Sprint falls to Army in a thriller

The saying "looks can be deceiving" is used to describe many aspects of life, but how often do you hear it being used in the same sentence as "Penn sprint football?"

With the stat sheet reading around 300 total offensive yards accumulated (including 114 rushing yards from senior powerhouse Mark Gannon), all signs point to a Quakers' victory.

But it was not Penn who walked off the field victorious in Saturday night's game against Army. The Scarlet Knights pulled off a stirring victory, defeating the Red and Blue, 17-16.

The Quakers were 2-0 in the CSFL going into last week's game with wins against Princeton and Cornell.

Despite not making many changes the week before, the Quakers knew they would have to work hard to beat Army, a team that appears to be a cut above the other squads Penn faces.

"They are a lot harder hitting team than both Princeton and Cornell," Penn senior LB/DL Stephen Willard said. "They are a real disciplined team as well."

Every Penn player learned this last year, when Army cruised to a 35-3 romp on its home field at West Point. Despite Penn's second-straight loss, last week's game at Franklin Field was definitely a large improvement.

Junior quarterback Jimmer Donapel passed for 150 yards. Included in this total was a 13-yard touchdown pass to senior Brandon Geebers on a crossing route that came on Penn's 11-play opening drive.

But Army struck back quickly with a 63-yard drive early in the second quarter.

The score swung back in the Quakers' favor at 10-7 when Evan Nolan hit a 37-yard field goal with just over three minutes remaining in the first half.

The third quarter would bring another lead change, as Army embarked on an 11-play drive of its own to take a 14-10 lead.

The scoreboard would shift for a final time in the third quarter after a one-yard touchdown run by Penn's Gannon put the Quakers ahead 16-14.

It was the extra point attempt that changed the tide of the game. On a bad snap, Penn wide receiver Jeff Bagnoli outran the Army defense and apparently tucked the ball inside the pylon to give the Red and Blue a two-point conversion.

The referee, however, did not see the same play the same way as the Quakers did. He immediately waived off the attempt, and the Quakers never fully recovered.

"[Bagnoli] knocked the pylon down, which is a sign of a touchdown," sophomore WR/PR Patrick Monaghan said. "It was disappointing that the ref missed that."

The final blow would come when Army kicker Kurt Cheeseman hit a 22-yard field goal in the early fourth quarter.

Penn would have the ball on multiple occasions following Cheeseman's kick, but were unable to sustain a successful scoring drive.

Though the Quakers lost, Penn's defensive showing -- holding Army to 17 points -- is something in which the Red and Blue take pride in, having given up 35 points last season.

Penn credit its success to their two weeks of preparation.

"We were coaching option, option, option all week," Willard said. "They only threw two balls the whole game...we were expecting everything they threw at us.

"It was just a couple of breakdowns that made the difference."

And though the Quakers fell -- albeit valiantly -- the Quakers know that future success depends on its ability to confront adversity together.

"We win as a team, we lose as a team," Willard said. "I think Bagnoli was in for the extra point, but it should not have come down to that. We were the better team."

Despite the loss, Penn finds itself in the thick of the CSFL championship race. Since Navy defeated Army earlier in the season, both Penn and Army have one loss. As such. Penn is now in a heated three-way battle for the division title.

"If Navy beats Army and we beat Navy, then we tie for the title champs," Monaghan said. "The division is still wide open, and we know we still have a chance to win the title. We're just going to take it game by game, and focus on the weeks ahead."

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