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Pomperaug senior running back Jake Harwell, shown running for yardage against Stratford earlier this season, ran for three touchdowns Nov. 11 to lead the Panthers to a 36-7 win over Bethel. (Ken Morse photo)
By Ken Morse – Special to the Middlebury Bee-Intelligencer
The Pomperaug Panthers went out Nov. 11 and played their best game of the season on both sides of the ball in a 36-7 win over the Bethel Wildcats. The offense scored a season high, putting five touchdowns on the scoreboard behind senior Jake Harwell, who ran for two scores and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
The defense, which has been averaging 19 points allowed over the last seven games, came up with its best game yet, allowing a season low of seven points, and Matt Hadad set the tone by returning a fumble 65 yards for a touchdown.
“Obviously I was pleased with our performance,” said Pomperaug head coach James Reed. “But for more reasons than just the outcome.
“Bethel’s triple option attack is dangerous regardless of their record. Just ask Stratford. Our defense has been our strength all season and was on the field for a lot of plays in the first half, partly because we turned the ball over twice.
“But we played defense with the kind of discipline that’s necessary for winning football games. Earlier in the season, we were disciplined for a few plays at a time, or even a few series at a time, but on Friday we were disciplined all night.”
The Panthers got on the board in the first quarter with Harwell running behind the line of James Hartman, Jacob Gran and Michael Houle along with John Dinsdale and Brendan Ciccarella. Harwell barreled into the end zone from 11 yards out, and Mike Murgatroyd scored the two-point conversion to open up an 8-0 lead.
The Pomperaug defense got in on the action when Hadad picked up a Bethel fumble and went 65 yards for a touchdown to start the second quarter. The extra point conversion failed but the Panthers were out in front 14-0.
The Wildcats tried to make a game of it when Tyler Davis engineered a drive deep into the Panthers’ territory and found Kyle Brelling with a 10-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit at 14-7.
The momentum shift was short lived as Harwell took the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown. Kyle Sheehan scored the two-point conversion as the Panthers held a commanding 22-7 lead at the halftime break.
“Our offense shot itself in the first half with two fumbles,” said Reed. “But we were able to put the game out of reach with two outstanding drives after halftime.
“Most importantly, we were very physical in the run game. That’s been our calling card all season. We came in looking to re-establish our ground game after two weeks of tough sledding against Newtown and New Fairfield.”
The Panthers came out in the third quarter and put the game away when Harwell broke loose again, going 38 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion pass fell incomplete but Pomperaug was heading towards its third victory of the season holding a 28-7 lead.
Pomperaug had a little more left in the tank in the fourth quarter when Tom Satkowski scored his first touchdown of the season on a 1-yard blast. Sheehan ran in the two-point conversion for the final 36-7 score.
“Now its on to get ready for Notre Dame of Fairfield,” said Reed. “They’re very similar to us in that they’ve beaten a few teams that we’ve beaten, and they’ve played close games with other common opponents.
“We know every week in the SWC (South West Conference) is a challenge, so we’re hoping to build on this week’s performance and play our best football of the season.”
Pomperaug at 3-6 on the season will host the 4-5 Notre Dame of Fairfield Lancers on Wednesday, Nov. 23, (Thanksgiving Eve) at Ed Arum Stadium in Southbury at 6 pm. This will be the third game in this Thanksgiving series with Pomperaug winning 35-7 in 2014 and Notre Dame pulling out a 34-27 game in 2015. The Panthers played a six-year series from 2008-2013 with Oxford before the Wolverines moved on to the Naugatuck Valley League.
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