Photo by Chris Barber                        Behind a balanced offense and a shut-down defense, the Kennett Blue Demons remained undefeated in the Ches-Mont American Division with a 37-7 defeat against Unionville on Oct. 7.

By Richard L. Gaw

Staff Writer

In the legacy of what has both defined and romanticized the cross-town football rivalry between Unionville and Kennett high schools, it could easily be said that the Blue Demons’ 37-7 stomping of the Longhorns on Oct. 7 may have led to the longest three-mile bus ride back to campus for Unionville in the course of its long and storied football history.

From start to finish, Head Coach Lance Frazier’s team balanced its offensive assault led by quarterback Brett Kauffman, running back Julian Sparacino and three field goals by kicker Ryan Barker, combined with a defensive shut down that included four interceptions and forced several Longhorn miscues.

On Unionville’s second possession of the game, Blue Demon defensive back Xavier McGreal intercepted quarterback Levi Brawley’s pass with 4:46 left in the first quarter that gave Kennett great field position at the 20-yard line. After a carry by Sparacino moved he ball to the 14-yard line, quarterback Brett Kauffman tossed a TD strike to McGreal with 3:08 remaining in the first to give Kennett an early 7-0 lead.

Following Barker’s first field goal at the 9:15 mark in the second quarter that staked Kennett to a 10-0 lead, linebacker Ian Guyer intercepted Brawley’s pass with 7:27 left in the half that was immediately followed by a 11-yard touchdown run by Kauffman that extended the Blue Demons’ lead to 17-0.

With time slipping away in the first half, Barker tacked on two additional field goals, the first coming on a 37-yarder with 1:32 remaining and the seconds on a 39-yard field goal with 13 second left that was set up by another interception by Guyer.

Following their halftime session with Head Coach Pat Clark, Unionville began the second half with what appeared to be a revamped game plan. Starting its first possession of the second half on its own 43-yard line, the Longhorns engineered an eight-play, 57-yard drive that culminated in an 8-yard touchdown pass from Brawley to running back Brody McLaughlin with 5:58 left in the third quarter that narrowed Kennett’s lead to 23-7.

Unionville’s first touchdown seemed to reignite what had been an ineffective offensive performance in the first half, and when Brawley took a QB keeper 52 yards from midfield to the Kennett 7-yard line with later in the third quarter, it resembled all of the markings of a comeback. However, after a penalty on the Longhorns moved the ball back to the 18-yard line, Brawley’s pass was picked off by McGreal, who ran virtually untouched for an 82-yard touchdown run with 1:04 remaining to give Unionville a 30-7 lead.

A final Unionville drive was stalled deep into the final quarter when new quarterback Luke Stang fumbled on the Kennett 2-yard line with 4:55 left in the game. On its first play from scrimmage, Sparacino took the handoff from Kauffman and embarked on a 91-yard touchdown run with 2:45 left in the game.

The win lifted Kennett’s overall record to 4-3 and keeps them in a share of the Ches-Mont American Division lead with Great Valley with 4-0 division records. The Blue Demons will travel to face West Chester East on Oct. 14, while Unionville (now 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the Chest-Mont American) will host Great Valley on Oct. 14.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].