Showdown time as Sprint hosts Army

Penn sprint football is the only team on campus which can claim bragging rights to an undefeated season thus far. Unfortunately for the Quakers, where this claim matters the most -- Collegiate Sprint Football League -- they are not alone. Accompanying the Red and Blue at the top of the ranks is Army, a team well seasoned in the art of winning after clinching its 29th CSFL title last year with a 4-0 undefeated record in the league. If there was ever a time or a team to break the Black Knights' current winning streak, tomorrow night at 7:30 would be the time, and Penn would be the team. With home turf advantage, the Quakers will attempt to better their 4-0 run. In three of those games, the Penn defense soundly kept the opposing offense to zero points. But tomorrow, records and accolades mean nothing. Both teams are coming in with perfect records. But one team will leave with a fatal blow to a flawless run at the title, while the other team will be basking in the glory of keeping their winning streak. And that winner will also come away with a share of the CSFL title. Last year, Army dealt Penn the only chink in its armor. In the third game of the 1999 season, the Quakers fell to the Cadets, 17-9 -- the one loss that kept the Quakers from their first perfect record in the history of Penn sprint football. But this is a new year, and the Red and Blue, although aware of past antagonisms and the need for sweet revenge, are focusing on the future. "There is a lot of excitement for this game," Penn sophomore standout Jeff Bagnoli said. "We've been practicing well; we're ready to go play the game. We have to have an 'A' game, and hopefully we'll come out on top." Both teams have seen what the league has to offer and proven their dominance. There is only one question remaining: Which team will be the runner-up and which team will wear the ring? Unless Army loses to Navy and Penn loses to Princeton in their final games of the season -- in two matchups that have already gone the Quakers' and the Cadets' way once this season -- tonight's game will determine the answer to that question. But Penn knows that it can't get ahead of itself. Army coach Gene McIntyre tends to run the option with talented junior quarterback Jon Hall under center. In Army's 28-9 victory over Cornell two weeks ago, Hall ran for a season high of 132 yards, his third straight 100-yard performance. "[Hall] likes to run the ball. Nobody can run the ball like this kid can," Bagnoli said. In addition to Hall, Army has eight returning players who were selected for first team CSFL honors last season. Instead of dreading the stiff competition, however, the Quaker's past few performances have bred a contagious sense of confidence throughout the Penn squad, especially on the defensive end. "We have faith in our defense," sophomore defensive lineman Mike Doyle said. "The defense that we run is pretty solid against both the option and the pass." In fact, two Penn defenders have earned CSFL Defensive Player of the Week honors this season. Senior defensive end Kevin Manning earned the honor last week for recording seven tackles in the Quakers 23-0 shutout of Cornell, while senior linebacker Mike Viney tallied six tackles in Penn's 29-0 romp over Princeton in mid-October. In addition to a solid defense, Penn has reason to boast of its offense as well. Against Navy, senior running back Scott Moore surpassed Clinton Schmidt for all-time Penn career receiving record. Along with Moore, freshman quarterback Jim Donapel is an offensive threat for the Quakers. Donapel is heading into his second start of the season after taking over for injured signal-caller John Kernan. Donapel has two seasoned weapons at his side in Bagnoli and senior captain Robert Reeves. The Quakers will need all the weapons they can muster -- including the aid of fans at Franklin Field -- to beat Army and take a giant step toward a CSFL title.

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