Despite the thrill of Gillette Stadium in just the sixth year of No. 7 KIPP’s football program, No. 1 Hull dominated the rushing category en route to a Division 8 Super Bowl trophy.
KIPP head coach Jim Rabbitt was all smiles after the 27-6 final – proud of his team and walking with his head held high.
“It’s disappointing, obviously we didn’t play our best game today overall, but we fought threw it the entire game – like we did all season,” Rabbitt said, adding his team fought tooth and nail from beginning to end.
Hull’s strategy: run the ball to chew up clock, all to keep the ball out of the explosive Panthers’ hands.
Despite 71 yards through the air in the opening frame, Saturday’s opening quarter of Super Bowl action was catastrophic for KIPP. A high snap over the head of quarterback Juan Setalsingh – one of two in the half – and a Setalsingh interception returned for 50 yards set the Panthers back, and the scoreboard read 13-0 in favor of the enemy after 12 minutes.
“They’re [Hull] exactly what we expected. They’re a good football team,” Rabbitt said. “Big, fast, tough.”
Setalsingh has been effective with time in the pocket this season, but was under pressure by the energetic, physical Pirates early – taken down hard multiple times.
KIPP got the job done on its final drive of the half. After completions to Vic Mafo and Chanel Gutierrez to move the chains, Setalsingh threw to Morenel Castro who pivoted after the catch before just barely squeezing into the endzone. The strike put the Panthers on the board with 12 seconds remaining in the half.
“I saw pressure coming from the left side, I went to roll to my right a little bit, and when Morenel [Castro] turned his head, I just knew I had to let it go,” Setalsingh said.
The run-game propelled the Pirates in the first half (32 rushes, 195 yards), and the halftime score saw Hull ahead 27-6. The Pirates’ John Gianibas paved the way with 111 rushing yards and three touchdowns, causing trouble with his ability to find extra yardage after contact.
It wasn’t as if KIPP couldn’t move the ball, but limited time of possession and a failure to stop the run were the difference-makers.
“Some execution issues on both sides of the ball,” Rabbitt said. “They came out and pounded us.”
The second half was a different story as no points were scored. The one chapter that remained the same in that story: Gianibas, who continued his stellar outing on the ground and also got his hands on an interception (one of Setalsingh’s three).
Already with a touchdown on the day, Castro snagged at interception when Hull was in striking distance, tip-toeing near the sideline to give his team possession back.
Rabbitt said defensive changes were made in the second half, and players were moved around to better combat Hull’s attack.
“I think overall, again, in the second half, we played a lot better than we did in the first,” Rabbitt said. “To be down 21 at half and have the same score to end the game, that means we fought for 24 minutes in the second half.” Rabbitt said.
The Panthers never quit, but the game-clock did. The final score favored the Pirates 27-6 with Gianibas rushing for 188 yards and three touchdowns. Setalsingh led the Panthers with 222 passing yards, while Mafo (6 catches – 97 yards) and Castro (3 catches – 56 yards – 1 TD) both shined.
The Panthers finished the season 8-5 with three postseason wins and more than 300 points scored. Rabbitt believes the future is nothing but bright for the growing Panthers.
“We’re really excited about our future,” Rabbitt said. “We have some young guys coming up. They’re seeing this now; they’re hungry for it.”
