Over the course of the entire 2026 season, the undefeated Masuk Panthers have had an average margin of victory of 31.6 points. That number was upheld on Friday, 11/6 as the Panthers mauled the New Fairfield Rebels with a score of 47-0. The Panthers were absolutely ruthless, as they completely outmatched the Rebels across all levels.
Masuk started the game off with the ball, and it was senior running back Nico Convertitio stringing together a couple long runs and eventually barreling into the endzone, where after the PAT by junior kicker J.D Sweezy was good, the Panthers already led 7-0. The Rebels offense immediately threw an interception, and it was the first of many. Junior Nate O’Hara caught the arid pass, and was downed at the New Fairfield 36 yard line. Senior captain wide receiver Tanner Walker started building his real estate in the endzone, as he caught a pass from senior captain quarterback Aaron Champagne in the endzone for a touchdown. Sweezy’s hot streak came to an end, as he just missed the PAT and kept Masuk at a 13-0 lead. The New Fairfield offense did drive down the field, but once they made it to Panther territory, the Masuk defense flipped the script as a pass breakup by Walker led to a tackle for loss by senior linebacker Graham Gabriel. On the next play, Gabriel was joined by junior defensive tackle Owen Batch in the backfield for a quarterback sack, and Walker finished off the drive intercepting the Rebels in the endzone. Champagne led the offense to mid field, and then on a quarterback scramble broke free and scrambled all the way to the endzone, shrugging off a few Rebels trying to make the tackle along the way. Sweezy got back on track and drilled the PAT, and the Panthers were up 20-0 to end the first quarter.
The Masuk defense quickly got the ball back, and Walker found his way to the endzone again after hauling in a long pass from Champagne, scoring from about 50 yards out. This time sophomore kicker Kenny Hoyos knocked down the PAT, making the score 27-0. A sack by senior linebacker Christian Cardona punished the Rebels ensuing drive, and Masuk got the ball back quickly. Champagne pushed the ball downfield, and put the Masuk offense firmly within New Fairfield 20 yard line. A couple plays later, Convertito found his way into the endzone again, and the Hoyos PAT was good.
“It was definitely fun being back in the end zone,” said Convertito. “I love the run game, for sure.”
Another Walker interception gave Masuk the ball back again. Usually, senior captain linebacker Luke Costantini racks up tackles on defense. Tonight however, in addition to his 12 tackles, he rushed the ball in for a touchdown on the Panthers next drive. On the Rebels next drive, Walker earned another interception, making the hat-trick. His two offensive touchdowns and three interceptions made for a very impactful performance, but nothing out of the ordinary for the Panthers superstar.
“A big thing [about] performing [is] staying humble,” said Walker. “I never just relax, [and you] gotta keep on playing at a high pace.”
The Panthers last touchdown of the night came from O’Hara, as he caught the pass from Champagne and danced his way into the endzone. Masuk completely shut down the Rebels, and moved on to 8-0 on the season, winning 47-0.
“The standard never changes no matter who’s out there, and our expectations don’t change,” said Masuk head coach Chris Pace. “We focus on us, and any opponent that lines up against us we play to our expectation.”
Next week, the Masuk Panthers will return home for senior night, as they take on the New Milford Green Wave. The Panthers continue to prove their worth as they have dominated the SWC all year long. They’ll look to keep their standard, and continue their successful season.
Leave a Reply