Panthers defeat Nor’easter
- Updated: October 18, 2017
Marky Desruisseaux pulls in a pass over Daniel Ramos
MERIDEN, CT- After a slow first half of play, the Connecticut Panthers offense warmed up as they defeated the Merrimack Valley Nor’easter 33-14. The win makes the Panthers the host team for the Colonial Conference (AAA) Championship game scheduled for Saturday night. “This is what we play for,” said Panthers Jamie Bryant, “our goal is always to get to the finals; this year was no different.”
Inserted at quarterback in the first quarter, Bryant took off on their first possession and sprinted 68 yards for the game’s first score. Later in the half Bryant again found the end zone on the ground to put the home team up by two scores. “I always try to play my best in big games,” said Bryant, “tonight was all or nothing.”
Inserted in the second quarter, quarterback Jason Manson was stripped of the ball and it was picked up by Nor’easter’s Luis Medina who rambled 19 yards to cut the score in half heading into intermission.
The second half saw Manson get in tune with his pass catchers. A well-placed fade to Marky Desruisseaux in the corner of the end zone put the Panthers up by 14. Later in the half Manson found LJ Colon streaking for his second scoring throw of the game.
Nate Adames collected over 100 yards of offense against the Panthers
Merrimack Valley’s offense continued to fight throughout the night against the Panthers. Running back Nate Adames both carried the ball and caught key first down passes from quarterback Kiel Canada. Canada found Jari Plaud for 99 yards receiving on his way to a stellar performance. “Their quarterback (Canada) never would give up,” said a Panther defender, “as soon as you think you had him sacked he’ll wiggle out and make a play.” Nothing was more evident of Canada’s play-making ability that a goal line series in the fourth quarter. After scrambling for a first down inside of the Panthers 10 yard line, Canada tried to pass to an open receiver. The ball was batted in the air by a defensive linemen only to find itself back in Canada’s hands. After a quick side step, Canada plunged into the end zone for a needed Nor’easter score.
After a failed onside kick attempt, the Panthers took over possession with the intent to keep the ball on the ground and run out the clock. A second down handoff to Andre Dixon however saw the back jet 44 yards to close out the scoring for the game.
The Panthers will take on the Rhode Island Wardogs in this weekend’s Championship matchup at Falcon Field. In their regular season meeting, the Panthers defeated the Wardogs 47-35. The two teams collected nearly 800 yards of offense in arguably the best game of the season. “Anyone who saw their first game would want to see them get on the field against each other again. Now we have just that”.
BOXSCORE
| TEAMS | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | FINAL |
| Nor’Easter | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Panthers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 33 |
Merrimack Valley Nor’Easter
| PASSING | Completions | Attempts | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions |
| Kiel Canada | 10 | 17 | 155 | 0 | 2 |
| RECEIVING | Catch | Yards | TD’s | Catch | Yards | TD’s | |
| Johnathan De Los Santos | 2 | 25 | 0 | Jari Plaud | 5 | 99 | 0 |
| Nate Adames | 2 | 22 | 0 | Kevin Sledge | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| RUSHING | Rush | Yards | TD’s | Rush | Yards | TD’s | |
| Nate Adames | 10 | 69 | 0 | Kiel Canada | 4 | 42 | 1 |
| Joe Harris | 6 | 29 | 0 |
| DEFENSE
STAND OUTS |
Tackles | Sacks | INT | Misc. |
| Christian Guzman | 4 | 2 | 0 | |
| Luis Medina | 2 | 1 | 0 | 19 yard Fumble Recovery and Return-TD |
| Robert Williams | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | |
| Rich Grasso | 2/2 PAT |
Connecticut Panthers
| PASSING | Completions | Attempts | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions |
| Jason Manson | 11 | 17 | 173 | 2 | 1 |
| Jamie Bryant | 1 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| RECEIVING | Catch | Yards | TD’s | Catch | Yards | TD’s | |
| Kevin Sylvester | 6 | 92 | 0 | Jamie Bryant | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Marky Desruisseaux | 3 | 74 | 1 | LJ Colon | 2 | 29 | 1 |
| RUSHING | Rush | Yards | TD’s | Rush | Yards | TD’s | |
| Jamie Bryant | 6 | 112 | 2 | Kevin Woolfolk | 7 | 48 | 0 |
| Andre Dixon | 7 | 65 | 1 | Jason Manson | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| DEFENSE
STAND OUTS |
Tackles | Sacks | INT | Misc. |
| Moose Welch | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| Phil Tierro | 4 | 0 | 0 | Fumble Recovery, Forced Fumble |
| Rashaun McKenzie | 5 | 2 | 0 | |
| Rueben Burger | 1 | 0 | 1 | Fumble Recovery |
| Mike Easley | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | |
| Luigi Liovi 3/5 PAT |
TOTAL OFFENSE
| OFFENSE | Rush Plays | Rush Yards | Passing Plays | Passing Yards | TOTAL OFFENSE |
| Bandits | 20 | 140 | 17 | 155 | 37 plays/ 295 yards |
| Panthers | 21 | 228 | 21 | 199 | 42 plays/ 427 yards |
Related Posts
