LYNN— The KIPP Academy football team has been through an up-and-down season in the program’s debut year. Although the Panthers struggled to compete in a stacked Commonwealth Athletic Conference, how the team ends its season is up to KIPP.
Thursday night’s 24-16 KIPP victory over Burke at Manning Field proved the Panthers are committed to finishing their season on a winning note.
“That was the best game we’ve played all year,” Panthers coach Jim Rabbitt said. “It was a team effort from quarter to quarter. No mistakes, no penalties and that’s been our Achilles’ heel this season. We had a great week in practice and we really bonded as a team this week.”
Burke (2-7) started the game with a 74-yard drive that ate 11 1/2 minutes off the clock and kept the Panthers offense on the sideline. The downside for the Bulldogs is that the drive stalled on fourth-and-goal when the Panthers stopped a quarterback keeper at their own 1-yard line.
“We’ve talked all year about ‘bend don’t break’ and our defense has been pretty sturdy,” Rabbitt said. “Our defensive line has played out of its mind, especially near the goal line. Dionne Rodriguez, Keury Rodriguez and Olivier Pyram took command of that. That stop set the tone for the rest of the game.”
KIPP (3-6) responded with a long drive of its own, only this one was good for the game’s first touchdown as the Panthers marched 99 yards for the 6-0 lead. Panthers running back Tomi Oladunjoye capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown run and added the two-point conversion to boost the advantage to 8-0 with 4:14 to play in the second quarter.
Burke tied the game at 8-8 a minute and a half later on a 60-yard quarterback scramble into the end zone. On the last play of the half, KIPP quarterback Kymani Morrison linked up with receiver Andrew Puati on a 30-yard touchdown pass to reclaim the lead at 14-8. Oladunjoye added the two-point conversion to send KIPP to the locker room up 16-8 at halftime.
“We couldn’t have scripted that better,” Rabbitt said. “Kymani was a little unsure of himself throwing the ball with the wet, cold weather. We kind of forced him into that one but his throwing mechanics have gotten better. He put that throw right on the money.”
KIPP upped the lead to 22-8 after Morrison scrambled into the end zone on a 35-yard carry with 9:30 remaining in the third quarter. Morrison plowed past the goal line for the two-point conversion to place KIPP ahead 24-8.
Burke climbed back in with a 19-yard touchdown pass to start the fourth quarter, making it a one-possession game at 24-16. The Bulldogs had one final chance to tie the game, but a drive into KIPP territory stalled after Burke failed to convert on 4th-and-11.
“Coach (Dan) O’Connor, our defensive coordinator, is an outstanding coach,” Rabbitt said. “He has our guys prepared. They knew where to be and they stepped up. They made plays when they had to. With a first-year program, when guys know how to step up and make plays, that’s when you know you have something.”
The Panthers burned the final three minutes of the game with running plays to seal their third win of the season.
KIPP now turns its focus to its Thanksgiving clash at Milford. The Panthers enter the turkey day contest on a two-game winning streak.
“We have one more job to do and that’s eat some turkey on Thanksgiving after a big win,” Rabbitt said. “We’ll go down to Milford and play against a tough Division 3 team. We know they’re good and we’re up against it but we’ll play at our best like we did tonight.”
