Varsity Wildcats traveled to West Springfield High School for the first game in the Regional Tournament and fell to the Spartans with a final score of 30 to 27. The crew from Centreville played an excellent game and held the lead up until the final four minutes of game time when West Springfield stunned everyone with two touchdowns in less than one minute of game time.

Wow, what a game.

Centreville wins the toss and chooses to defer reception to the second half. They kick the ball to Early momentum is firmly in the hands of the Wildcat defense as West Springfield finishes four downs with a punt. As the Centreville offense takes the field, Wildcats find the most success keeping the ball on the ground. With a combination of pitch-back’s to Calder Street and running by Andrew Morgan the Wildcat offense completes nine plays to put Kevin Maslyn in position for a successful field goal. With 6:24 still to play in the first quarter, Wildcats take the lead with 3 to the Spartan’s zero.

Spartans take the ball and get a taste of the Wildcat defense. The West Springfield crew struggle to get through the line on the ground with a number of plays that end in a loss of yardage. Their quarterback is under pressure, too. On the seventh play of their drive Jamey McClendon zips through the line and sacks the quarterback. West Springfield attempts a field goal that hits the mark to tie the score at 3 each.

Centreville takes the ball from West Springfield’s kick but quickly punts it back to the Spartans. The Wildcat defense is rocking the Spartan offense and on the first play of the drive Calder Street leaps into the air to intercept a West Springfield pass — Centreville ball! The first quarter ends with the score tied Centreville 3, West Springfield 3.

Wildcats continue their drive but Spartans eventually take over on downs at the 29 yard line. West Springfield is learning to adapt as they drive the ball down the field. With five consecutive successful pass plays they find the end zone for a West Springfield touchdown. The Spartan squad attempts a tricky play on the extra point attempt as the holder jumps to his feet and sprints around the left side of the line. Yellow flags are flying through the air as their 2-point attempt fails. The penalty is on West Springfield and is declined by Centreville. This leaves the score West Springfield 9, Centreville 3 with 9:17 remaining in the second quarter.

Toe Good

Wildcats take the ball but the Spartans soon regain possession on a recovered fumble. The Centreville defense smacks West Springfield to the turf and they must again punt the ball to the Wildcats. The Centreville offense takes the field to begin a long, successful drive. They keep the ball on the ground with a series that sees Andrew Morgan gaining almost 40 yards through 11 plays. Adding some spice to his efforts is P.J. Dunegan as he adds to the yardage with gains of 7 and 3. This puts the ball in ideal position for another field goal attempt by Kevin Maslyn. With 13-seconds left to play in the first half of the game he toes the ball cleanly through the uprights, boosting Centreville’s score to 6 while West Springfield holds the lead with 9. Centreville kicks the ball to West Springfield, and the first half quickly ends with the score West Springfield 9, Centreville 6.

Second Half, Second Wind

The second half of the game begins with Centreville receiving the kick. Their drive ends after four downs with a punt to West Springfield. Spartans punt after a fruitless possession, followed by another four-and-punt by Centreville. Spartans take the ball from the Wildcat punt, and on the third play of their drive they fumble the ball as a pile of Wildcats recover — Centreville ball!

Glad and Glatter

With 6:36 remaining in the third quarter the Wildcats begin a long, powerful and successful drive to the end zone. On the last of a nine-play series, fans were glad to see the Wildcats get a little tricky. David Toth takes the snap, spins and laterals the ball to P.J. Dunegan who fires a pass over the mass of defenders and into the hands of Zack Glatter who legs the ball into the end zone for a Wildcat touchdown. Maslyn’s extra point is good and the Wildcats take the lead with the score is now Centreville 13, West Springfield 9.

Increase in Street Crime

2:36 is remaining in the third quarter as Centreville kicks the ball to West Springfield. The Wildcat defense enters the field fired-up for some action. The Spartan offense is moving the ball, but on the third play of the drive Calder Street steals his second interception of the game. With 1:43 still to play in the third quarter it’s Wildcats’ ball!

More Morgan

With the ball at the 32 yard line, Centreville begins a long drive that belongs to Andrew Morgan. He completes four runs to gain 28 yards and two first-downs before the third quarter ends. On the first play of the fourth quarter Morgan snowplows through the defensive line and into the end zone for another Wildcat touchdown. Maslyn’s extra point is good and, with 11:53 still to play in the game, Centreville increases their lead to 20 over West Springfield’s 9.

West Springfield takes the kick with 11:46 remaining in the game. They complete a 73-yard drive with a touchdown. The extra point attempt is blocked by the Wildcat special teams squad to limit the Spartan success. Wildcats still control the lead with the score Centreville 20, West Springfield 15.

Centreville takes the kick and begins a long drive from the 20-yard line. The Wildcat offense is playing sharp and careful as they meticulously drive the ball down the field. They also eat-up minutes from the game clock. After a 12-play drive and almost 80-yards Andrew Morgan takes the final snap and plows into the end zone for another Wildcat touchdown. Maslyn continues his astounding success kicking extra points and the score is now Centreville 27, West Springfield 15.

45-Seconds of Shock

The scoreboard is glowing with 4:45 remaining the in the game as West Springfield receives the Centreville kick. They begin their drive on Centreville’s 25-yard line. On the first play of their possession, the quarterback has to scramble, and finds his way down the left-side sideline and into the end zone for a quick Spartan touchdown. Their extra point is good and the score wobbles up to Centreville 27, West Springfield 22.

West Springfield kicks to Centreville into an automatic touchback. In the first play of the Wildcat drive the ball is fumbled and recovered by West Springfield at Centreville’s 22-yard line. The Spartan offense tries two failed pass attempts, but their third pass finds its way into the end zone. With 4:00 on the clock they have a successful 2-point conversion for the extra point and regain the lead as the score is now West Springfield 30, Centreville 27.

Down by 3 points and just 4:00 of game time remaining, the Wildcat offense takes the field. They begin a confident drive with a combination of passing and running — they are moving the ball down the field. Wildcats send a pass into the air. The ball bounces off the chest of the receiver and into the grasp of a Spartan defender — West Springfield ball. With 1:20 left in the game, West Springfield simply controls the ball to run-out the clock. In a major heartbreak ending, the final score is West Springfield 30, Centreville 27.

Season Ends for Wildcats

The first game in the Regional Tournament ends the season for the 2007 Varsity Wildcats. It was certainly a roller coaster of a season, with the final result better than 500% and a total of 6 wins and 5 losses. Stick with us as we will begin to publish a series of articles and photo galleries that look back over the 2007 season, and look forward to the future for graduating Wildcats and those that will rise to the next Wildcat varsity squad.

Quick-Look: Regional Photos

We have the first gallery of photos from the West Springfield game open and ready for visitors. Click here to see more than 100 photos of action and fans. We expect more to be rolling-in soon, so stay tuned. You can also plan to see additional collections of photos here as we look back on the 2007 season of Wildcat football.