By Evan Triantafilidis
news@southburyrecord.com
Pomperaug had its share of bright moments on Friday night, but injuries and untimely mistakes proved costly in a 40-14 loss to Sheehan.
The Panthers (1-2) answered an early score with a determined first-half drive, capped by Bryan Vidal’s four-yard touchdown run, knotting the game at 7-7. The possession came at a cost, however, as quarterback Cole Tracy left with an injury and did not return.
The Titans of Sheehan (2-1) answered with a rushing score from Joshua Durant, who led the game with 155 rushing yards.
The deficit grew to two scores, as Sheehan went into the break up 21-7.
A costly Pomperaug fumble on the opening possession of the second half put Sheehan in a position to add to their lead with a Jake O’Brien’ touchdown pass – his second of the game.
In the fourth quarter, quarterback Josh Coughlin provided the highlight of the night, breaking free for a 70-yard rushing score on a read-option play, similar to the one he had against Brookfield just last week.
On defense, Jaden D’Amico remained a constant presence, recording a sack just a play before Aaron Emerick logged an interception on an attempted screen pass.
The Panthers also suffered some key injuries during the game, including Tracy leaving the game in the first quarter with a right leg injury, followed by injuries to Marco Russomano and Gavin Lynch. Russomano was able to return later in the game.
Pomperaug head coach Tony Pereira gave credit to the opposing non-conference opponent, noting that his team has played stiff competition early this season.
“It’s two weeks in a row we’ve played good, quality football teams,” said Pereira. “These guys are well-coached and have played in big games.”
He said he would like to see more consistency from his team going forward, saying that the special teams unit has been the most steady so far.
“We have to complement each other,” Pereira added. “If our defense gets them off the field, we can’t fumble the ball on offense. We can’t keep continuing to put the ball on the ground against good teams.”
Both teams were coming off disappointing losses in their second game of the season, with Pomperaug losing a 40-7 game to Brookfield last week, and Sheehan dropping a 45-0 game to Fairfield Prep.
Sheehan head coach John Ferrazzi said he was pleased with his team’s response just a week later.
“Were we perfect? No,” said Ferrazzi following the game. “Hats off to Pomperaug. They came out playing tough. They were winning the physical battle early. We had to make a couple of halftime adjustments, and I think our kids did a great job with the couple of adjustments.”
The Panthers will be the visitors at Bethel High School on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Both teams will enter the SWC matchup with a 1-2 record.
The Southbury Record 