Jr. Dawgs Lose Conference and No. 1 Seed – Fall to Motown 19-12

The following was submitted by Mike Dzikowski:

The D Team Jr Dawg Youth Football team took their undefeated record and hopes of a Conference Championship up to Morris County to face another undefeated and much larger Morristown Wildcat team. 

This last game of the regular season, would not only decide the Conference Champion, but a Jr Dawgs victory, would give them an edge that no other Springfield Team in the history of the program had ever achieved – the #1 Seed in next week's Play-Offs.
 
On very cold morning at the beautiful campus of Delbarton High School, a crowd of nearly 150 people would be entertained by an exciting game that was only decided in the final minute of play. 

The home town Wildcats would get on the board first, as 4 minutes into the game after a Springfield punt, they would connect on a 45 yard half back option pass for a touchdown. 

The missed extra point seemed to get the small town team pumped up as on their next possession, they drove downfield and capped a 75 yard drive with a Patrick Phillips (11 carries, 49 yards, TD)  17 yard untouched touchdown run right through the Motown defense.  In the Second half, the Jr Dawg defense led by Michael Apicella, Mike Kanarek, Daniel Munoz, and Trent Hutchins would force Motown to punt of their first possession. 

However, the momentum that the Dawgs seemed to have, ended abruptly, as a fumbled pitch on the very first play gave the Wildcats the ball back again. The Wildcats would take advantage as they drove 48 yards to set up a 1 yard touchdown plunge and take a 12-6 lead. But the lead would be short lived, as Hutchins (13 carries, 149 yards, TD) on the Dawgs second play, would take a pitch to the right and race 70 yards for the tying score.  A failed extra point would leave the game knotted at 12-12. 

A stingy Dawg defense would force yet another Motown punt and the Dawgs would begin their 8 play 68 yard drive with just under 4 minutes left in the game. 

However, a fourth and one play on the Motown 16 yard came up short and the Wildcats would take over with just under 3 minutes to play. In what looked to finish as a well played 12-12 game and a Jr Dawg Conference Title, Morristown had other plans and with only two plays and 2:45 left in the game, drove 80 yards with a back breaking 60 yard touchdown run to end the Dawgs dreams. 

Now the #4 seed, the Dawgs will travel to #5 seed Bloomfield (Yes, at their place, even though it should have been a home play-off game, our brand new turf field couldn't guarantee the use of a score board and PA system!) The game will be played Sunday Nov 10th at 9am. The winner of this game will go on to meet the winner of #1 seed Westfield vs. #8 seed Berkeley Heights.  

Win or lose these boys had a fantastic season and give us all something to look forward to in the years to come.