It was a game full of momentum swings Friday night as No. 7 KIPP battled No. 3 Oxford in a Division 8 semifinal matchup. KIPP found a way to come out on top 34-33 and make it to the championship for the first time.
KIPP Head Coach James Rabbitt could not be happier for his team after the win.
“This was a wild a great game that really could have gone either way,” Rabbitt said. “I am just so proud of what these kids accomplished, they work hard every day and really deserve to be where they are.”
Oxford struck first in the opening quarter on a 51-yard touchdown pass that gave them an early 6-0 lead. KIPP answered immediately when quarterback Juan Setalsingh found Morenel Castro on a 30-yard touchdown pass to give the Panthers a 7-6 lead. Oxford scored 13 unanswered points and took a 19-7 late in the second quarter. KIPP scored with two seconds remaining on the clock as Setalsingh found Castro again in the endzone, this time from 29 yards away. KIPP was down 19-14 at the end of the first half as Rabbitt thought it was huge KIPP scored before the half.
“The momentum of this game was going back and forth, and scoring before the half ended was huge,” Rabbitt said. “This game could have gone either way and every point mattered, so it was a big boost at halftime to only be down by five.”
KIPP continued on its run in the third quarter to the tune of 20 unanswered points. Setalsingh found Vic Mafo from 22 yards away and Castro for a third time on a 58 yard pass play, which gave KIPP a 27-19 lead at the end of the third. Just as it looked like KIPP was in control, Oxford scored 14 straight points to regain the lead 33-27 midway through the fourth quarter. KIPP had the answer when Setalsingh found Castro for the fourth time, this time from seven yards away to put KIPP ahead 34-33 with 2:30 remaining. Oxford did not go away quietly as they were driving down the field, but Setalsingh picked off Oxford with just over a minute left in the game to secure the win.
Leading the way for KIPP was Setalsingh, who finished the game with over 300 yards passing and five touchdowns. Castro finished the game with 100 receiving yards on five catches and four touchdowns, and Mafo finished with 110 yards receiving on seven catches and one touchdown.
KIPP will also get a chance to get some revenge in the coming championship, as they take on No. 1 Hull.
“Hull beat us last year in the quarterfinals,” Rabbitt said. “Hull is a really good team, and we are going to have our hands full. I am glad we get the chance to give Hull its first loss of the year.”
North Reading 32 Fenwick 29
The Crusaders got off to a fast start as they forced the Hornets to fumble the opening kickoff and took possession immediately at the North Reading 47-yard line. Fenwick scored a touchdown when quarterback Bryce Leaman threw a sweep to Luke Connolly who threw the ball and hit a wide open Aidan Breen in the corner of the endzone from seven yards away.
Fenwick led 7-0 in the first, but North Reading scored two touchdowns before the end of the first half and took a 14-7 lead into halftime.
Fenwick struggled to begin the third quarter, throwing an interception on its second play. North Reading took advantage and extended the lead to 21-7 midway through the third. The Crusaders orchestrated a clutch 12-play, 61-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 7-yard run from Leaman. Fenwick converted a two-point conversion on an Anthony Nichols run, and the Crusaders found themselves down 21-15 at the end of the third. Fenwick’s ensuing drive ended with another touchdown after Connolly ran it up the middle into the endzone from five yards away. With the score, Fenwick took its first lead since the early stages of the first quarter, 22-21, with 7:29 remaining in the game. The Hornets answered as they converted a fourth and nine into an 11-yard touchdown pass which gave them the lead back 29-22 with five minutes left on the clock. Fenwick tied the game 29-29 with 33 seconds left after Nichols scored on a one-yard run. North Reading was able to get in field goal range and convert a 39-yard field goal for the game-winner.
