Johnston 8U Panthers cruise past North Smithfield

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The Johnston Panthers 8U football team stretched its winning streak to three games Sunday with a 24-6 victory against a tough North Smithfield (2-1) team.

The win upped Johnston’s record to 3-1, which puts the Panthers in great position in their conference.

The next game is their homecoming game Sunday at Johnston High School at 10 a.m.

Sunday’s game was a hard-fought battle, with Johnston finally pushing the football down the field after a great 50-yard jolt by Jonny Costa, bringing it down to North Smithfield’s 1-yard line, before J.J. Spina powered it over for the Panthers’ first score.

Following a change of possession, Jaziah Mazzulla found the corner and turned on the jets for another tremendous 40-yard touchdown run to make the score 12-0.

The Panthers played stifling defense all game. Johnston has only allowed five touchdowns this year, and the defense is led by Robert Segama, Jordan Caparrelli, Steven O’Brien, Chaynne “Gonzo” Gonzales, Chris Valdivieso, Cooper Tsonos, Logan Trainor, Lucca Ricci, Leo Iannelli, Aiden Harrison, Kyle Blakely, J.J. Spina, Giovanni Celani, Jonny Costa, Jaziah Mazzulla, Jayden “Icky” Rodriguez, Derek Simas, Ryan Waterman and Willy Ferrara.

Costa went off the right tackle for another Panther touchdown just before the half that made it 18-0.

The second half started with North Smithfield driving the ball downfield with some great passing, one for 25 yards and another that went 35 yards for a touchdown to make it 18-6.

There was no quit in the North Smithfield team, but when Johnston needed it most, the defense stood strong, giving the ball back to the offens.

Jonny Costa broke another 70-yard run early in the fourth quarter with a nice cut back move to put it away. The offensive line of Simas, Ricci, Gonzo, Segama ,Caparelli, O’Brien and Celani played great from start to finish.

The Panthers will bring their tough-as-nails defense and their speedy backs home for their first home game this year as they look to improve on their 3-1 record this Sunday when they face the Seekonk Warriors.

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