SOUTHBURY: Despite trailing at halftime during its home opener and
the first home game under new permanent lights the Pomperaug football
team kept the panic factor to a minimum against South-West Conference
rival Brookfield last night.

The Panthers had dominated on offense, and they knew all they really needed
to do in the second half was repeat what they had done in the opening half,
and things would eventually go their way.

And that's exactly what happened as Pomperaug held the Bobcats to 42 total
yards and three first downs in the final two quarters en route to a punishing
34-17 decision at Pomperaug High.

"We were never really panicky at all," Pomperaug coach Chuck Drury said.
"Everyone was confident. We conditioned hard in the preseason, and we
knew if it weren't for a couple of mistakes and dumb penalties, we would
have been ahead."

Down 17-13, the Panthers opened the second half with a grueling 13-play,
58-yard drive that featured an incomplete pass and 10 rushes, most of them
straight at a quickly tiring Brookfield defense.

Senior fullback Bryan Shalvoy carried eight times including the final five
plays on thedrive for 30 yards. The last three rushes were for one yard
each, the final one for a well-earned touchdown that put Pomperaug
ahead to stay.

"I'm not trying to fool anyone by beating them to the corner or anything
like that," said Shalvoy, who finished with 106 yards on 26 carries. "But
if I'm successful, that opens up some other stuff and some pass plays."

On a wet night, passing plays were rare, but the Panthers made it work
when they had to. Quarterback Joe Pugh completed only four passes, but
three were for touchdowns, all to senior Robert Kulish. With Brookfield apparently
ready to hold on a 4th-and-goal from the 6-yard line early in the fourth
quarter, Kulish made a sliding catch for his third TD, giving Pomperaug a
27-17 lead and all but sealing the contest.

"Our line's set up to run that's what we do best," Kulish said. "But I'm
always ready and I know I'll get my chances."

In all, Pomperaug ran the ball 64 times for 282 yards, while Brookfield
ran only 32 plays from scrimmage.

The Bobcats got off to flying start, however. Junior Kevin Seeley ran
the opening kickoff back 53 yards, and senior Devin Quintard got
Brookfield on the board first with a 42-yard field goal.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

POMPERAUG OPENS IN FINE STYLE

By Brian Campbell
© 2000 Republican-American

SOUTHBURY - Entering the season, Pomperaug knew it wouldn't have any trouble putting
points on the board. The only question was whether its young defense could hold form.

But after its opening game against Brookfield on Friday, Pomperaug had all of its answers in check.

Falling behind in a wild first half, the Panther defense turned it on, pitching a shutout the rest of the
way in a convincing 34-17 South-West Conference victory under the lights at Pomperaug.

Pomperaug (1-0) rebounded from a 17-13 halftime deficit to
outscore Brookfield 21-0 in the second half.

"At the half we weren't panicking at all," Pomperaug head coach Chuck Drury said. "We knew
that we played a good half of football and everyone was confident. We have a bunch of young guys on
defense but they were playing well. I told them it was gut check time in the second
half and that is all I said to them."

But the play of the Panther offense was just as big, as it was nothing short of dominant the
entire game. Senior fullback Brian Shalvoy carried 26 times for 111 yards and halfback
James Cangelosi rushed for 87 yards on 12 carries. Senior quarterback Joe Pugh also
got into the act, connecting with Rob Kulish for three touchdowns in a nearly flawless effort.

"I knew our offense is extremely talented this year and at times we really dominated them,"
said Pugh of an offensive unit that recorded 27 first downs and punted only once. "As long as we
get things going than we are a pretty difficult team to stop. James Cangelosi had a great game and
when we have three great backs running well it is tough."

Shalvoy steamrolled through the line while Cangelosi and senior halfback Kevin Fraser
(54 yards) ran well on the outside behind a solid game from the offensive line. The Pomperaug
rushing attack set up the passing game, where the combination of Pugh and Kulish flourished.

Kulish, a junior tight end, caught four passes for 67 yards and three scores, the final one coming
on a one-handed 32-yard catch with three minutes left in the game. With a defender in front of him,
Kulish was able to snare the ball with one hand, cradle it, and then hold off the defender with his other hand.

"Rob has definitely stepped it up and become our No. 1 receiver," Shalvoy said. "And that catch he
made and was just icing on the cake for us."

Fraser gave Pomperaug a 7-3 lead in the first quarter after a one-yard scoring run before
Brookfield's Chris Jakymec (10 carries, 87 yards) broke free from two tackles en route to a
65-yard touchdown run on the next play from scrimmage.

After the two teams traded two more scores to close the half, the Bobcats held a 17-13 lead.
But Pomperaug opened the second half like they finished it - in dominating fashion.

After opening with a 13-play, six minute drive culminating in a one-yard touchdown run from
Shalvoy, Pomperaug took over defensively, not allowing Brookfield past midfield in the
second half. Pugh then hit Kulish with two fourth quarter touchdown passes (six and 32 yards),
both on fourth down, to close the scoring.

"Our defense didn't come to play and theirs did," Brookfield coach Rich Angarano said.
"They are a good football team and they stopped our offense. They played good football and took
us off the ball on both sides and that's the bottom line."