SOUTHBURY, Conn. - Masuk’s Casey Cochran had a positively amazing night in the SWC football championship game last week. The sophomore quarterback passed for 565 yards, the second-best total in Connecticut history, and brought his state-leading numbers to 2,739 yards in 10 games this season.
Unfortunately for the Masuk Panthers, it wasn’t enough.
The Pomperaug Panthers received 180 rushing yards and three touchdowns from senior tailback Ben Crick, and held off a fourth-quarter rally by Masuk to capture the SWC crown with a 38-23 victory in Southbury.
Pomperaug, which is 10-0, took a 24-10 lead in the first half and went up 31-10 when Crick scored on a 36-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Cochran helped get Masuk back into the game when he led two scoring drives in the fourth quarter. Sophomore running back Colin Markus scored on a 15-yard run for six points and senior wide out Christian Allen caught a 35-yard TD pass from Cochran to cut the deficit to eight points at 31-23 with 8:05 remaining.
The Masuk defense stopped Pomperaug cold on the next possession, and Cochran and the offense went on another strong drive. But with the ball at the 12-yard line and Masuk seemingly on the verge of scoring again, Pomperaug senior CJ Elser intercepted a pass at the 10 and returned it to the Masuk 38. Three plays later, Crick scored on a 29-yard run to ice the victory for Pomperaug.
Elser was named the game’s MVP after rushing six times for 56 yards and a TD and setting up the final score with his pick. Crick carried the ball 23 times for 180 yards and scored on runs of 3, 36 and 29 yards.
Senior QB Andrew Clements wasn’t called upon to throw much, but completed 3-of-11 passes for 53 yards and a TD, while also rushing nine times for 36 yards.
As a team, Pomperaug racked up 282 yards on the ground.
Masuk, which fell to 9-1, actually outgained Pomperaug 645-359, much of that to Cochran’s historic night.
Cochran completed 34-of-63 passes and his yardage total was just 34 yards off the state record of 599 set by New Canaan’s Kurt Horton back in 1971. The down side was that Cochran did not have his trademark accuracy and threw four interceptions. Through the first nine games this year, the sophomore had thrown just six picks.
Senior receiver Anthony Giamo caught 12 passes for 228 yards, including a 15-yard TD, while Allen had nine catches for 176 yards and a TD.
Each team’s kicker had a field goal. Masuk’s Joe Testani opened the scoring with a 47-yard boot in the first quarter, and Pomperaug’s Kevin Foley kicked a 21-yarder in the second quarter.
The two SWC powers could meet again this season, as both are in line for State Class L playoff berths.
Defense leads Staples to title game
In stark contrast to the SWC final, the FCIAC championship game was built around two defenses butting heads for four quarters at Trumbull High’s McDougall Field last Friday.
The Staples Wreckers scored twice in the second half to rally for a 14-10 victory over the Bridgeport Central Hilltoppers, earning the fifth FCIAC championship in school history and the third for head coach Marce Petroccio.
Central had the better of play in the first half, as the defense limited the Wreckers to just 25 yards and no first downs.
The Hilltoppers struck for three points on their first drive when junior Lucas DeSouza booted a 25-yard field goal midway through the first quarter.
Central then converted a couple of third down plays during a 74-yard drive to the end zone. On third-and-2 at their own 34, the Toppers ran a double reverse, with DeSouza picking up 23 yards and a first down at the Staples’ 43-yard line.
Central picked up another first down on a 16-yard run by junior tailback Shabashe McIntosh, but faced a third-and-10 play at the Wreckers’ 27. Senior quarterback Christon Gill hooked up with senior Sean Mansfield for a 19-yard pickup to the 8-yard line, and McIntosh finished the drive with an 8-yard TD run for a 10-0 lead.
The Hilltoppers missed a golden opportunity to extend the lead late in the first half, when the defense forced Staples to punt from inside its own 5-yard line. After a short kick and return, Central was set up at the Wreckers’ 28-yard line, but went nowhere on four plays as the Staples’ defense held.
The Wreckers regrouped at halftime and went back to work in the third quarter, finally breaking through for a few first downs and a couple of big plays, including a 26-yard pass from QB Keith Gelman to senior receiver Brendan Rankowitz. That pass play put Staples in the red zone for the first time and senior back Matt Kelly hit paydirt on a 2-yard run to cut the deficit to 10-7.
The Staples’ defense, led by seniors Jake Santora, Chris Coyne and Cody Laszlo and junior Rob Gau, kept Central off the scoreboard and held the Toppers to two second-half yards.
Rankowitz missed a chance at a big play late in the game when he dropped a sure TD pass on third down with 2:30 remaining.
The defense gave Rankowitz and the offense one more opportunity, and this time, the Wreckers didn’t disappoint. Gelman threw a short out pass to Rankowitz near the left sideline, and the receiver beat three defenders and raced 66 yards for the game-winning TD with 1:19 remaining.
Rankowitz was named the game’s MVP after catching four passes for 135 yards, while Gelman completed 6-of-13 passes for 147 yards.
The Staples’ defense was the real star of the game, however, as the Wreckers gave up just one TD against the high-powered Central offense, and allowed no points in the second half to set up the comeback.
Gau finished with 19 tackles and a fumble recovery, while Coyne sacked Central’s Gill three times. Laszlo (17 tackles), Santora (16 tackles) and senior Devin Graber (14 tackles, 2 sacks) also had big games.
CIAC expands playoffs
In a move which will bring cheers from the football community in all corners of the state, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) yesterday announced that it will adopt a new division and playoff structure for football next season.
The CIAC board of control adopted the new format in a unanimous vote last Thursday. The new format will increase the number of qualifiers from 24 to 32, while decreasing the number of divisions from six to four. Thus, eight teams from each division will qualify.
“The board would like to commend the football committee for the several years of hard work that resulted in this proposal,” George Synnott, Berlin High School Principal and chairman of the CIAC board, said. “The committee was able to formulate a plan that addressed some substantial issues. Under the new system eight additional teams will have the opportunity to participate in the CIAC football playoffs each year. Our organization is about providing opportunities for student-athletes and this plan accomplishes that goal.”
The basis for the divisions will be enrollment, as is done in the current structure.
Beginning in 2010, three rounds of games will be held, with quarterfinals on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and semifinals on the following Saturday. The championship games for all four divisions would then be held on the subsequent Saturday, giving finalists one week to prepare for the title game.
Next year’s dates will have the quarterfinals on November 30, the semifinals on December 4, and the finals on December 11.
The change will likely have the biggest impact on the Class LL tournament, which typically has several one-loss teams outside the playoff bubble. This season, four teams — Xavier, Bridgeport Central, Cheshire and Ridgefield, all have one loss and two of those teams will not qualify for the tournament.
With eight qualifiers, all of those teams would have an opportunity to earn State bids, while the 7-2 teams, Hamden, Manchester, Greenwich and Newtown, would still be in the hunt.
In the long run, however, the CIAC has achieved its goal of opening the door to more student-athletes in the postseason.
“The football committee would like to thank the board for understanding the value of this proposal and giving it such a strong endorsement,” Committee chair Leroy Williams said. “Starting next year an additional 500-plus student-athletes will be able to experience the thrill of CIAC playoff competition as a reward for the hard work that leads to a successful season.”
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com.