Panther 11U team ends skid with win over Braves

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The 11U Panthers got back on the winning track by overpowering the Darlington Braves in a 27-12 win on Sunday. Johnston had lost three games in a row, but responded in a big way. All week, the Panther coaches preached teamwork and that each member of the team needed to do their part and the score would take care of itself. The 11U team rose to the challenge and the scoreboard reflected that. 

The Panthers dominated from the start with Thomas Zednick taking the opening kickoff 40 yards to give the offense great field position. The Panther offense capitalized with a good run by Joey Legault. The offensive line led by Phil Costantini, Ryan Schino, Nick Keller, Robert Joseph, Caleb Visnicky, and Antonio Gemma  took control of the line of scrimmage and allowed the Panther running backs to get inside the 20 yard line. Quarterback Jake Martino then threw a strike to the corner of the end zone, where Connor Diamantino hauled it in for a Panther touchdown. Peter Bibby found the end zone for the conversion to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead early on. 

Johnston special teams again came up big on the kickoff with Domenic Petrarca recovering a loose ball and giving the Panthers’ offense possession again, with the ball in Darlington territory. Johnston didn’t score on the ensuing possession but had dominated the quarter. 

The second quarter saw punter Caleb Visnicky send a booming punt and pin the Braves offense deep in their own territory. The Panther defense kept Darlington there, with hard hitting and tackling by Ryan Schino and Rozellio Jones, which forced a Braves turnover. Great tackles were also made by C.J. Ragosta and Raymond Beaumier. On the offensive side, Johnston found the end zone twice in the quarter, on runs by Peter Bibby and quarterback Joey Acciardo, giving the Panthers a 20-6 lead going into halftime. 

The Panthers’ defensive and offensive momentum continued in the third quarter. Bibby picked off a Braves pass at midfield.  He was later given the ball and ran for another Panther touchdown. The Panthers’ dialed up fullback Jones for their power run conversion play and took a 27-6 lead. 

The fourth quarter saw great plays from Emma Salzillo, Kenneth Irazarry, Todd Dilullo, Jamel Gonzalez, Gian Souza, Brando Coico, Sebastian Annicelli, Jonathon D’Angelo, Jack Russo, Troy Nictora, David Andreoli and David Silva. Pawtucket scored one more time, but Johnston had no trouble holding on and getting back into the win column.

Johnston returns to action this week against the Providence Packers.

12U Panthers move to 5-0

 

This past Sunday, the undefeated 12U Panthers hosted the Darlington Braves at Smithfield High School and stayed perfect with a 39-6 victory.

 

Johnston started strong right out of the gates. Darlington kicked off and Nic Comella ran the ball back for a 70-yard touchdown to start the game. James Isme converted the extra point for the 7-0 lead. 

The Panther defense was as strong as ever with tackles by Joey Patterson, Tom Comella Nick Guenette, Tom Colombo and Nic Comella. They held the Braves to a four-and-out on their first series.  Back on the field, the high-powered Johnston offense struck again. Quarterback Zack Lavergne pitched the ball to Tom Comella who ran the ball in for a 35-yard touchdown. The conversion was no good but the Panthers still led 13-0.

Anthony Gawlik had a great tipped pass on defense and the black and blue defense held the Braves to another four-and-out. To start the second quarter, Lavergne threw to Tim Isom for a 40-yard touchdown, making it 19-0.

On defense, Isme, Patterson, Nic Comella, Arion Kennedy and Gawlik helped keep the Braves off the board again. Justin Salvatore added a tackle-forloss, and Nic Comella delivered a big hit on the Braves’ running back.

On the next offensive possession, Nic Comella ran the ball 60 yards for another Panther touchdown as the lead grew to 25-0.  The Braves came back on the next possession and scored a touchdown with the extra point no good, making it 25-6. On the Panthers’ next possession Isme broke a 50-yard touchdown run to make it 31-6.

The Braves fumbled the ball on their next offensive possession and Christian Olasanoye recovered. With only 45 seconds left in the half it was time for the Panthers to use their two-minute offense. Jacob Martins ran the ball for 15 yards, carrying two defenders with him. Tom Comella then threw a 20-yard pass to Isom and they connected again on the next play, with Comella throwing a 40-yard touchdown to Isom. Patterson converted the extra point kick and the Panthers carried their 39-6 lead into halftime.

The score would stay that way for the second half. The Johnston defense continued to shine, with big plays from Gawlik, Kennedy, Patterson, Isme, Edwin Berclay, Anthony Marsella, Jacob Maine and Aiden Scott. Gawlik and Michael Ferreria ran the ball for positive yardage in the second half but the Panthers did not score again. 

“The boys are playing unbelievable,” said defense coach Bobby Kennedy. 

This week the Panthers will be the home team, as the games will be played Sunday at Conley Stadium behind Mt. Pleasant High School in Providence. Game time for the 12U squad is 2 p.m.

10U Panthers start fast, stay perfect

 

The 10U Johnston Panthers delivered an early blow against the Darlington Braves when Dimetri Iafrate returned the opening kickoff 55 yards for a touchdown, and the Panthers rolled from there to a 27-7 victory and a 5-0 start.

 

Isaiah DeBritto converted the extra point on Iafrate’s touchdown, making it 7-0. The Panther defense then took the field and started fast as well. After good tackles by Carlos Alfaia and Dylan Silva, the Braves found themselves in a third and long situation. DeBritto then recovered a fumble on third down to give possession back to the Panther offense.

On the ensuing offensive possession Michael Salzillo got the ball moving for the Panthers, which set up a 40-yard touchdown run by Dimetri Iafrate to make it 13-0.

The Braves had a difficult time with the Panthers defense and went four-and-out on their first full possession. The Panthers defense had its way, led by Alfaia, Austin Jencks, Dante Florio, Alex Morin,  Jake Trahan, Jayden Breault,  Joe Forte, Nick Perron, Adrian Orellana, and Jaiden McKenna.

The Panther offense once again took the field and quickly picked up where they left off with a strong run from Matthias Barros. That led to a 60-yard touchdown reception by Andrew Picard on a pass from Dimetri Iafrate. The Panthers’ offensive front line controlled the  point of attack all day and were led by Dario Branch, Rafael Ayriyan, Morin, Jesse Pascetta, Michael Franco, Noah Lavergne, Kyle Iannucillo, Dylan Silva, Cory Collins, and Michael Laflamme. DeBritto once again found his way into the end zone on the extra point, which gave Johnston a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter.

The Braves returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, but Johnston didn’t let them get back into the game. Dimetri Iafrate scored from 40 yards out on Johnston’s next trip, and Dante Iafrate converted the extra point to make it 27-7.

On the following kickoff, Dante Iafrate recovered a sideline kick to put the ball back in the Panthers’ hands. The offense managed to eat away the final minutes of the half on good runs by Nick Baccala, Hudson Carvalho, and Kyle D'Alessandro.

The second half proved to be uneventful as neither team found their way into the end zone. The final score as the horn sounded had the Panthers winning 27-7 and kept them at the top of their division with a 5-0 record.

The Panthers will take on South Attleboro this Sunday at 11 a.m., at Mount Pleasant High School. South Attleboro finished last season as the Super Bowl runner up so this could be a very tough test for the Panthers.

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