Big first half helps Purple past Panthers

The Johnston football team could not overcome a 28-0 halftime deficit as it fell to the Classical Purple, 41-14, in a non-league affair on Veterans Day at a very windy Polisena Stadium in Johnston. The Panthers concluded their Division II-A schedule the previous week with a spirited win at Coventry to finish league play at 2-5, 2-8 overall. Classical finished 3-4 in Division II-B this year. Johnston's offense was held in check by the Purple after the Panthers had scored 152 points in their previous four division games. The game did not get off to a good start for the Panthers as Jeremiah Banto ran back the opening kickoff all the way untouched just 14 seconds into the game. The Panthers drove down to the Purple 20-yard line, but would stall and turn the ball over on downs on their first possession. Classical doubled its lead in the second quarter, 14-0, on a Banto 1-yard touchdown run. The Purple threatened to score again as they drove deep inside Johnston territory, but John Bonilla came up with a fumble recovery for the Panthers. After a Johnston punt, Classical increased its lead to 21-0 on a Daniel Karlin to Aaron Tutu 20-yard touchdown pass play. The Panthers got a good return from Nassir Vasquez at midfield, but quarterback Evin Calfiano, who was making his second straight start, was intercepted by 6-foot-2 linebacker Johnathan Buchanan. Karlin hit Tutu for another touchdown with 18 seconds left in the half and a four-touchdown lead at the break. The Panthers opened up the second half with an exciting play, an option pass from Vasquez to a streaking Dante Stubbs, that covered 75 yards. Tutu saved a touchdown by pushing Stubbs out of bounds as Johnston would not score, turning the ball over on downs inside the visitor’s red zone. A few plays later, Banto would run 70 yards for a score, his third of the night to give Classical a 35-0 lead. The Panthers got on the board in the fourth quarter on a nice Calfiano to Evan Pennacchia 20-yard hook-up with Vasquez converting the 2-point conversion. The Purples’ Mike Diaz recovered a Panther fumble in the end zone after the ball sailed over Calfiano's head from the shotgun. On the play, Calfiano was shaken up and would miss the remainder of the game. The Panther signal caller completed 11 out of 20 passes for 105 yards. After a Stubbs 30-yard run, Nathaniel Vasquez took it to the house from 44 yards out for his first touchdown of the year.

“We can be hot and cold in practice and in games,” said Johnston head coach Joe Acciardo. “We press on our guys that what you do in practice is what you do in games and things just are not clicking. Gelling as a team eludes us at times. We have a great bunch of kids and have a lot of talented football players, but we did not mesh. At game time, we were not fired up. We were a little mellow. You have to strive for perfection at all times and breakdowns in coverages hurt us tonight.”

The Panthers will host the Juanita Sanchez/PCD/Wheeler co-op team on Thanksgiving Eve at 7 p.m. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams as they begin a new holiday rivalry. It will be the first Thanksgiving game for the Panthers in five years. The Cavaliers finished their Division III season with a 7-0 record and downed North Providence, 15-0, in their quarterfinal playoff game last week.