Coming into the 10/30 contest between the Masuk Panthers and the Harding Presidents, the Panthers had just come off of a thrilling down to the wire game at Pomperaug (read more about here). It was a statement win, and the Panthers have looked to keep taking care of business against the rest of their opponents. Masuk’s firepower was just too much for Harding to handle, as the Panthers blew out the Presidents 56-6.
Almost immediately after receiving the kickoff, senior captain quarterback Aaron Champagne threw a deep ball to streaking junior wide receiver Nate O’Hara who hauled in the field-flipper. Sophomore Jace McGee then caught a pass from Champagne in the endzone, and junior kicker J.D Sweezy bolted the PAT right up and threw the uprights, and he was perfect for the rest of the game. On Harding’s first drive, senior linebacker Graham Gabriel jumped the pass for an interception, giving the Panthers’ offense a favorable field position.
“The QB was rolling out, and I saw the wide receiver to my left,” said Gabirel. “I kept following him, and then he threw it, and I knew it was to me.”
On the Panthers next drive, they decided to experiment and let senior right tackle Jake Kyle get an opportunity to score. Kyle motioned out, caught the ball from Champagne, and ran ten yards down the sideline, trucking a Harding defender en route to a touchdown.
“Went out there [and] made the play,” said Kyle. “Broke that first tackle and just ran it from there.”
Senior captain linebacker Luke Costantini ended Harding’s next drive before it even started, catching an arid pass from the President quarterback. The Masuk offense then played some more backyard football since they were already at the eight-yard line after the turnover, letting senior captain center Alex Tiago get a rushing attempt. Tiago got stopped at the one-yard line, but then barreled his way into the endzone on his second attempt. Tiago joined Kyle as the only two Masuk offensive linemen with an offensive touchdown on the year (Senior captain left tackle Daniel Balestriere has a special teams touchdown, blocking a punt against the Joel Barlow Falcons and recovering the ball in the end zone).
“It felt great,” said Tiago. [It was the] first time I ever carried the ball in a game, so it was definitely new to me, but I just got to get in and celebrate with my boys.”
To end the first quarter, seinor captain Tanner Walker got an interception and put Masuk’s offense in Harding territory. Three consecutive rushes from Champagne saw him running into the endzone, making the score 28-0. On Harding’s next drive, sacks by senior linebacker Christian Cardona and Gabriel backed the Presidents far away from the sticks. A fourth-down tackle by Balestriere gave the ball back to Masuk.
“We just kept containing, making the QB force the ball into our hands,” said Gabriel. “Got it done by that.”
Champagne rushed into the endzone once more after a reception from senior wide receiver Al Morgenthalar set the Panthers up at the Harding 13-yard line. With the score 35-0 before halftime, the clock began continuously running. To end off the first half, Walker scored off a pass from Champagne after Kyle recovered a Harding fumble at the nine-yard line.
Harding’s first drive of the second half was no different than how it was going all game. This time, it was senior defensive back Justin Zyskowski getting the interception. Masuk started at the 15-yard line, and Masuk had one more trick up their sleeve. Junior quarterback Cole Henderson came into the game, but Champagne lined up in the slot. Henderson threw the screen pass to Champagne who broke a few tackles and ran into the endzone. The quarterback to quarterback action made the score 49-0, and after another Harding turnover on downs, O’Hara put a crescendo on the scoring and ended the game after Harding snuck in a last minute touchdown 56-6.
“We just reset each week, [and] these guys are hungry,” said Masuk head coach Chris Pace, “We took care of what we needed to take care of, now we shift our focus on the next one. Just keep this thing rolling.”
Masuk stays undefeated on the year, and will play New Fairfield next week. As the regular season winds down, we’ll see if the Panthers can stay ahead of the eight-ball and if Masuk’s finest can keep becoming the greatest show on turf.
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