Springfield blanks Mathews, 42 | Sports | Content Marketing Institute

Oct 29, 2022 Staff photo / Neel Madhavan Springfield receiver Seandelle Gardner looks to break loose from a pair of Mathews’ defenders during the Tigers’ 42-0 win over the visiting Mustangs.

NEW MIDDLETOWN , Mathews first-ever football playoff win will have to wait.

Behind a perfect passing performance from quarterback Kolten Ruark, Springfield continued its fervent run, winning its seventh straight game Friday night with a dominant 42-0 win over the Mustangs to advance in the Division VII playoffs.

Ruark completed all six of his passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns , one, a 70-yard strike to senior Seandelle Gardner in the first quarter, and the other two, a 28-yarder and a 46-yard strike, were to junior receiver Sean Guerriero.

But the Tigers’ success in the passing game all starts with the run game, according to head coach Sean Guerriero. “They wanted to keep seven or eight in the box, which is going to give us some one-on-one opportunities,” Guerriero said. “Kolten capitalized today, but it starts with those guys up front for us.

We have to make sure that we establish the run game.

I think our line did a good job adjusting to their speed.” After an 0-4 start, Springfield is playing its best football at the right time of year, having now won seven straight games. “We have so much experience the past couple years just going deep into the playoffs,” Ruark said. “Our coach said we have to be playing our best football right now when it matters.

We’re tough and we’re on a roll right now.

It feels good.” While the Tigers’ offense moved the ball at will against the Mustangs, finishing with 392 total yards, the defense kept Mathews’ offense in check.

One of Mathews’ top offensive weapons, Dom Toto, went out with an injury on his first carry of the game.

From there, the Mustangs struggled to move the ball much, finishing with just 57 total yards against Springfield’s physical front-seven. “For us, we wanted to get after them a little bit because they had some speed going to the outside,” Guerriero said. “They run their jet sweep very well, so we wanted to try to create some havoc for them , just blitz and do some stuff there to try to mix them up and force them into bad angles or wrong steps.

We wanted to heat things up a little bit and our kids got after it.” Mathews’ best scoring chance came just before halftime.

The Mustangs had driven into the red zone, but turned the ball over on downs after quarterback Ethan Petak was sacked.

Despite the loss, Mathews has come a long way since its days playing 8-man football just a few years ago.

The Mustangs finish the season 8-3 after making their second-straight playoff appearance. “We were banged up coming in and we knew how good Springfield was,” Bohren said. “We’re just happy to get out of here healthy, and we even lost some players. (Springfield’s) a good team , I think Sean’s got them really going and I think they’ll make a run.” The young Mustangs squad will graduate just three seniors this year, which bodes well for the future of Bohren’s program as he continues to build it up. “We think next year we’ll be back in the playoffs,” Bohren said.

With its win, Springfield now advances to next week, where it will travel to face Division VII, region 25’s No. 1 seed in Warren JFK. “If we want to be the best, we have to beat them,” Ruark said. “We’ll start watching film on them (Saturday) I’m sure and start preparing for them.” Today's breaking news and more in your inbox HUBBARD , It was a record-breaking night for the West Branch Warriors when they played in the Division II ...