game was still developing, and it wasn't always certain she would get to the next level.

Chris Bornholdt scorched an eighth-inning RBI single to the right-center-field gap, and Springfield (Montco) overtook visiting Chestnut Hill, 5-4, Friday in a nonleague baseball game. Bornholdt finished the game 3 for 4 at the plate with a run scored. Anthony Scafidi added a pair of hits and an RBI, and Doug Bauer pitched the final three innings for the win. In other nonleague action, Mike Piscopo allowed an inherited runner to score before he clamped down and saved La Salle's 5-4 win over visiting St. Augustine (N.J.)