Springfield hasn’t played on a Thursday night since it beat Centerville 41-28 in Week 8 of the 2019 season.
“You have to crunch that practice to try to get two days into one,” said Wildcats coach Maurice Douglass. “(Tuesday) we did our normal stuff on defense and had the last half be an offensive day. You’ve just got to try to crunch it and try to make the best of it.”
After last week’s loss to first-place Fairmont, the Wildcats (5-4, 4-2) hope to gain some momentum heading into the Division I, Region 2 playoffs.
“We want to be sound in our assignments and execute,” Douglass said. “We’re excited about the opportunity to close out the season and try to be 6-4 and get ready to make a run in the playoffs.”
The Wildcats will face a Thunderbolts (2-7, 1-5) team that has lost five straight games after starting the season 2-2. They lost to Miamisburg 30-27 last week.
They’re led by junior running back Calilin Grant (596 rushing yards, 8 TDs) and junior quarterback Brady Lupton (569 passing yards, 504 rushing yards, 7 total TDs. Defensively, junior safety Aidan Pendleton leads the team with 56 total tackles.
The Thunderbolts also have a huge offensive line, Douglass said.
“They’re going to try to push people off the ball,” he said. “That’s what they do better than any other facet of their game. Their run game seems to be pretty solid.”
The Wildcats have an outside chance to earn a share of the GWOC title, but they would have to beat Northmont and have several other things go their way, including a Beavercreek upset against Fairmont and a Wayne victory at Centerville. The scenario would create a four-way tie atop the conference between Fairmont, Springfield, Centerville and Wayne, all at 5-2.
The games also have major playoff implications as well. Springfield and Northmont have already clinched playoff spots in Region 2, but the winner could see a much-improved playoff seeding. With a win, Springfield could clinch the fourth seed, meaning it could host first- and second-round games, according to unofficial playoff scenarios compiled by Fantastic50.net.
“It would be great to have two home games,” Douglass said. “It’s not a must-win, but it would be nice to have some momentum heading into the playoffs.”
One of the advantages to playing on Thursday is that the program can scout potential playoff opponents in-person on Friday before heading into next week’s Region 2 playoffs.
“It does allow you that flexibility to see people live, see what they look like,” Douglass said.
Thursday’s Game
Springfield at Northmont, 7 p.m., Spectrum 24, 22.3, Dayton 24/7 Facebook & Youtube pages.
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