RallyNorth.net

Sat, Dec 02, 2006 TBA @ Neutral Location

Team	Final
Playoff Game
Cape Cod Tech	0
Ipswich	7

Perfect ending suits Ipswich

Friday, August, 24 By Mike Grenier
Staff writer

QUINCY | Ipswich High didn't play a perfect football game Saturday, yet the Tigers earned the perfect ending.

When you've just won your first Super Bowl championship in 14 years, there's no quibbling about how you got it done; you're just overjoyed that you came out on top.

That's why head coach Ted Flaherty didn't hesitate to thrust his Tigers into the pantheon of great Ipswich High championship teams after their bone-crushing defense keyed a 7-0 win over Cape Cod Tech in the Division 3A Super Bowl on a chilly, windy day at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

"They've been hearing about it long enough," said Flaherty, referring to a glorious IHS football tradition that has yielded 10 state or Super Bowl titles since 1939. "The kids took it all in. I don't want to say they were sick of hearing about the past, but now they're a part of the great Ipswich history. They belong up there."

Ipswich racked up a school record 11 wins and also a school record seven shutouts. How could anyone deny them their rightful place among the other elite Ipswich teams? Coming from the rugged Cape Ann League and playing an extended schedule that included a playoff game before they could even ponder a championship appearance, the Tigers did everything anyone could've possibly asked of them.

"This is something we've been shooting for since sixth grade," said Ipswich linebacker Alex McCarthy, who received permission at game time to play with a torn ACL in his right knee, then went out and tore up Cape Cod Tech with his ferocious performance. That included a blitz that caused one of Cape Cod Tech quarterback Mike Hamilton's three interceptions. "The feeling right now ... I'm not even thinking about my knee."

Ryan Gagnon (9 carries, 42 yards, INT), who kicked the lone extra point after Steve Phaneuf's 37-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, reflected on what Ipswich (11-2) had been through down the stretch to cap its magnificent season.

"I'm running around like my head isn't a part of my body. It's crazy," said Gagnon, who was actually a portrait in calmness after the game. "It's tough to win this game. We had to play three times in 10 days (referring to Thanksgiving Day against rival Hamilton-Wenham, the playoff contest against Manchester Essex last Tuesday, followed by the Super Bowl), and that's hard to do.

"Guys are beaten up, especially with so many of us playing both ways. But that's why we have preseason camps and long practices. We're in great condition | and it paid off today."

The game wasn't a slam dunk by any means, yet it'll probably go down as one of the most deceptive 7-0 wins in Ipswich history.

The Tigers pushed the Crusaders up and down the field both offensively and defensively, but they couldn't put them away until they slammed CCT's James Hamilton to the turf on the final play of the game. Hamilton, who came into the game with 34 touchdowns and 2,255 rushing yards (he averages over 200 yards per game), was punished by Ipswich's brutal defense and finished with just 45 yards on 23 carries. Ipswich could've won this game by three or four touchdowns. However, Phaneuf (25 carries, 179 yards) had a 15-yard scoring run nullified by an illegal motion penalty, and the Tigers lost two fumbles inside the Cape Cod Tech 30-yard line and dropped a beautiful Alex Harrington pass in the end zone on the final play of the first half.

"We left a lot of points on the field," Flaherty said after his team outgained the Crusaders by a whopping 309-111 margin. "Remember how we talked about ball security and how important it is? It almost killed us today.

"We were maybe just one arm tackle away from that kid (James Hamilton) breaking an 80-yard run. Then if they scored, they could've gone for a two-point conversion and the win. All those things roll through your head in a game like this." But Ipswich's offensive mistakes never affected its defensive intensity or its determination to keep Cape Cod Tech out of the end zone.

In the first half, the Crusaders had the ball for 12 plays and netted only 20 yards. The Tigers didn't do a blessed thing until the Crusaders reached into their limited bag of tricks in the third quarter and Hamilton threw a halfback option pass to an unguarded Jose Ortiz for a 47-yard gain. But Alex Lampropoulos, who lost Ortiz at the beginning of the play, recovered and came up with the tackle that prevented a tying touchdown.

Five plays later, Ipswich put a fierce rush on QB Mike Hamilton, and Lampropoulos made a brilliant interception. "That's one heck of a team," Cape Cod Tech coach David Currid said of Ipswich. "They're well-disciplined and hard-nosed. We didn't have the ball enough to do anything with it. (Ipswich) is a class act."

It's a class act with a Super Bowl championship to its credit. The Tigers deserved that perfect ending.