Manchester-Essex wins battle of unbeatens against KIPP

LYNN – In a matchup of two high-powered offenses, it is only fitting that a close, low-scoring affair ensued.

Manchester-Essex came away with an inspired 15-8 road victory over Commonwealth Athletic Conference opponent KIPP Academy on Saturday evening thanks to their ground-and-pound approach and an aggressive defense.

“I can’t say enough about (KIPP Academy),” said Hornets first-year coach Joe Grimes. “They played the game that they wanted to and came out here. It was a great football game.”

With a 6-0 lead at the half, Manchester-Essex (5-0) looked to add more in the third. The Hornets took the ball from about midfield and ran it on nine straight plays capped by a 20-yard run for senior captain Ambrose Pallazola into the end zone to make it 12-0 with a little over two minutes left in the third.

Pallazola added an interception two enemy possessions later that setup a 20-yard field goal for freshman Cian Brennock to build the lead to 15-0 with just 4:11 left in the contest.

“(Pallazola) has been consistently good for us,” Grimes said. “He’s the heart and soul of that defense for sure. He’s just a dangerous person to throw near and that’s what’s great. It’s really fun to watch him take those opportunities and actually get the picks.”

KIPP Academy (4-1) responded with a drive that left just 47 ticks on the clock as junior captain Juan Setalsingh connected with senior Jaythean Im for a nine-yard score. Setalsingh made it a one-score game with a two-point rush before the onside kick try was unsuccessful for the Panthers.

In the first half, both defenses came to play as the teams combined for four forced turnovers, including three for KIPP Academy with two of those being interceptions — none bigger than a pick in the end zone for junior Vic Mafo to end the half.

The Panthers accumulated just nine yards of offense in the first half compared to 200 yards for the Hornets with 158 of those coming on the ground. Manchester Essex finished with 262 yards on the ground while KIPP Academy had 117 total yards.

“(The run game) was a part of it,” said Grimes about the offensive approach. “Once we saw what they came out with – they had a lot of guys up front. As we saw the game develop, we knew the run was going to be there a little bit. We were getting advantages on the run game. So, that is what we were trying to do there. We were trying to have some long drives and be productive.”

Manchester-Essex came away with the only points in the first half late in the first quarter as junior Henry Otterbein scored from five yards out. This capped off an 8-play, 45-yard drive that was set up after Otterbein intercepted a pass for Setalsingh.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2YEzcO0