Panthers stun top-seeded Saints, advance to D-II semis

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The Johnston Panthers shocked the undefeated, top-seeded Saint Raphael Academy Saints last Friday night in what was one of the biggest upsets in recent Rhode Island high school football history.

The No. 4 Panthers’ 33-31 victory at Pariseau Field in Pawtucket was their first postseason win in five years, putting them one win away from a Division II Super Bowl berth. After having trouble moving the ball last week in their homecoming loss to Mt. Pleasant, the Panther offense looked solid with Marc Conte leading the way with over 100 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns.

“Conte played real tough,” said Johnston head coach Joe Acciardo. “We know he is a great athlete and he really wanted it tonight, as did all our guys.”

The 33 points were the most allowed by the Saint Raphael defense in a single game this season. The Saints’ defense had given up just 54 points all season, the fewest in all of D-II.

The Panther defense contained the Saints 1,000-yard rusher, Alfred Dorbor for the most part of the game, even though he found the end zone three times.

“We were just trying to shut down everybody, not just Dorbor ,” Acciardo said. “We were very leery of their speed and we tried to shut down the middle and contain the outside. Our guys did a good job.”

This was the first time these two teams had faced each other in the playoffs since 2010 where the Saints came away with a 56-50 overtime win on Johnston ‘s home field.

Johnston finished 3-4 in league play and only made the postseason as the No. 4 seed because Tolman was banned from the RIIL postseason this year. But on Friday, Johnston made the most of its opportunity.

The Panthers, who never trailed in this game, set the tone early when Conte intercepted the Saints’ Jarrett Collins and ran it back 73 yards for his first touchdown of the game.

Johnston found itself pinned in at its own 9-yard line after its defense forced a Saint punt later in the quarter, but it overcame the field position and traveled 91 yards in a well-balanced drive.

Tyler Nasisi had a big run and catch from quarterback Mike Caparco as the Panthers took nearly seven minutes off the clock. Conte capped off the drive at the 9:42 mark of the second quarter on an amazing 6-yard run as he reversed his field and dove into the end zone for a Panther 13-0 lead.

Saint Raphael did not get on the board until the 3:54 mark of the second quarter when Tunde Akinjobi’s 45-yard run set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Dorbor.

The Panthers answered right back with 1:22 left in the first half. Conte out-ran the Saint defense on a 40-yard touchdown dash and later tacked on the 2-point conversion, making it a 21-7 game.

With time winding down in the first half, the Saints needed to make something happen, but it was the Panthers who did it instead when Dominic Sullivan stripped sacked Collins and teammate Paul Robitaille recovered the loose ball.

On the play Collins was injured and helped off the field. He did not return, as the Panthers maintained a two touchdown lead entering the break.

The Saints gained some momentum as the third quarter began when Kaleel Harley returned the kickoff to the JHS 20-yard line. Dorbor scored on the next play to cut the lead to eight points.

Aninjobi then broke free a little later for a 40-yard touchdown run, cutting the Panther lead to 21-19 at the 7:40 mark of the third quarter. The Saints missed a crucial two-point conversion that would have tied the game.

Johnston’s defense forced a turnover on downs and took possession of the ball at the home team’s 36-yard line. Curtis Mathieu dragged a host of Saint defenders to the 1-yard line, and from there he punched it in as JHS extended its lead to 27-19 with Larry Dureault ‘s extra point.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Saints back-up quarterback Xavier Torres ran 75 yards for a touchdown as the third quarter came to a close. Dorbor’s two-point conversion was called back because of a penalty and the re-try was unsuccessful as Johnston clung to a two-point lead, 27-25 with 12 minutes left in the game.

Conte grinded out some tough yardage mid-way through the fourth quarter, setting up a Caparco 1-yard plunge into the end zone and a 33-25 JHS lead.

With 3:29 left in the game, Dorbor converted on fourth-and-goal from the 14, but once again the Saints missed the two-point conversion that would have tied the game.

Leading 33-31, the Panthers only needed to run out the clock, and Conte made sure they did with a big gain up the middle to seal the game as the Saint Raphael crowd stood in disbelief.

“We had an idea that they might come out a little sluggish being the No. 1 seed,” Acciardo said. “All week we told our guys that we have nothing to lose and they, being the No. 1 seed, have everything to lose. You have to go out and play your best and we did.

“Saint Ray’s dropped us three years ago with our Thanksgiving game and now because of them we do not have a Thanksgiving Day game. We used that as motivation for this game. They can have the Thanksgiving Day game with Moses Brown. We will take the playoff game instead.”

If the Panthers are to make their first Super Bowl appearance since 2009, they must get by a Moses Brown team that beat them 48-20 earlier in the season. Moses Brown defeated Rogers 31-20 in its quarterfinal game. The semifinal game between JHS and Moses Brown will be played tomorrow night at the Brown University Athletic Complex on Hope Street in Providence, because the Quaker field does not have lights, at 7 p.m.

In the other D-II playoff games last weekend, Coventry knocked off the other No. 1 seed, North Kingstown 49-48. Shea defeated Mt. Pleasant 30-14 to advance to the semifinals.

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