Coach Scott Green’s Demons are bracing for a crucial match up with football juggernaut Unionville
By P.J. D’Annunzio, Staff Writer, KennettTimes.com
Anthony Torello, seen here in action earlier this season, and Blue Demon's run game will be key if Kennett is to knock off Unionville tonight and have a chance at a postseason berth.
KENNETT SQUARE — Playoff contention: a notion that was unimaginable for Kennett High’s football squad just one year ago. However, the motley Blue Demons, under the direction of Head Coach Scott Green, have undergone one of the biggest turnarounds in high school football—in an extremely short period—and are now on the cusp of glory.
“Our goal coming into the season was to have the first winning season in the history of Kennett football,” Green said. “It has been a hard, long road for everyone involved with the program. I am so proud to be the head coach of these young men. My philosophy is, and always will be, being good in the fundamentals of the game. It is what separates the good teams from the bad.”
The team’s focus on the fundamentals has paid off, giving them a win against Oxford last Sunday, and putting them one game closer to their dream shot.
“We had to overcome some mistakes and good plays by Oxford,” Green said, evaluating the play of his team during the critical victory against the Hornets. “Our players did a great job making adjustments and never giving up. We need to continue on working on fundamentals and eliminating the big plays on D.”
The win puts the Demons at 6-3, the most wins Kennett High School has had since it restarted its football program in the fall of the 2005. Before this season, the team has lost more games than it won each and every year, racking up a 20-43. But no longer.
Will the Cinderella story continue?
“There a few things that need to happen in order to make the playoffs,” Green continued, “Nothing matters unless we beat Unionville, which is not going to be easy…they are very good. So our focus this week will not be playoffs, it will be about playing well versus UV.”
Unionville has proven itself a dangerous rival this season. Even with a loss against Kennett, Unionville’s record is strong enough that it will probably advance them to the AAAA postseason bracket, with eight wins, including quality victories over titans Coatesville and Frankford.
But the question on everyone’s mind in the home stands is: does Kennett have what it takes to take down the Unionville giant that looms in the distance, in a true David and Goliath contest?
No one can say for sure at this point, but Coach Green—who has watched his players grow not just as football players, but also as young men—has faith in his squad, and they in themselves.
“I do think that the players believe in themselves,” he said. “We have been in and won some very close games. Those experiences build confidence and make believers out of the players. No matter what the situation in the game is, we believe that we can win.”
