RallyNorth.net

Tue, Nov 28, 2006 TBA @ Neutral Location

Team	Final
Playoff Game
Manchester Essex	0
Ipswich	34

Ipswich crushes Hornets, advances to Super Bowl

Friday, August, 24 By Steve Maniaci
Staff writer

ACTON | The look on Ted Flaherty's face spoke volumes. With beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, the second-year Ipswich High football coach stood on Edward M. Leary Field last night with a wide grin following his team's impressive 34-0 victory over Manchester Essex in the Eastern Mass. Division 3A semifinals.

"That was a perfect game by our guys," Flaherty said of his Cape Ann League Small champions. "They were focused and prepared. It was a great effort."

Dominating may be a better way to describe the Tigers' performance. Ipswich (10-2) came out like a heavyweight prize fighter against a helpless opponent. They racked up 390 yards of offense in what seemed like a workout at best, and tied a school record with their sixth shutout of the season.

Ipswich moves on to Saturday's Division 3A Super Bowl, where it will face Cape Cod Tech at a time and location to be announced. This marks the school's first Super Bowl appearance since winning back-to-back state championships in 1991-92.

The Tigers took control from the opening kickoff. Their defense sacked Manchester Essex quarterback Pat Orlando five times and allowed just one first down over the first 20 minutes of play. They also limited the Hornets to -3 yards of total offense.

The tone set by the Tigers defense rubbed off on the offense, which piled up 243 yards and four first-half touchdowns en route to a 27-0 lead at intermission. They added the cherry on top of their effort with a fifth and final score in the third quarter.

Tigers senior Ryan Gagnon led the Tigers with 128 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Senior standout Steve Phaneuf also had a big game with 82 rushing yards and two scores. Ipswich sophomore fullback Chad Leonard added 97 rushing yards.

"We have the best backfield around," Flaherty said. "We have three guys that could easily be All-League. They are tough, good runners. To have runners like that with the type of offense we run is perfect. You try to key on one, and the other will kill you. It was the type of effort they have given us all year."

Phaneuf scored two rushing touchdowns (35, 1) as Ipswich took a 13-0 first-quarter lead. Gagnon extended the lead to 19-0 in the second quarter on a 43-yard run. The 180-pound halfback added a 43-yard scoring run with 2:56 left in the half, and Phaneuf's two-point conversion rush made it 27-0. Gagnon picked up his third score in the third quarter with a 5-yard touchdown run. The senior said deception and balance led to the offensive outburst.

"Our offense is tough to stop," Gagnon said. "We do a lot of shifting and fakes to keep defenses off balance. We also have three guys who can beat you. If you stop one of us, then two other guys have the potential to make you pay." Manchester Essex moved the ball better in the second half. The Hornets got the ball inside the Tigers' 20 on consecutive drives, only to be stonewalled by the Tigers defensively.

Hornets coach Mike Athanas said poor first-quarter play led to his team's downfall.

"They did what we were trying to do," Athanas said. "Our game plan was to get on the board first and put their backs against the wall. They came out and stopped us, then scored quickly. We wanted to put the ball in the end zone first to put the pressure on them. It worked out just the opposite." Ipswich will now have three days to prepare for its Super Bowl battle against Cape Cod Tech. Gagnon said the Tigers will add a new award to the school's trophy case if they play like they did against Manchester Essex.

"There is no question we can win the Super Bowl," Gagon said. "This has been a dream season for us so far. We've won a lot of games and have played hard every time we've stepped on the field. We have no intentions of losing."