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Sprint Football vs Navy Loss 21-19 Credit: Marcus Katz , Marcus Katz

While it may not have been the on-field performance the team was looking for, Penn sprint football had a night to remember as it honored its senior players in their final home game.

Penn was handed a 47-7 loss by a powerful Army squad that has not lost a game in three years. It was a disappointing loss for the Quakers (3-3) but even Penn’s coach acknowledged Army’s strengths.

“Army plays to a different beat,” coach Bill Wagner said. “They play with a major mission, to win a battle, because they’re getting ready to win real battles. They bring that to the field. They’re hard to beat, they’re well coached, and they’ve got a lot of talent. They have that one mission — to win at all costs.”

The loss also cost the Quakers junior wide receiver and tight end Brendan Dale , who injured his knee and is not expected to play in next week’s season finale. Dale had to be helped off the field by medical staff.

However, returning from a concussion suffered last week was senior captain running back Mike Beamish , who returned for the final home game of his career. It was remarkable that Beamish was able to play at all given his truncated week of practice.

Beamish, however, struggled to find holes against the powerful Army defense, as he tallied little more than one yard per carry on the night. The Black Knights (6-0) smothered the Red and Blue offense all night, sacking sophomore quarterback Mike McCurdy six times, intercepting him twice and blocking a punt in the Quakers’ end zone that went for a safety.

Penn’s lone score came in the fourth quarter when McCurdy connected with junior wide receiver Henry Mason for a 32-yard touchdown pass. By contrast, Army’s offense fired on all cylinders, gashing the Quakers for big plays throughout the game.

Penn will graduate a strong class of seniors, led by Beamish and senior defensive back Keith Braccia . Beamish has rushed for over 2,500 yards and punted for nearly 5,000 yards during his sprint football career. Braccia earned all-CSFL honors as a receiver and defensive back last year.

“Braccia, Beamish, [senior offensive lineman Alex] Smith and those guys, they’ll be tough to replace,” Wagner said. “They’re real leaders.”

Seniors such as Braccia have played essential roles for younger players on the team, like freshman linebacker Quinn Karam , who has been a prime figure on the Penn defense this season.

“Honestly, I don’t even know where we’d be without the seniors on this team,” Karam said. “They give us so much help and inspiration. Tight games, games like [the 14-7 Penn victory against] Franklin Pierce, I don’t think we would’ve won without the seniors firing us up and leading us.”

The gratitude goes both ways.

“I couldn’t be more thankful to sprint football,” Braccia said. “Above the game, [the team is] a family.”

Braccia, Beamish and their five fellow seniors will finish out their sprint football careers next Friday against winless Princeton.

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