LYNN — The KIPP Academy football team has embraced every challenge it has come across this season.
So when the Panthers matchup with undefeated West Bridgewater in the Division 8 state semifinal Saturday, they won’t be intimidated.
“It’s been really energetic in practice,” KIPP coach Rabbitt said. “It’s something new for everyone- coaches and players alike. The last couple weeks, kids have been coming to practice early and leaving later. We’re just really excited. We’ve had a great week of practice. Playing meaningful football in mid-November’s really special. It’s a privilege to be at this point and we’re taking advantage of that.”
The Panthers, 8-2 this season, have developed a routine they stand by each week. KIPP starts its week with film sessions, highlights its opponents’ weaknesses, develops a game plan based on their strengths and fine-tunes it on the practice field.
Rabbitt feels no reason to change that heading into Saturday’s game.
“We talked all postseason about how records don’t matter in the postseason,” Rabbitt said. “A team comes in at 2-6, 9-0 or 10-0, it doesn’t matter to us. We know everyone’s 3-0 in the postseason. We’ve played to our strengths and we’ve looked on film for ways to exploit our opponent. That’s going to stay the same going forward. We’ll have our players execute to the best of our ability.”
The Panthers expect West Bridgewater, the South sectional champion, to be the toughest opponent they’ve seen this season.
“Teams get progressively harder through the playoffs and that’s no exception in the state semifinal,” Rabbitt said. “It comes down to who makes the least mistakes. I’m expecting it to come down to the final quarter, the final drive and quite possibly the final play.”
The Wildcats boast a high-powered offense that has scored 92 points in three postseason games. On the flip side, West Bridgewater’s defense has allowed 34 points during that span.
“They’re a veer-option team,” Rabbitt said. “It’s something we haven’t seen much of this year. We’ve worked on shutting that down. You don’t get to this point by accident. They’re well-coached and they have great athletes. We have to take away the throw when the quarterback wants to throw. He’s their best athlete and we have to shut him down in the running game and the passing game.”
With a trip to Gillette Stadium on the line, Rabbitt admits it tough not to look ahead. But the Panthers, led by a disciplined core of junior co-captains in Mike Brice, Jose Castillo, Dave Filias, Taj King and Daniel Oluwasuyi, are taking things one day at a time.
“I’m sure it’s on the back of everyone’s minds,” Rabbitt said. “It’s there and we can’t hide from it. If we’re fortunate to win Saturday then it’s a conversation we’ll be glad to have about all the logistics of Gillette Stadium. But we pride ourselves on taking things one day at a time. One play, one day at a time.”
Kickoff for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Woburn High.
