POMPERAUG FOOTBALL

NEWS

POMPERAUG POWER PREVAILS
Panthers finish 13-0 with Class MM title
2004-12-05
By Ed Flink THE NEWS-TIMES

TRUMBULL — It was a perfect way for the Pomperaug High football team to finish a perfect season.
Appearing in their first state championship game, the Panthers manhandled Branford 30-7 to win the Class MM title Saturday before upwards
of 5,000 fans at McDougall Stadium. Pomperaug (13-0) was clinging to a 10-7 lead midway through the third quarter when it scored twice in a
span of 17 seconds and broke the game open. Senior Joe Melillo earned the most valuable player award after rushing for 118 yards, scoring
three touchdowns and intercepting three passes.

Classmate Mike Kielt contributed 186 rushing yards on 31 carries, punctuated by a back-breaking 56-yard touchdown burst that put the
Panthers ahead 24-7 late in the third quarter. “I told the boys if we played our brand of football we could beat these guys, and we did,’’ Pomperaug
coach Chuck Drury said during an on-field celebration as he accepted congratulations from what seemed like half of Southbury’s population.
Of the six CIAC finals contested, it was the only one matching unbeaten squads. “The hard part is that you get two undefeated teams together and one of them
goes home with one loss and it’s difficult,’’ said Branford coach Gary Gravina. “But they were definitely the better team. They kicked our butts today.’’

Both teams flaunted size and strength in the trenches, but Pomperaug’s physicality proved too much for the Hornets.
“There was some hard hitting at the beginning, then we wore them down and we were just crushing them at the end,’’ said senior Brian Rusate,
the Panthers’ 6-foot-1, 250-pound two-way lineman who also plays fullback in the “Hammer’’ formation.
“They didn’t want to hit for four quarters and we did,’’ he added.
Branford (11-1) limited the Panthers to 88 rushing yards in the first half, prompting them to make a few tactical changes at halftime.
“They had some big boys up there; they were hard to move,’’ Drury said, alluding to Branford’s front four, which averaged 266 pounds. “We made a
couple of adjustments in our blocking scheme and they paid off.’’
Pomperaug put together a nine-play, 69-yard scoring drive on its second possession of the third period.
Undaunted when a penalty negated Kielt’s 49-yard touchdown run, Melillo gained 29 yards on the next play.
Melillo eventually found the end zone from the 2 on a sweep to the right.
Then the Panthers caught a lucky break. Greg Eddy’s grounded kickoff caromed off a Branford blockers and was recovered by Eddy.
On first down, Kielt flashed his power and speed by escaping a crowd at the line of scrimmage and sprinting 54 yards for a touchdown.
Within 17 dizzying seconds, Pomperaug suddenly found itself with a 24-7 advantage.
Said Gravina: “We couldn’t stop them in the second half. They jammed it right down our throats like they’ve done to everybody else all year long.
“They just line up and smash you. They’ve done that to every team and no one has been able to stop them.’’
 

Melillo’s 6-yard touchdown run with 2:35 left in the game completed the scoring. But it was his defensive exploits in the first half that kept Pomperaug close.
A three-year starter at free safety, Melillo killed two Branford drives with interceptions and tipped another ball that was picked by teammate Stephen Halas.
“We really worked hard (in practice) on defense. We knew Branford had a good offense and that we had to stop them. Defense wins championships.’’
Indeed, the Panthers pursued and harassed multi-talented senior quarterback Craig Kenney, who had thrown for 1,450 yards and 18 touchdowns,
in addition to running for 1,300 yards and scoring 20 touchdowns. He was stymied by Pomperaug, however, appearing rattled at times and throwing several
wobbly balls. Kenney completed only 7 of 20 passes for 77 yards and was intercepted four times. “For whatever reason we weren’t able to throw
the ball as well as we had all season,’’ Gravina said. “That’s uncharacteristic of our quarterback because he usually throws the ball tremendously.’’
When Kenney tried to run, he mustered only 45 yards on 17 carries.
“Our defense played a helluva game,’’ said Kielt, an All-State candidate at linebacker. “Our defensive ends did a great job containing him on the outside,
our linebackers came on making big hits and when he did throw Melillo and the secondary made big picks.’’
Said Drury: “Our offense is very good but our defense has played great all year.’’
Melillo’s early fumble led to James Balzano’s 28-yard touchdown run, which gave Branford a 7-0 lead.
Halas intercepted Kenney’s second pass and the Panthers proceeded to match 60 yards on nine plays.
On third and 4 from the Branford 30, Paul Mastrantuone dropped back to throw a rare pass.
“There he is,’’ someone yelled from the Pomperaug sideline, referring to a wide open Melillo.
Mastrantuone got him the ball. Melillo did the rest, tying the game at 7. It was Mastrantuone’s seventh touchdown pass; six have gone to Melillo.
“Everybody is waiting to stop Kielt and he’s wide open every time,’’ Mastrantuone said.
Melillo’s second interception with just over a minute left in the first half eventually led to Eddy’s 21-yard field goal.
It was just the second of his scholastic career, the other coming on the final play of a 10-7 victory over New Fairfield two years ago.
“Going into the half with the lead gave us a lot of confidence,’’ Rusate said.
“In a big game, the third quarter is important,’’ Drury told his players at halftime.
Sure enough, the Panthers seized control.
As the final 10 seconds ticked off, the players on the sideline rushed onto the field to join their teammates.
“It’s the greatest day of my life so far,’’ Mastrantuone said. “I couldn’t be any more happier for our team and coach Drury.’’
Drury, a high school football head coach and assistant for 35 years, a popular man among his players who once endured an 0-9 campaign during his first
tenure with the Panthers, admittedly felt “tingly.’’
Said Kielt: “It’s the best feeling in the world, more so for coach Drury. I’m more happy for him than maybe ourselves.’’

For sure, it was the perfect ending.

Branford (11-1) 7ØØ0ØØ0Ø0Ø—ØØ7
Pomperaug (13-0) 0Ø10Ø14Ø6Ø—Ø30
First quarter
B — James Balzano 28 run (Andrew Whitney kick), 4:32
Second quarter
P — Joe Melillo, 30 pass from Paul Mastrantuone (Greg Eddy kick), 9:45
P — Eddy 21 field goal, :8.6
Third quarter
P — Melillo 2 run (Eddy kick), 4:52
P — Mike Kielt 54 run (Eddy kick), 4:35
Fourth quarter
P — Melillo 6 run (kick failed), 2:35
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Pomperaug: Mike Kielt 31-186, Joe Melillo 22-118, Andrew MacDougall 1-3, Paul Mastrantuone 2-(minus 2)
Branford: Craig Kenney 17-45, James Balzano 3-28, Kyle Morrison 6-20, Anthony Mortali 1-(minus 1)
Passing
Pomperaug: Paul Mastrantuone 1-4-1-30
Branford: Craig Kenney 7-20-4-77
Receiving
Pomperaug: Joe Melillo 1-30
Branford: Jason Moore 3-48, Kyle Morrison 1-17, Andrew Dorman 2-14, Joseph O’Keefe 1-(minus 2)