The second-seeded Wildcats improved to 9-1 and advanced to host seventh-seeded Dublin Jerome (8-3) next Friday night in the regional quarterfinals. The Celtics beat 10th-seeded Olentangy Liberty 21-7 on Friday night.
The Wildcats beat Northmont for the second straight week. Last Friday, Springfield scored a 47-0 shutout last week to clinch a share of the Greater Western Ohio Conference title.
“We’re just glad to get the win,” Springfield coach Maurice Douglass said Friday night. “I’m happy for our kids. It’s hard to play someone in back-to-back weeks. We were telling them last week was the first half and this week was the second half. We’re glad to finish what we started and we’re on to the next one.”
Wildcats senior quarterback Te’Sean Smoot went 19-for-25 for 310 yards and four TDs and rushed for two scores Springfield junior wide receiver Daylen Bradley caught seven passes for 117 yards and a TD, junior Anthony Brown caught six passes for 91 yards and two TDs and junior Shawn Thigpen had three receptions for 65 yards and a TD.
Wildcats senior safety Delian Bradley added two interceptions.
“We’re definitely thrilled,” Delian Bradley said. “We worked all week for this and we’re happy to get the win.”
On the first play of the game, Delian Bradley blitzed and teamed with defensive tackle Jokell Brown on a sack of Thunderbolts quarterback Cahke’ Cortner.
“All week we had been working on that play,” Bradley said. “I knew it was getting called the first play and I just wanted to come out and make a statement.”
Three plays later, Northmont had an errant punt snap, giving Springfield the ball inside the 10-yard line. On fourth down, Smoot scored on a 1-yard run to give Springfield a 7-0 lead. A few minutes later, Smoot hit Brown for a 19-yard TD pass to make it 14-0.
In the second quarter, Smoot threw a 45-yard TD pass to Daylen Bradley, then scored on a 15-yard run to make it 28-0. He threw two more TD passes — a 20-yard TD pass to Thigpen and a 36-yard pass to Brown — to make it 42-0 at the half and initiate the running clock in the second half.
Thunderbolts junior Nathan Schommer found sophomore Dalin Wilkins on a 74-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter for Northmont’s lone score. The Thunderbolts finished the season 3-8.
The Wildcats will host their final home game of the season next week against Dublin Jerome. Springfield beat the Celtics 37-14 in a D-I, Region 2 quarterfinal game in 2019 at Marysville. If Springfield advances past the second round, all remaining games will be played at neutral sites.
“We’re just ready to play,” Douglass said. “We’re happy to play. We’re on to next week.”
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