“It’s a work in progress.”
That's how Johnston High School head football coach Joe Acciardo described last Friday’s 34-0 non-league win over a very unlucky Division III Ponaganset team.
“So far in the pre-season we have made strides, they have done well up until this point,” Acciardo said. “I don't think you will ever hear me say that I am satisfied.”
In two meetings the last two y ears, Johnston has now out-scored the Chieftains by a score of 74-0. In six quarters of play this season, the Panthers have scored 60 points while allowing only 6.
Co-captain Joe Peters got the Panthers off to a good start Friday with a 2-yard touchdown run at the 7:56 mark of the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, junior quarterback Mike Caparco's screen pass to Curtis Mathieu covered 25 yards and set up a Caparco to Marc Conte 7-yard touchdown. Caparco lofted a perfect pass to Mark Breton in the left corner of the end zone for the two-point conversion and a 14-0 Johnston lead.
As the half was winding down, Peters and Alex Tenerella made a big defensive stop, keeping the Chieftains off the board with a turnover on downs. Johnston went to the break with the two-touchdown lead.
In the third quarter, Conte ran through the Ponaganset defense, capping it off with a 3-yard touchdown run and a 20-0 JHS lead.
“Conte was definitely the man tonight,” Acciardo said. “All of our backs run hard so we have a lot of options at that position and we also have a young line blocking for them. We are going to grow with this line.”
Midway through the third quarter, Breton took over for Caparco at quarterback and found Larry Dureault for a 29-yard touchdown pass play. Mathieu added the two-point conversion, making it 28-0. With the third quarter expiring, Richard Conte recovered a Ponaganset fumble at his own 35-yard line. The Panthers proceeded to chew some time off the clock as they marched 65 yards in 6:40 with Joe Turchetta scoring his first touchdown of the year from nine yards out.
“Ponaganset is always tough and physical and they have a good coaching staff so we knew we had to play hard,” Acciardo said. “You can learn from losing but it is much better to learn by winning.”
Senior co-captain Nick Gatta feels the Panthers are rising to the occasion.
“We don't have an all-star team this year but I know for a fact that this team has heart,” he said. “This squad has all the potential in the world to go all the way this year if we keep playing as a hard-working team.”
Conte led the offense with 105 yards rushing on just eight carries. He and his teammates racked up 221 yards rushing. Defensively, Tenerella led the team with six tackles. Ali Jobe recorded two sacks.
The Panthers begin league play on Saturday as they travel up Route 146 to Barry Field in Woonsocket for a 1:30 p.m. game. The Villa Novans were the D-II runners-up last year and they opened the 2013 campaign with a 26-21 win over Division I East Providence last week.
“We are going to have tough games coming up, starting with Woonsocket,” Acciardo said. “We do not want to drop a game by mistake and hopefully we can keep on the positive side of things.”
Panthers mourn former coach Dillon
The Johnston football program lost a good friend in Jack Dillon, who passed away recently at the age of 75. Dillon was the head football coach at Johnston High School in the mid-1970's. He helped to build the Panthers into a championship team and was responsible for creating a surge in participation in the sport.
“Jack was such a positive influence on the rise of the Johnston football program in the mid 70's,” said Cranston East head football coach and JHS hall of famer Tom Centore. “The program had about 15 players in 1973 and by the time Jack retired and my father (JHS Hall of Fame football coach Tony Centore) took over they had over 50 varsity players and were competing with the many top teams in the late 1970's.”
Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
- Joe Russo
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