Panther Pride
- Updated: July 16, 2017
Jason Manson prepares the pass Saturday night
WALLINGFORD, CT- The Connecticut Panthers open the season with an impressive 20-0 victory over the rival Connecticut Bearcats. “The Panthers just looked more prepared and in tune with each other tonight,” said NEFL Representative Bernie Armstrong. “The quarterback play was clearly the difference tonight for the two teams.”
A quick start by proved key for the Panthers. Taking the opening kickoff near midfield, newly acquired quarterback Jason Manson was 3 for 3 on the drive culminating in an end zone catch by Jamie Bryant that gave them their first score of the season. After a change of possession, Manson continued his hot hand throwing a well-executed corner route to an open LJ Colon to give the visiting Panthers a 14-0 lead as the first quarter expired. “Manson looked sharp and confident right away; you could tell he felt comfortable in the offense.”
In addition to utilizing Manson, the Panther used Kevin Woolfolk as a battering ram which kept the Bearcats off-balanced all night. Late in the second quarter Manson faked a handoff to Woolfolk and handed the ball to Bryant. The future Hall of Famer showed he still has the speed to go the distance as he took the handoff 62 yards into the end zone to close out the first half.
Last season’s Bearcats saw both quarterback Rich Snowden and Ryan Falaguerra under center. Both being held out for Saturday night’s opener saw slot- receiver DJ McCauley taking the snaps for the home team. “We put DJ in a tough spot,” said head coach Dom Colivito. “He only had a few practices at quarterback so having success against the Panthers was going to be hard.” The Bearcats only accumulated 122 yards of offense with 6 yards coming by way of the pass. McCauley was pressured all evening from linemen Moose Welch and Akwan Shabazz. Safety Phil Terio had a great debut for the Panthers collecting 5 tackles, 2 sacks, and an interception in the second half that killed the best drive of the night for the Bearcats.
Both teams will hit the road in week two. The Panthers (1-0) will take on the Western Mass Armor (0-1) while the Bearcats (0-1) will make their longest trip of the season as they travel to play the Southern Maine Raging Bulls (0-1). “This schedule has no breaks in it,” said Colivito. “We have to put week one behind us and get ready to play another playoff level team”.
Phil Terio (18) pulls an interception away from Jerhome Bunch
BOXSCORE
| TEAMS | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | FINAL |
| Bearcats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Panthers | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
CONNECTICUT BEARCATS
| PASSING | Completions | Attempts | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions |
| DJ McCauley | 2 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| RECEIVING | Catch | Yards | TD’s | Catch | Yards | TD’s | |
| Kevin Sylvester | 1 | 4 | 0 | Sir Snowden | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| RUSHING | Rush | Yards | TD’s | Rush | Yards | TD’s | |
| Lionel Assie | 6 | 19 | 0 | Jerhome Bunch | 6 | 34 | 0 |
| DJ McCauley | 8 | 51 | 0 | Gerald Patrick | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| DEFENSE STAND OUTS | Tackles | Sacks | INT | Misc. |
| Gerald Patrick | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Marcus Pouncey | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Juan Ramos | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Shawn Robinson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 Pass Deflection |
| Tevon Moye | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jasper Ramsey | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | |
| N/A |
CONNECTICUT PANTHERS
| PASSING | Completions | Attempts | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions |
| Jason Manson | 5 | 12 | 108 | 2 | 0 |
| RECEIVING | Catch | Yards | TD’s | Catch | Yards | TD’s | |
| Kareem Robinson | 1 | 22 | 0 | Jamie Bryant | 1 | 35 | 1 |
| Josh Padilla | 1 | 7 | 0 | LJ Colon | 1 | 28 | 1 |
| Demitri Lucy | 1 | 16 | 0 |
| RUSHING | Rush | Yards | TD’s | Rush | Yards | TD’s | |
| Jamie Bryant | 1 | 62 | 1 | Kevin Woolfolk | 12 | 45 | 0 |
| Eric Brainard | 2 | 4 | 0 | Rueben Andino | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Jason Manson | 2 | 17 | 0 |
| DEFENSE STAND OUTS | Tackles | Sacks | INT | Misc. |
| Moose Welch | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| Akwan Shabazz | 3 | 2 | 0 | Pass Deflection |
| Phil Terio | 5 | 2 | 1 | |
| Tyrell Boseman | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | |
| 2 Point conversion pass to LJ Colon |
TOTAL OFFENSE
| OFFENSE | Rush Plays | Rush Yards | Passing Plays | Passing Yards | TOTAL OFFENSE |
| Bearcats | 21 | 116 | 12 | 6 | 33 plays/ 122 yards |
| Panthers | 18 | 131 | 12 | 108 | 30 plays/ 239 yards |
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