In Friday night’s Joel Barlow-Pomperaug game, all it took was a 91-yard interception return,
a recovered blocked punt in the end zone, and several big plays on offense and defense.

Despite not having senior quarterback Rob Kulish calling the signals, Pomperaug rolled
to a 47-6 South-West Conference victory over Joel Barlow.

The Panthers attacked the Falcons from every angle on both offense and defense.

Pomperaug scored on its first possession, moving the ball 62 yards on six plays. The big run
was a 42-yard sprint by James Cangelosi around the right side of the Barlow defense.

Immediately following the Panther TD, Barlow put together a nice drive that began on its own 22
and reached the Panthers’ 27, before the Pomperaug defense turned it around.

Dan Tidgewell threw the first monkey wrench into the Falcons’ offense, sacking quarterback
Nick Cucharale for a 10-yard loss on third-and-seven. On the next play, Cucharale threw a pass
that was intercepted by defensive back Patrick Moore, who returned it 91 yards for the Panthers’
second TD of the first quarter.

The next time the winners touched the ball, they marched 51 yards in nine plays, with their third
TD coming on a 23-yard run by Ken Fraser.

In the third quarter, the scoring pace accelerated.

Cangelosi carried twice in the Panthers’ first series of the period, moving the ball
51 yards for the Panthers’ fourth score.

Joshua Witt of Barlow took the ensuing kickoff and ran it back 97 yards for the brightest
spot in his team’s evening.

Witt took the ball on his own 3, found a channel up the middle of the Panthers’ kickoff
defense, broke left toward his own bench, and then sailed up the sideline to the end zone. The extra point failed.

Inspired by Witt’s run, Barlow’s defense held Pomperaug to a net three yards on its next series
of downs, but the offense still couldn’t get itself together to mount a scoring drive to climb back in the contest.

Cangelosi scored again, this time on a 39-yard pass from Steve Hanson, the JV quarterback
substituting for Kulish. According to Pomperaug coach Chuck Drury, Kulish didn’t play
because he violated team rules.

In the fourth quarter, Drury cleared his bench, only to have the JVs score two more
times over the exhausted and outmanned Falcons.

With a fourth-and-11 on the Barlow 6, the Falcons attempted to punt. Keith Shalvoy broke
in and blocked it. Tidgewell chased it down and outwrestled a Falcon in the end zone
for the ball and another TD.

The final score came on a 22-yard blast inside tackle by Rob Paterno Jr.

“I can accept the fact that Pomperaug is a better team than us,’’ Barlow coach Rob Tynan said.
“But we never got to do any of things we wanted to (in the game). That second touchdown,
the one that they scored on the interception, took the wind right out of us. After that,
we didn’t do anything very well.’’

On the other side of the field, Drury was having mixed feelings. He was mostly happy with the
way his team played, but the final score embarrassed him.

“I’ve been on the other end of the score and I haven’t liked it,” he said.
“We tried not to run it up, but we did.”

Drury singled out Matt Kielt, one of his captains, who was a one-man wrecking crew all night.
Although he was seldom in the glory position, what he did defensively set up the big
plays turned in by his teammates.

“Those big plays were the turnarounds that gave us the game,” Kielt said.

On offense, Cangelosi and Fraser led an offensive charge that made Hanson’s debut as
the starting quarterback an easy success.

Cangelosi had six rushes for 112 yards, and Fraser 12 rushes for 78 yards.

Joel Barlow (0-1) 0 0 6  0 —  6

Pomperaug (1-0) 14 7 13 14 — 47

First quarter

P — Steve Hanson, 17 run (Tim Keegan kick) 2:54

P — Patrick Moore, 91 interception return (Keegan kick) 9:30

Second quarter

P — Ken Fraser, 23 run (Keegan kick) 2:20

Third quarter

P — James Cangelosi, 5 run (Keegan kick) 4:40

JB — Joseph Rodgerson, 97 kickoff return (kick failed)

P — Cangelosi, 39 pass from Hanson (kick failed)

Fourth quarter

P — Rob Paterno, 22 run, (Keegan kick)