The Masuk Panthers have been on fire to start off the year, but so have their counterparts in Pomperaug. Both teams were undefeated, with Masuk’s aerial attack dropping bombs all over the field and Pomperaug’s ground and pound option scheme had been mowing through their opponents. Needless to say, both offenses showed up on Friday, 10/24 in an instant classic that saw Masuk stretching past Pomperaug, 42-37.
Masuk’s first offensive drive stalled, and they were forced to punt the ball to Pomperaug. Pomperaug showed why they were as good as advertised, taking off on a quarterback run that went about 50 yards and for a touchdown. The PAT failed, and Masuk now had to respond. Masuk drove down the field throwing short hitch routes and using screen plays to march. Eventually, senior captain quarterback Aaron Champagne snuck into the endzone from the one-yard line. Pomperaug continued running down the field into the second quarter, and they broke off a long run that was about to score before senior captain Tanner Walker caught the ball-carrier and brought him down at the one-yard line. On the next play, junior defensive lineman Owen Batch got in the backfield for a tackle-for-loss, but the Masuk defense surrendered the third down rushing touchdown where Dom Creaco of Pomperaug squeezed through.
Special teams was an issue for both Panthers, as the point after was no good for Pomperaug, making the score 12-6. Champagne continued relying on his receivers to get the Masuk offense downfield. The Panthers found themselves in the redzone, and sophomore Jace McGee ran a slant, caught the pass in the middle of the field, and was tackled at the Pomperaug five-yard line. Champagne took the run to the outside and scooted his way for another Panther touchdown. Sophomore kicker Kenny Hoyos knocked down the PAT, and the score was now 13-12 with Masuk in front. Pomperaug had another long run that put them at the eight-yard line on their next drive, but with time winding down in the first half, elected to have Jack Guinipero try for a 27-yard field goal, taking the lead 15-13. With barely any time remaining on the clock, most teams would just head into halftime and not take any risks. However, Tanner Walker had a different strategy. Champagne found Walker deep downfield who made the contested catch, evaded two Pomperaug defenders, and put Masuk back in front as he danced his way to the endzone. Walker also scored the two-point conversion, and with the lead heading into halftime at 21-15, one Panther was feeling great.
Pomperaug’s first drive could not get anywhere, as junior Nate O’Hara made a tackle for loss, and senior captain linebacker Luke Costantini made another huge tackle to force a turnover on downs. Costantini, ranks highly on the CT leaderboards for total tackles and was routinely involved in disrupting Pomperaug’s backfield.
“I trusted in my defense,” said Costantini. “I knew that they were gonna take care of their assignments, and they allowed me to do what I do.”
The Masuk offense took advantage of Costantini and the defense’s efforts, as O’Hara made a contested catch in the endzone, reeling in the ball placed by Champagne where only O’Hara could get it. McGee scored on the two-point conversion, and the Panthers were up 29-15. Costantini was joined by senior defensive lineman Daniel Balestriere and Deaven Jean-Baptiste in stopping Pomperaug’s run game. Ultimately, the Pomperaug Panthers broke through and Creaco scored on the rushing touchdown, chopping into Masuk’s lead to begin the fourth quarter. On Masuk’s next drive, Champagne led the Panthers downfield, where eventually Walker caught the ball inside the redzone, outran the Pomperaug defense, scoring and pushing the score to 36-22 after Hoyos’ successful PAT. As Masuk kicked off to Pomperaug, Dougie Mottola took the kickoff 85 yards all the way back for a touchdown, and Guinipero scored the two-point conversion. Suddenly, Pomperaug found themselves only down by six, 36-30. That wasn’t the only special team’s blip, however. Pomperaug recovered an onside kick, and despite Masuk’s best efforts couldn’t contain the Pomperaug offense, as Guinipero scored and the PAT was successful.
Down 37-36, the Masuk Panthers needed to score. This was their first close game of the season, but this Masuk offense had playmakers that simply refused to lose. Champagne kept finding his open targets, and flushed out of the pocket, Champagne rifled the ball downfield to a wide open Nico Convertito. The senior running back took off and was downed at the one-yard line. Champagne snuck into the endzone, but a failed two-point conversion gave Pomperaug some hope.
“They know what it’s like to be in high pressure situations,” said Champagne. “That’s what led us to make big plays [in] pressured scenarios.”
With under two minutes remaining, the Pomperaug Panthers needed some more magic. Pomperaug kept on trusting their rushing attack, but on a fourth down with seven-yards to go, ran up the middle. Even with the Pomperaug rusher extending his arm as far as possible, they were still much short of the first-down marker. Fumbling the football, senior Al Morgenthalar pounced on it. Pomperaug couldn’t allow Masuk to bleed out the rest of the clock, but a critical false start by a Pomperaug defensive lineman sealed the deal, and Masuk kneeled out the clock and came out victorious in an instant classic. The Battle of the Panthers saw Masuk winning, 42-37.
The Masuk Panthers stay undefeated, and will most likely keep climbing the rankings as they continually demonstrate the dominant force that they are. The Panthers will travel to Harding next week on 10/30 to keep the dream season alive.
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