PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania sprint football team's dream of a second straight Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) South Division title was dissipated on Friday night by Navy, as the Midshipmen defeat the Quakers, 20-9.
Navy took the initial kickoff and got on the board quickly, scoring on a 58-yard quarterback draw. The ensuing extra point fell short and Navy took a 6-0 lead.
Later in the first quarter, Navy's Miles Whitlow took an interception 41 yards to the house to extend the Midshipmen's lead to 13.
Penn took the ball on the next drive and drove 70 yards to Navy's 1-yard line. The Quakers were stopped, however, by a strong Navy defensive line and were forced to kick.
Theo Papazekos' 18-yard field goal sent the Quakers into halftime down 13-3.
The Quakers opened the second half with the ball but threw interceptions on two straight possessions. Penn's defense did well, stopping Navy's offense twice to regain possession.
Penn received the ball in the fourth quarter after a three-and-out forced by the Quakers defense, and Eddie Jenkins clawed Penn back into the game. After a series of rushes and a 20-yard pass to Ben Klaus, Jenkins threw a pass deep downfield which tipped off the fingers of Aidan Kelly but was reeled in by Barry Klein at the Navy 2-yard line. Jenkins rushed in from four yards out, diving to reach the pylon to bring Penn right back into the game. After Papazekos' PAT was blocked, the Quakers trailed just 13-9.
Coach Bill Wagner reached into his bag of tricks after that, employing an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff. Guiseppe Bevacqua jumped on the ball on Navy's 47-yard line and the Quakers had possession again. Jenkins then found Kelly for 23 yards to pin Penn down on Navy's 21-yard line. However, Jenkins rushed twice for minus-2 yards and saw two straight passes broken up as Penn turned the ball over on downs.
Navy took the ball down the field from there, and a 16-yard touchdown pass all but iced the game with just over a minute left on the clock.
This was Penn's final game of the season, after Franklin Pierce was forced to forfeit next Saturday's scheduled game earlier in the season. The Quakers finish with a 3-3 overall record. The members of the Penn Sprint Football Class of 2019 finish their careers with a 20-7 career record, a 2017 CSFL South Division title, and a 2016 CSFL championship on their résumés.
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