Penn sprint football takes care of business with resounding 33-7 win over alumni

The alumni game might not have any bearing on Penn sprint football’s championship hopes, but don't tell the players it doesn't matter.

The current sprint football team defeated its alumni in a convincing 33-7 win on a brisk Saturday afternoon.

Still, despite the lopsided score, coach Bill Wagner was impressed with the alumni’s performance.

“I really have to tip my cap to the effort that the alumni [put in] considering that they did not practice,” Wagner said. “We had people coming from Europe to play against us and guys that I coached back in the 70’s. Close to 40 guys suited up.”

A jet sweep run from freshman wide receiver Brendan McCaffrey and a 32-yard pass from junior quarterback Eddie Jenkins to senior Aidan Kelly put Penn up 13-0 with 12 minutes left in the first half.

In addition to the touchdown on the ground, McCaffrey paced the Quakers with five receptions for 60 yards in his first game as a college football player. 

Wagner plans to utilize McCaffrey’s unique skill set in a number of different packages this season. 

However, at that point, it was too early to count out the alums.

Following a missed field goal on the alumni’s next possession, Wagner trotted out his second-team offense. 

Senior running back Ryan Leone proceeded to fumble the ensuing handoff.

The next play, former quarterback Zack Digregorio found former 2015 first-team all-Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) wide receiver Henry Mason for a 32-yard touchdown. What happened next provided some of the game’s best comic relief.

After scoring the touchdown, Mason proceeded to celebrate in style, prompting the referee to flag him for unsportsmanlike conduct, eliciting laughs from both sides.

“They’re excited, they don’t score a lot of points so it’s pretty exciting for them,” Jenkins said of the celebration. “There is definitely a lot more trash talk today than you see on a normal day.”

Though it may have been easy for Jenkins to poke fun at the them after the game, at halftime, Penn only found themselves up 13-7 despite more than doubling the alumni’s total offense. 

Halftime was the closest the game ever got. 

On the first possession of the second half, defensive coordinator Chuck Hitschler dialed up a blitz, forcing a strip sack fumble that was recovered by sophomore defensive back Aaron Johnson for a touchdown. From there the Quakers started rolling, scoring the game’s final 13 points.

Coming away with a win was obviously important but the annual alumni game serves other important purposes such as reconnecting current and former sprint football players, providing a tuneup for the regular season, and allowing players to compete for starting spots up for grabs.

“It’s important from a donations perspective because they come back and help our program significantly and it’s great to see them,” Jenkins said.

Following the game, both sides stuck around for a barbeque on Franklin Field. 

In terms of gearing up for the CSFL play, both the offense and defense focus on implementing formations and schemes each will run in the regular season.

For many players though, this is a chance to solidify their position on the depth chart.

“Our biggest challenge is going to be the offensive line,” Wagner said. “That’s where we really need to find out who the starters are going to be.

Already slotted to start are junior Matthew Hermann, sophomores Jack Schaible and Dan Smith, and senior Benji Friedman. 

Seniors William D’Angelo and George Avdellas and freshman Max Khozozian are among those competing for the final spot.

Wagner will have all next week to pick the starters as the Quakers open their season against Mansfield on the road next week.