Made in the Shade for Springfield Pride, 42-21

Springfield, MA – Junior QB Chad Shade made his debut as a starter for the Pride and both overwhelmed visiting crosstown rival Western New England, 42-21, in front of over 5,000 fans at Amos Alonzo Stagg Field. The two teams play annually in their Pynchon SAW Game rivalry.  Offensively, the Pride gained 445 yards this evening, all on the ground.  Shade was 0 for 3 in passing, but he burned the Golden Bears running the option for 247 yards and six TDs on 22 carries.

Shade leads devastating comeback

Western New England opened the scoring on Peter Hoff’s touchdown in the first. Shade and the Pride retaliated with four more scores running the option before the Bears knew what hit them in Q3.  Ryan McCarthy returned the ensuing kickoff out to SC’s 43.  Shade ended this drive with a six-yard score.  On The Pride’s next possession, Shade side-stepped a would-be tackler near the line of scrimmage and ran for a 24-yard TD.

Leading 14-7 in the second, The Pride halted WNE QB Alec Coleman (22 of 40, 204 yards, 1 TD) on a fourth and short to take over on downs.  A FG attempt by the Golden Bears misfired on their next possession.  Thereafter, Shade proceeded to finish off an 81-yard drive on a 32-yard option keeper to the right side to extend the score 21-7 for halftime.

And The Pride rolls on

In the third, Pride FB Josh Thomas from Saratoga Springs, NY, bolted out of the gate up the middle for a 58-yard gallop up the middle down to the WNE five.  Shade carried it in from the one.  A kick return to the 44 finally got the Golden Bears rolling again.  WR Jared Wolfe grabbed a three-yard TD pass from Coleman to cut the Pride lead in half, 28-14.  Springfield recovered a fumble with their backs on their own eight. However,  The Pride responded with a 75-yard option left by Shade to go up, 35-14.

In the final period, Shade polished off an 81-yard drive on the 12^th play with a 42-yard jaunt to cap his outstanding debut.  A late TD by the Bears Brendan Smith finalized the score at 42-11.   It was great to attend a good D-3 clash well attended at the very well kept and historical Stagg Field.

Extra Points:

I was able to attend a women’s volley ball match right before the game during the Springfield Invitational Tournament. The Pride hosted Westfield State.  Being the senior member of my company’s co-ed volleyball team, there has to be a minimum of at least where three women among six players to be on the court the entire game.  I think I could have taken any of five women from either team and we (me and the five young ladies recruited) would win the Boston Properties Championship of Princeton, NJ next season. I have to talk to HR about recruiting and internships for next season.

SC Freshman LB Anthony Benscombe led all tacklers for the day with 11.  Pride All-American DE candidate Nick Giorgio wrangled eight tackles, but was slowed by leg cramps late in the game.  Both squads reached the D-3 playoffs last season.  Springfield of The New England Men’s and Women’s Athletic Conference and the Golden Bears of the Commonwealth Coast Conference could both win automatic bids again by winning their respective conference championships.

The winner of this local crosstown rivalry takes home the Pynchon SAW Trophy.  Named for William Pynchon who founded the city as a fur trading post a few centuries ago, the site was named after his birthplace in England.  SAW is derived from the first letters of both schools – Springfield And Western.

Not far from the Springfield campus, we passed the Smith and Wesson Corporation campus, makers of the original Springfield rifles.

Next week Springfield visits Kean University of the NJAC while WNE hosts Westfield State, non-conference games for both once gain.  Collegefootballfan.com heads east to Chestnut Hill step up into the FBS when Boston College hosts UMass.