Suiting up for spring football

Suiting up against the No. 1-ranked scoring and total defense in the nation, Penn football’s offensive unit was in for a bruising Saturday afternoon.

In the annual spring game, the Quakers offense took on a familiar foe — the top-ranked Penn defense — in a full-field, full-team scrimmage, the culmination of the spring season.

In front of a sparse audience and a large group of recruits, the offense was able to put up 24 points against a defense that allowed just 9.5 points per game last year.

The lineups on both sides were considerably younger than in the fall as the graduating seniors sat out, as well as some other injured scratches. Quarterback Keiffer Garton was sidelined with a hurt knee. He was joined by Luke DeLuca, Jonathan Saelinger and Matt Hamscher.

Behind center. Splitting the bill at quarterback were freshmen Billy Ragone and Andrew Holland. Ragone played for an injured Garton against Dartmouth last season but broke his collarbone in that game and didn’t play the rest of the season.

Back in competitive action Saturday, Ragone went 11-for-20, throwing 136 yards. He threw for one touchdown and ran for another. Ragone was also ‘sacked’ twice, as the defense was careful not to take down the QBs during the scrimmage.

“We were able to run the ball pretty effectively,” Ragone said. “That opened up the pass game. We had a lot of play action.”

Ragone also used the scrimmage to work on his technique under center. Strictly a shotgun QB in high school, coach Al Bagnoli referred to Ragone as a “work-in-progress.”

“It’s a little bit of a different dynamic,” Bagnoli said. “He’s gotta get a little bit more comfortable.”

Ragone vowed to improve that area. “I’m going to dedicate the summer to working on my drops, working on my reads, getting to know the offense even more.”

Taking the other half of the 80-odd snaps was Holland, who went 9-for-17 for 57 yards and an interception.

Downfield. Offensively, Mike DiMaggio dazzled at running back, taking 11 handoffs for 51 yards and one score. In the second half, DiMaggio took three carries for 26 yards during one simulated series and capped it off with a 3-yard touchdown.

He was complemented by freshman running back Jeff Jack, who ran 53 yards on 10 carries.

However, Bagnoli stressed that he was more focused on testing the Quakers’ passing game than his running game.

And pass they did.

Junior David Wurst grabbed 3 catches for 63 yards, while the one receiving touchdown was caught by David Macknet on a six-yard pass from Ragone.

Junior Bradford Blackmon spent the game in the cornerback slot, not as a running back, where he spent much of his time last season.

There were a few hiccups, as several easily intercepted balls fell incomplete, much to the dismay of defensive coordinator Ray Priore.

Past and future. About one-third of Bagnoli’s incoming freshman class and 100 high-school juniors were on hand to watch the game from the field.

Missing from the sidelines was Dan “Coach Lake” Staffieri, who passed away Thursday of cancer.

“There hasn’t been anything that’s a common thread since 1977. He is the common thread through four different generations of players and through lots of different coaches,” Bagnoli said.

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