Turnovers hurt Pilgrim’s upset bid against Moses Brown

By Jacob Marrocco
Posted 10/25/16

If the Pilgrim football team eliminated a few mistakes on Friday night, it could have been staring at possibly the biggest upset of the season. The Pats allowed 17 points off turnovers to undefeated, two-time

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Turnovers hurt Pilgrim’s upset bid against Moses Brown

Posted

If the Pilgrim football team eliminated a few mistakes on Friday night, it could have been staring at possibly the biggest upset of the season.

The Pats allowed 17 points off turnovers to undefeated, two-time reigning state champion Moses Brown during a 24-0 loss on Friday night at Warwick Vets. Pilgrim fumbled just inside its own red zone, had a punt blocked and saw a late interception returned for a touchdown.

Pilgrim’s defense was steadfast despite some capricious weather. The rain held off for most of the first quarter as Moses Brown marched down the field on a 10-play drive after forcing a punt. The Quakers were set up with a fourth-and-goal situation at the Pilgrim 4, but running back Abe Bloom was stopped just short of the goal line.

“All in all, we’re happy, especially with the defense,” Pilgrim head coach Rob Pacifico said. “You play a team like that that hard and that well, I can’t think of a better team to win a Super Bowl than them this year, so to play them like that, [I have] a lot of pride in these boys.”

After stopping Moses Brown a second time, Pilgrim got the ball back early in the second quarter at its own 18. Quarterback James McKay started the drive with a lateral pass that was not handled cleanly, with Moses Brown falling on the loose ball.

The Quakers inched closer to the goal line, facing third-and-goal at the 6. Quarterback Michael Walsh found wideout Joseph Voccola in the end zone for the first score of the night, just more than two minutes into the second quarter.

The weather became inclement during some points of the second quarter, and the Pilgrim offense struggled to find much of a rhythm. The Quakers, still rolling on the momentum of the first touchdown, were able to strike another blow as a result.

They embarked on a nine-play, 57-yard drive that culminated with another fourth-down situation in the red zone. Sophomore Jaden Pena took the reverse handoff and coasted into the end zone, leaving the Pilgrim defense fooled. The extra point sailed through the uprights, padding the lead at 14-0 with 5:13 left in the half.

The Pats were forced to punt just a couple minutes later following another three-and-out, but quick penetration yielded an easy block that was recovered at the Pilgrim 11. The Quakers’ defense was seeking a death blow at that point, but Pilgrim contained the best it could. The Pats pushed Moses Brown back one yard in total, forcing a 29-yard field goal to close out the first-half scoring.

“We challenged them at halftime and [our] dudes came out swinging,” Pacifico said.

The home side started the second half with a defensive hold and a promising drive. Fullback Sean Cooney began the action with a seven-yard dash, and McKay later found wideout Zach Johnson to his left over the middle for a fourth-down conversion.

The march fell apart from there, though. A botched snap set Pilgrim back seven yards, and an incomplete pass brought the punt unit back on to the field. The occasional spots of pouring rain made the ball slick, so both teams fell victim to wild snaps.

The attrition continued until late in the fourth quarter, with Pilgrim pinned deep in its own territory and desperate for a scoring drive. McKay looked over the middle but Voccola plucked the ball away. He scampered 30 yards into the end zone to seal the victory.

“If it wasn’t for taking a chance to get back in the game, we held them to 17 points,” Pacifico said. “Never happy with the loss, but happy with the boys getting after it day to day. That’s what we’re doing.”

The task doesn’t get any easier for Pilgrim as it travels to West Warwick this Friday night to face off with the Wizards (4-1). Despite the shutout, the Pats can take some momentum from how the defense played in crucial moments.

“Most of these boys were D-III last year, so they’re learning what D-II’s about,” Pacifico said. “It comes with being smacked in the faces a few times. They’re getting used to it.”

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here