2003 SWC CHAMPIONSHIP
 

Masuk 40 Immaculate 7

MASUK MAULS MUSTANGS
By Jim Sheahan
THE NEWS-TIMES
2003-11-21

Masuk's Jason Callahan intercepts a pass intended for
Immaculate's Zach Long in the SWC Championship game
Thursday night. (Nov. 20, 2003)

TRUMBULL — Anthony Wargo has been The Man with the Golden Arm in South-West Conference 
football this season. Thursday night on the blustery turf at McDougall Stadium in the SWC championship game 
against Immaculate, Wargo was limited to 4-of-10 passing for 35 yards, an interception and a sack.

It didn’t matter — Masuk 40, Immaculate 7.

Wargo and his teammates ran out to an early lead and thrashed Immaculate in every aspect of the game. 
It was Steve Kaplanis’ worst loss ever as coach at Immaculate.

"We knew Immaculate was a good team, and we were confident that we could win the game,” said Masuk linebacker 
Tyler Williams, who registered a sack, a blocked punt and an interception that he returned 70 yards. "Actually, we knew we were 
going to win the game. Forty to nothing would have been better.”

It was Williams, a senior, who eliminated Immaculate’s last, best hope for making a game of it. After scoring on a 31-yard 
touchdown pass from Kerry Palmer to Chris Jarvis with 11 seconds left in the first half, the Mustangs trailed 27-7 at halftime. On 
their initial drive of the second half, Palmer went 4-for-4 as he led his team to the Masuk 25-yard line.

The energy on the Immaculate sideline rose for the first time in the game — a score at that point could 
have changed everything.

Williams, however, picked up Palmer’s attempted screen pass and took off for the end zone. He was dragged down at the 
Immaculate 5-yard line, but Joe Mish rumbled over from there on the next play — his fourth touchdown of the game.

That made it 34-7 and most of the frozen fans headed for the exits.

"We gave up a big play early, then we turned it over, and we were going into the wind,” Kaplanis said. 
"It was just bad all around. Then we had to start gambling.”

Masuk led 7-0 after its first possession when Wargo went 41 yards on a draw. It was 14-0 just 80 seconds later when 
Immaculate fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Masuk took three plays to score.

Immaculate’s next three drives ended like this: a 12-yard punt, an interception and a blocked punt. The latter event 
led to another touchdown run from Mish, this time from four yards out.

Immaculate star running back Zach Long was held to three yards rushing on 13 carries in the first half — 16 rushes 
for 12 yards overall. He did finish with eight receptions for 65 yards as the Mustangs went to the air.

Palmer went 14-for-30 for 149 yards and four interceptions. He was sacked three times.

"We were confident coming in — I was — I can’t speak for all my teammates,” a teary-eyed Long said. "There 
are a lot of guys on our team who have never been in a championship game, and maybe we had some nerves at the beginning.”

Immaculate was definitely hurt by the loss of freshman fullback Matt Petrini, who didn’t play because of an injured 
knee. It will now be Kaplanis’ job to get his team back up for a Thanksgiving Day game against 
Notre Dame-Fairfield. A state playoff game is a probability after that.

"We just have to bounce back,” Kaplanis said. "We got beat by a good team.”

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