LYNN — When you fall just short in the big game – like KIPP did against Hull in the Division 8 Super Bowl of 2022 – you never really forget it.
“I definitely don’t forget a game like that,” said KIPP coach Jim Rabbitt, whose Panthers welcomed the same opponent to Manning Field on Saturday for the first time since. “Just the opportunity to play that game again – teams who aren’t really geographically close – was great to have on the schedule.”
A good chunk of the roster remembers that Super Bowl, according to Rabbitt, but in KIPP’s 30-13 win, a freshman stole the show.
Hull returned a fumble 90 yards to the endzone to cut its deficit to 16-13 with 11:39 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Truth be told, it wasn’t the cleanest game from KIPP, which suffered from a botched punt and an interception in the second half, among other mishaps.
“We definitely need to clean things up – everybody watching saw that,” Rabbitt said. “Between penalties and missing assignments, we left a lot out there, but it also proves that we can be a really good team. Imagine if we clean those things up, because they’re things we can control. We can control holdings and illegal procedures – all that stuff.”
Ahead by just three points, insert freshman Danny Ortiz.
On KIPP’s next possession, he carried his team into the red zone after three consecutive handoffs, then rushed for a 1-yard touchdown (22-13).
“I’ve never played running back on varsity,” Ortiz said. “The line is a big part of me. Any touchdowns, I give credit to my line. It felt great to make him (Rabbitt) proud and I was happy to do that.”
Double it up. To the home crowd’s delight, Ortiz added a 4-yard rushing touchdown with 30 seconds remaining to put a lid on it.
“I, honestly, did not know this was going to happen,” he said. “I thought today would maybe be one run or a couple of kickoffs. I did not expect all of this to happen.”
Well, it did. Rabbitt credited his hard-nosed ball-carrier.
“You saw Danny get his high school debut in there and he’s worked really hard,” Rabbitt said.
Speaking of working hard, KIPP’s defense went home with five interceptions. Elai Machado and Aavian Pena each snagged two, while Jose Echavarria added another.
“Our secondary understood its keys, got in their drops, and went behind everything deep to keep that stuff away,” Rabbitt said.
If Ortiz carried the offense in the second half, then the first half belonged to Echavarria. He scored KIPP’s first touchdown on a 5-yard rush, then delivered a strong kick return in which he seemingly emerged out of nowhere from a pack of Pirates.
“We had the speed factor, and then we went to our bigger backs in the second half,” Rabbitt said. “That was a great adjustment by our linemen to push inside.”
Rounding out the positives, Enoch Omotosho scored a rushing touchdown in the second quarter to put KIPP ahead, 16-6, at halftime. Joseph Beato picked up two sacks – one in each half.
KIPP (2-2) returns to Manning Field this Friday against Lowell Catholic at 7:30 p.m.
“The message is that no one can beat us if we don’t get in our own way. I think we’re that good of a team if we want to be,” Rabbitt said. “We can be that power that we’ve been in the past. We just need to believe that.”
