LYNN ― The KIPP football team made plays on both sides of the ball in spurts on Saturday afternoon, but in the end the Panthers simply made too many mistakes against a quality opponent and ended up falling to Manchester-Essex by a score of 15-8 at Manning Field.
“We just made too many mistakes and we were a step slow all night,” said KIPP coach Jim Rabbitt. “Credit to Manchester-Essex, they played well and they capitalized on our mistakes. It’s a bad feeling, but hopefully it’s a reality check for us.”
Quarterback Juan Setalsingh was responsible for most of KIPP’s offense in the loss, completing 10-of-19 passes for 68 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions. He also ran for 27 yards and had two interceptions on the defensive side.
“Juan is always going to give you everything he has,” said Rabbitt. “Anytime he has the ball in his hands he’s a threat and he’s going to give it his all. We had some miscues up front and he was under a lot of pressure, but he was still able to make some things happen.”
Receiver Jaythean Im had six receptions for 46 yards and one touchdown, while defensive back Vic Mafo had one interception in the loss.
It was a tough start to the game for the Panthers, as Setalsingh threw an interception on their first offensive possession to set up Manchester-Essex in KIPP territory. The Hornets took advantage from there, moving down the field in three and a half minutes before running back Henry Otterbein punched in a five-yard touchdown run to make it a 6-0 game.
The KIPP defense responded well from there, forcing turnovers on three straight drives (one fumble, two interceptions) midway through the second quarter to give the Panthers’ offense some chances. But Manchester-Essex’s defense was just as stingy, keeping KIPP off the board to take a 6-0 lead into the halftime break.
The score remained there until late in the third quarter, when Manchester-Essex struck with a 20-yard touchdown run from Ambrose Pallazola to double up the lead at 12-0.
KIPP’s next two drives ended in interceptions, with the second pick setting up the final Manchester-Essex score ― a 20-yard field goal from Cian Brennock ― to put it at 15-0.
The Panthers were finally able to get on the board in the final minutes of the game, and Setalsingh was largely responsible. He rushed seven times and threw four more times on the 12-play drive, eventually capping things off with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Im. After Setalsingh ran in the two-point conversion, the score stood at 15-8.
The Panthers made one final grasp for possession with an onside kick attempt, but Manchester-Essex recovered the ball and was able to run out the clock for the win.
KIPP (4-1) travels to Nashoba Tech Saturday night (7).
“The only thing we can do is come back to practice next week and put in a good week of work,” said Rabbitt. “I’m hoping this is a learning experience for us against a playoff-caliber team, and hopefully the next time we get a chance like this we’ll be able to come away with a win.”
