Panthers defeat Weston 21-14

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Pomperaug No. 22, Jake Harwell, breaks one going 76 yards for a touchdown in the Panthers 21-14 win over Weston Oct. 21. (Ken Morse photo)

By Ken Morse – Special to the Middlebury Bee Intelligencer

Late in the Oct. 21 homecoming game at Edward Arum Field in Southbury, a Panthers’ football team victory rested on the shoulders of the defense. When the team was in the same situation earlier in the season, victory eluded them.

This time, this band of brothers who have been through the blood, sweat and tears of this season, reached down and found the strength to overcome all odds, leading Pomperaug to a dramatic 21-14 win over Weston.

The Weston Trojans, at 3-3 on the season, had come into the fray averaging 33 points over the past three games. They took possession with just 2:21 left on the clock and trailing by a touchdown. Senior quarterback Alex Frubeis engineered a 15-play drive that chewed up 62 yards against a Pomperaug defense that bent but didn’t break.

Michael Benson recorded a sack, and Tom Satkowski reached up and batted down a pass. Every time Pomperaug had to make a play, someone stepped up. Finally, on fourth down with 2 yards to go at the Panthers 6-yard line, David Satkowski broke through the line and tackled Frubeis for a 2-yard loss with just four seconds left in the game.

“The defense had to make the stop,” said senior Tom Satkowski. “We played great team ball and that’s what got us the victory, everyone doing their part.”

The Pomperaug defense had held and victory was at hand. After three weeks of frustration that ended in a loss each time, the Panthers were victorious, and the feeling could almost buckle your knees.

There were tears of joy, there were hugs all around and few good old fashioned back poundings along the Panthers’ sidelines. But there was more than one hero in this group of 20 seniors who have been playing together on the gridiron since they were in grade school.

It was Joe LaCava who barreled his way ahead for the 5-yard winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter, running behind the bulldozing power up front of Jacob Gran, John Dinsdale and Mike Houle.

“The time was ticking down as we took up much of the fourth quarter on that last drive,” said senior LaCava. “It felt great to finally punch it in there.”

It was Jake Harwell (112 yards rushing), who turned the corner when James Hartman and Brendan Ciccarella opened a lane and took it 76 yards into the end zone on the second play from scrimmage after Pomperaug fell behind 7-0.

It was Mike Murgatroyd, who tied the game at 14-14 on a 4-yard blast just before the half to culminate a 12-play drive after Kyle Sheehan ran deep into Weston territory to set it up.

The Weston offense had it in gear at the outset of the game with Frubeis (104 yards rushing on 20 carries, 15 of 33 pass completions for 182 yards) leading the way.

A fake field goal attempt on the Trojans’ first possession of the game resulted in Frubeis going 12 yards for the score. The extra point from Ian Richling made it a 7-0 lead with 7:43 to go in the first quarter.

Pomperaug quarterback Troy Harwell brought the Panthers out of the huddle, and two plays later, his older brother Jake took it to the house. Alfredo Mondragon-Velazquez, who was a perfect three for three on extra points, tied the game at 7-7.

Frubeis dropped back in the pocket and fired a 65-yard touchdown pass to George Goetz to put the Trojans back on top 14-7 to close out the first quarter. The Pomperaug defense, led by the presence of Brian Flood up front and linebackers Matt Hadad and Elijah Brooks, shut down Weston the rest of the way.

For the second game in a row, Mario Lambiase came up with an interception. After Hadad made a sack on the Trojans, Pomperaug tied the game, going on a 12-play drive.

Sheehan started the drive by ripping off a 15-yard run. Tom Satkowski plunged ahead for 8 yards, and Cole McGrath picked up 10 yards on two carries. Murgatroyd finished it off when Matt Lenczewski came in for a play down on the goal line.

“We made a few mistakes with penalties that cost us one drive and almost cost us again on that drive,” said Pomperaug head coach James Reed. “Troy lost his helmet, so the rule is he had to sit out a play so we brought Matt in. We have tinkered with the idea of sending him in on a few pass plays but he’s still recovering, and we don’t want to chance it and put him out there when we don’t have to.”

After Weston had compiled 14 first downs and over 350 yards of offense, it came down to the Pomperaug defense coming up with big plays at crucial times to preserve the victory.

“We have taken our lumps,” said Pomperaug defensive coach Travis Swim. “I can’t say enough about these kids, they have faced some adversity and Weston is a very good football team.

“We moved some pieces around scheme wise and tried some new things to put them in the position to succeed.”

Reed said, “Travis makes great adjustments. He had our guys prepared. He’s the smartest guy on the staff and burned the midnight oil all week because Weston is a very good offensive team.”

Pomperaug is back in action Friday, Oct. 28, as they take on undefeated Newtown on the road. The Panthers will be back at home Friday, Nov. 4, when they host New Fairfield.