Running back and Linebacker, Tom Tidgwell, is a Senior
captain who is looking to lead the Panthers to their first division
championship ever. Pompearug needs to win their next two games to
win the Colonial Division and to earn a birth in the SWC title game.

SOUTHBURY — Never has the Pomperaug High football team won its division or played for a league title.

That would all change if the Panthers beat New Fairfield tonight and Notre Dame-Fairfield next week.
If the Panthers (6-1) prevail in those two games, they clinch the Colonial Division crown and earn a berth
in the South-West Conference championship game.

"We have a chance to make school history,” quarterback/defensive back Steve Hansen said before practice
earlier this week. "It’s great. You couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Indeed, Pomperaug doesn’t need any help. It doesn’t have to hope and pray someone knocks off
somebody else. It simply needs a two-game winning streak. It already has a six-game winning streak in progress.

"It definitely feels good to be in the driver’s seat this year,” said halfback/linebacker Tom Tidgwell.
"The last few years I think we were tied for first. We never actually had first place all to ourselves so that
feels good. But we have two tough teams ahead of us so we know we have to keep working hard.”

Coach Chuck Drury claimed he doesn’t think about the immediate future, only the present.

"I really haven’t given it much thought. I never look ahead on anything, even in my daily living, so I don’t
do it during football; I just try to concentrate on what I’m doing that day. I just don’t look ahead,” Drury said.

Although the Panthers were coming off a 9-2 season and qualified for the Class L state playoffs for the
second consecutive year, they were often overlooked during preseason discussions regarding SWC
contenders. Masuk, Notre Dame-Fairfield and Immaculate were the teams that came to mind.

"We knew we had the potential to be where we are now,” Hansen said.

Said Tidgwell: "We didn’t hear a lot about ourselves. We heard a lot about Masuk and those
other teams. But coach (Drury) kept saying we’re going to be a good team. We put a lot of time in the
weight room over the summer and we just had to prove it to everyone. It was like adding fuel to the fire.
We knew we were going to be good; we just had to prove it to everyone else.”

And prove it they have, pulling out three-point wins over Bunnell and Foran, and a six-point victory
over Joel Barlow. Oh, they also mauled mighty Masuk by three touchdowns.

That game, in which they piled up over 300 rushing yards, personified the Panthers. They prefer a
smash-mouth style. It’s nothing fancy: here we come, try to stop us. Few teams have succeeded in stopping
Pomperaug, thanks to an offensive line comprised of LT Tim Napoli, LG Phil Platt, C Matt Sharkey,
RG Joe DeRienzo, RT Cliff Hawthorne and TE Jim Mastriani.

Their blocking has provided running room for Tidgwell, Keith Shalvoy, Pat Kantor and Ken Fraser,
allowing Pomperaug to wear down its opponents while controlling the clock. It’s an approach that has
grown on the Panthers.

"We do enjoy that. I think we’re the type of players that work well for that kind of formula,” said Tidgwell,
crediting the line. "It fits the kind of kids we have.”

And the kids truly enjoy playing for Drury. He stresses discipline, but he also keeps his players
loose with a sense of humor.

"After he’ll criticize you, he’s always quick to make a joke about it. He’s always keeping you up.
He’s always making us laugh,” Tidgwell said.

"He’s a great guy and a great coach,” Hansen said. "He interacts with you during school. He’s
like another friend. He’s a funny guy. He’ll get on you from time to time but that’s his job, to make
us better. No one wants a guy who’s always in your ear, screaming at you. If you make a mistake
and he doesn’t say anything to you, then you’re in trouble.”

Despite losing about half of their starters to graduation, the Panthers not only are back in the
SWC playoff hunt but have a chance to return to the state playoffs. Now in Class MM, they
are ranked second.

"Kids worked hard in the off-season. They went to camp, (worked out) in the weight room. A lot
of kids made themselves from average players to better players because they got stronger and bigger.
And with that came more confidence. I thought we’d be good as the season went on.”

Drury insisted that making school history isn’t his objective.

"It doesn’t interest me. What interests me is being able to come off the field and say we played well,
we played hard. That’s what interests me the most,” he said. "If I lose a game and we played very well,
then we lost the game. At least I know we coached well and the kids played hard.”

New Fairfield (4-2-1) and Notre Dame-Fairfield (6-1) aren’t pushovers. The Panthers will have to earn
its way into the SWC title game. Last year, a 3-0 loss to Foran cost them the opportunity. Drury
got over it. For him, the journey itself brings satisfaction, regardless of the final destination.