Saypack hopes to guide revival of Springfield football

Rich Saypack coached Springfield baseball this past spring in a season he called an overachievement. He hopes to accomplish the same thing on the gridiron in the fall in his first season as the Cosmos’ head football coach.
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VPA D-3 Football Saypack hopes to guide revival of Springfield football Third stint with program, first as head coach By Chris Doherty | Jul 02, 2015 Rich Saypack coached Springfield baseball this past spring in a season he called an overachievement. He hopes to accomplish the same thing on the gridiron in the fall in his first season as the Cosmos’ head football coach. This will be Saypack’s third stint with Springfield football. He was the defensive coordinator from 1999-2001 and then again from 2003-2009. He also held the same position at Brattleboro in 2010-2011. He has been a part of Springfield at its peak in 2008 when the Cosmos went 11-0 and won the state championship. After falling in 2009 in the championship game, Springfield football has fallen on hard times. Saypack hopes to fix that. “I want to try and get some of that Springfield image back,” he said. Saypack replaces Gary Harris, who was fired amid controversy earlier this year after one season. The Cosmos won two games in 2014. The hire was made in June, shortly after the Cosmos’ baseball team was eliminated from postseason play. Expectations were not that high but Saypack rallied his team to a winning record and exceeded expectations as the No. 9 seed. “We certainly look to overachieve,” he said, peeking ahead to the football season. “Like we did in baseball.” Since he was hired in June, Saypack has been tirelessly watching game film from this past season getting a gauge on who will be returning for him this season. “Game film is a big help,” said Saypack. “It gets me an idea of their tendencies and their abilities on the field.” Saypack has also handpicked his staff and feels very comfortable with the coaches he’ll be working with. “It’s all guys who have played for me, so that’s good,” Saypack said. “I’m excited.” On the field, Saypack doesn’t want to trick anybody. He wants to play a hard-nosed, physical brand of football. He described his ideal style of play as “fundamentally sound and we’re going to hit people. It’s downright getting down and hitting people and making plays.” Until official summer practice gets underway on Aug. 10, teams can hold optional workouts. Saypack said that he holds those every Tuesday and Thursday and so far has been getting a good turnout. It’s another opportunity to see the players, but up close and personal. He’s excited about the potential of his offense. His quarterback and two running backs from a year ago are part of the returning group. “We’re looking forward to the returning QB, Kyle Weeks. We see a lot of promise in him,” said Saypack. The running backs, Ben and Zach Tubbs, he said both have good quickness and are physical running the ball and have the potential to be a solid duo in the backfield. Saypack is also excited about his sophomore class coming up. He believes that group could turn into something for the Cosmos down road. One sophomore in particular he liked watching film was offensive linemen/linebacker Jayson Webster. He may only be a sophomore but according to Saypack, “He’s got a body like a senior and a mind like one too.” Though his entire career in coaching has been spent on the defensive side of the ball, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand the offensive side as well. “To be a good defensive coordinator, you better understand offense,” he said. Back in his playing days in high school, Saypack played on the offensive line. “I’m pretty educated on offense, but I prefer defense,” he explained. Some head coaches enjoy calling the plays on both sides of the ball. That is not what Saypack intends to do. He plans on being involved with the offense, but will allow his offensive coordinator, Pat Aiken to make the calls and stick with his forte with calling the defense. With the season just a few months away, the excitement is building. There has already been a lot of work put into building a new tradition of Springfield football and there will be plenty more put in. “There’s a lot of excitement. We have a good parent base behind us. The town can get excited about football again,” Saypack declared. Once the season begins, it will be on everyone involved to put it all together. Saypack believes they can do just that. “If we take it for what it is and go out and play our best every week, we’ll have a good time,” he said. “We’re in position to do that.” Opening night is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 28 and Springfield plays host to big-time rival Bellows Falls at 7 p.m.