LYNN— Before the season started, KIPP football coach Jim Rabbitt said his Panthers were hungry to make their first playoff appearance. Now that they’re in the mix in Division 8 North, the Panthers are clawing toward a run.
Everything went according to plan for No. 3 KIPP in Saturday’s 35-6 quarterfinal-round win over No. 6 Charlestown at Manning Field.
“We’re really excited,” KIPP coach Jim Rabbitt said. “We talked about making history all year. It’s our first time making the playoffs and we did. We take it one game at a time. Our next goal was to win our first playoff game and we did. I think it’s a great thing for our community. This was a statement win.”
Sophomore quarterback Piero Canales, who continues to gain confidence in his passing abilities each week, completed 4-of-7 pass attempts for 60 yards. Canales tossed two touchdowns, one each to Roberto Sterling and Taj King.
“We were very run-heavy a month ago,” Rabbitt said. “For lack of a better term, something has clicked over the past few weeks. Piero found Roberto for his first touchdown of the season and that’s great. He’s not zoning in on just one guy. He’s making great reads. We couldn’t be happier with the progress he has made as a true dual threat, running and passing.”
Daniel Oluwasuyi muscled the ground game with 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Dave Filias scored the first touchdown of the night on a 17-yard run.
“We knew that Charlestown had some big, tough players up front,” Rabbitt said. “We knew it would be a little bit of a challenge getting the running game going. But we’re playing with so much confidence right now. Whether it’s Daniel, who has carried us all year, Dave or Piero, running the ball has been a testament to our offensive line. It’s fun watching that from our sideline.”
The Panthers scored all their points in the first half before Charlestown found the end zone. KIPP recovered its own opening kick at Charlestown’s 25 to get things started and went up 8-0 on Filias’ 17-yard touchdown run (Canales rush). A pair of touchdown tosses from Canales to Sterling (14 yards) and King (25 yards) gave the Panthers a 22-0 lead (Kris Merino PAT’s) at the end of the first quarter.
After Juan Setalsingh’s interception just seconds into the second quarter, Oluwasuyi took command of KIPP’s offense. The junior running back scored from 42 yards out, bumping the lead to 28-0 (conversion failed). And five minutes later, Oluwasuyi rumbled in from 25 yards out to make it a 35-0 game (Merino PAT). Ricky Cabral’s 75-yard touchdown toss a wide-open Arias Wellington closed the gap to 35-6 (conversion failed) at halftime.
Showing no quit, Charlestown’s defense kept the Panthers out of the end zone in the second half. But KIPP returned the favor with three second-half interceptions, preventing the Townies from climbing back in.
“We knew Charlestown had a couple fast players,” Rabbitt said. “We knew they had some good targets and good athletes. We were able to line up and play with team speed. Our pursuit angles have been so much better over the past month or so.
“Everyone played well. The football IQ has grown so much. We’re in the right places at the right time because we know where we’re supposed to be. That’s very encouraging as a coach, to watch this defense take control of games. We’re very encouraged with that.”
KIPP advances to next weekend’s (TBA) quarterfinal, when the Panthers will host No. 7 Roxbury Charter.
“Roxbury Charter beat us last year. They have tough, big players. They play hard. They’re just like us, in their third year as a varsity program. We know we’re in for a battle. We’re back to work in the weight room and watching film Monday.”
