POMPERAUG FOOTBALL
NEWS

Pomperaug overpowers Brookfield
By Bob Reigeluth
THE NEWS-TIMES
10-13-2001

BROOKFIELD — If you don’t think the fortunes of high school football are cyclical,
just take a look at what Brookfield has experienced in the past three seasons.

The Bobcats went to the state Class M playoffs two years ago with an 8-2 record and followed
that up with a 7-3 mark in 2000, but this fall are winless after their first five games for the
first time in their history.

They reached this low watermark with a 41-7 wipeout at the hands of South-West
Conference foe Pomperaug Friday night. And the only consolation Brookfield could take from the
infamy of falling to 0-5 is that this was an inter-divisional game and, hence, does not
count in the SWC standings.

Want more highs and lows? Brookfield went 13-0 and soared all the way to the
Class M championship in 1995. Two years later, however, after taking numerous
graduation hits, the Bobcats staggered to an 0-4 start although recovered to finish 6-5.

“We graduated 18 seniors last year. It’s tough,” Brookfield coach Rich Angarano
said after Friday night’s game.

“(Pomperaug) made a commitment about four years ago to go with two platoons,
and it’s really working for them. I’d love to get to that spot,” Angarano continued. “We’re not
there yet, but we’re growing in our numbers.”

Pomperaug knows from cycles too. The Panthers were, in the words of fifth-year coach
Chuck Drury, “down for decades.” But in the past four years they’ve built the program to
where it has won 11 of its last 15 ballgames and is vying for a berth in the
conference championship game.

This was 4-1 Pomperaug’s third straight victory over Brookfield and Friday night the
Panthers did to Brookfield what the Bobcats did to them from ‘93 to ‘96.

“I’ve been there, and I can understand what they’re going through,” Drury said. “They’re
working as hard as they did when they were 13-0. It’s just they have some young
players. But they’re going to be competitive. They’re going to be good again.”

Friday night, though, the Panthers flattened Brookfield with a Wing-T running game
that netted 331 yards. At halftime, Pomperaug had 196 total yards to the Bobcats’ 50, and
all of those came on three straight passes that quarterback Vic Moro connected on
at the end of the half — including a nine-yarder to Conor Flemming for Brookfield’s lone score.

Moro and Flemming were two of four players who returned Friday night after missing time
to injury. But the Bobcats are still missing their best lineman, Dan Sullivan (concussion). And
until he returns, it’ll continue to be a tough road to hoe.

Specifically, Brookfield’s thin lines weren’t in danger of getting a push against Pomperaug’s
veteran units or of stopping tailback Drew Robinson who ran for four touchdowns and 66 yards
on 11 carries in just over two quarters. Or James Cangelosi whose six carries totaled
82 yards — all in the first half.

“You can’t give a good football team the ball inside the 20-yard line and
expect to hold ‘em,” Angarano said.

Late in the first quarter, the Bobcats gave Pomperaug the ball on their eight thanks
to a high snap that punter Shaun Benzing couldn’t get a handle on. Robinson scored
on the next play. And five minutes later scored again after Moro lost a fumble on his 15.

The rout was on.

Pomperaug (4-1, 2-1) 7 21 13 0 — 41

Brookfield(0-5, 0-4) 0  7  0 0 —  7

First quarter

P — Drew Robinson, 8 run (Tim Keegan kick), 3:30.

Second quarter

P — D. Robinson, 11 run (Keegan kick), 9:59.

P — James Cangelosi, 26 run (Keegan kick), 7:23.

P — D. Robinson, 1 run (Keegan kick), 3:52.

B — Conor Flemming, 9 pass from Vic Moro (Kevin Seeley kick), 1:10.

Third quarter

P — D. Robinson, 8 run (Keegan kick), 8:06.

P — Gordon Fluckiger, 7 run (kick failed), 3:09.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing

POMPERAUG: Drew Robinson 11-86, Ken Fraser 8-36, James Cangelosi 6-82,
Rob Kulish 4-18, Bob Paterno 6-32, Gordon Fluckiger 2-59, Sean Robinson 5-14,
Chris Mikrut 1-13, Matt Cino 1-2, Andrew Puco 2-9. TOTALS: 47-331.

BROOKFIELD: Patrick Bernardez 4-9, Kevin Seeley 8-(-3), Cullen Dunn 1-(-2), Vic Moro 3-(-17),
Rob Hadden 2-1, Matt Opinski 1-3, Athony Olivier 3-12, Shaun Benzing 1-(-3),
Conor Flemming 1-5. TOTALS: 24-5.

Passing

POMPERAUG: Kulish 2-8, 33 yds..
BROOKFIELD: Moro 4-12, 57 yds., 1 TD.

Receiving

POMPERAUG: D. Robinson 1-18, Tim Keegan 1-15.
BROOKFIELD: Seeley 2-31, Conor Flemming 2-26.