Springfield clinches share of GWOC title with rout of Northmont

Offensive coordinator Chris Wallace, who experienced his own Senior Night 28 years ago at South High School, had an extra reason to see the night as something special. He has coached Springfield senior quarterback Te’Sean Smoot the last four seasons but has known him since he was in elementary school.

“I cried today before he came out,” Wallace said. “Me and him had a little one on one.”

“Senior Night is crazy,” Smoot said. “It goes by fast. I remember walking through the high school my first day of freshman year, and they said it was going to go by fast, but I didn’t think it was going to go by this fast. It was great to be able to end my Senior Night like this.”

Smoot ran for three touchdowns as the No. 5 Wildcats (8-1, 6-1) returned to their dominant ways and built momentum for the playoffs one week after suffering their first and only loss of the regular season. They routed Northmont 47-0 to clinch a share of the Greater Western Ohio Conference championship.

“We just had to put the past in the past,” Smoot said, “and come back the next week and just prepare even more. Our heads weren’t really on straight. We got a little big headed. We had to humble ourselves and get a new mindset. Now it’s win or go home. We’ve got to step up and play big boy ball.”

The Wildcats built a 27-0 halftime lead. There was a running clock for the last 21 minutes of game action after they pushed the lead to 33-0 early in the third quarter.

Springfield outgained Northmont 401-29 and limited the Thunderbolts to two first downs. It’s the second time in the last three games the Wildcats have held an opponent to fewer than 60 yards. They outgained Centerville 354-54 in a 44-7 victory in Week 8.

This was just the type of victory Springfield needed after losing 22-21 at Miamisburg on a touchdown and two-point conversion with 8 seconds left in Week 9. That loss kept Springfield from climbing from No. 2 to No. 1 in the state poll. Instead, it dropped to No. 5 as Lakewood St. Edward, which also lost last week, fell from No. 1 to No. 3.

“We needed that type of performance,” Douglass said. “It was good for our guys to get back mentally the same type of focus that we need going forward.”

Springfield clinched its first GWOC title since it won back-to-back division championships in 2018 and 2019. This is the first time Springfield has won the title since the GWOC did away with divisions after the 2019 season.

The Wildcats share the title with Wayne (7-2, 5-1), which beat Centerville 42-21 on Friday. Springfield beat Wayne 21-14 in Week 4.

Springfield entered the final week of the regular season ranked No. 2 in Division I, Region 2 computer ratings. If the rankings don’t change, its opponent in the first round of the playoffs will be this same Northmont team (3-6, 1-6), which ranked 15th in the region.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association will announce the playoff brackets at 3 p.m. Sunday. Springfield will host a game in the first round as a higher seed and also in the second round if it advances. Starting in the the third round, games will take place at neutral sites.

Springfield finished the regular season with one loss for the third straight season. Counting the playoffs, it is 55-31 in Douglass’ eight seasons. Its three losses in the regular season in the last three years came by a combined eight points.

The loss to Miamisburg likely cost Springfield a chance to be ranked No. 1 in Division I. It dropped from No. 2 to No. 5, while No. 1 Lakewood St. Edward also lost and fell to No. 3.

In Week 10, the Wildcats delivered the same type of performance that carried them to a 7-0 start and three straight shutouts against Beavercreek, Fairmont and Springboro in GWOC play.

Ramon Browder ran three yards for Springfield’s first touchdown, his eight of the season, late in the first quarter. Smoot scored the next two touchdowns on runs of 14 and 15 yards in the second quarter. Smoot then threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Thigpen in the final seconds of the half.

Smoot ran 8 yards for a third touchdown, his 15th of the season, early in the third quarter. Then Kevin Fair returned a fumble for a touchdown to give Springfield a 40-0 lead late in the third quarter. Jayvin Norman scored the final touchdown on 49-yard a run late in the fourth quarter.

Smoot completed 9 of 13 passes for 110 yards. Browder carried the ball 15 times for 114 yards, topping 100 yards for the second time this season. Norman also reached the 100-yard mark for the second time. He had 103 rushing yards on nine carries.

Thigpen caught four passes for 70 yards. The touchdown catch was his fourth of the season.

Fair, Jaivian Norman and Tywan January each had four tackles.