RallyNorth.net

Sun, Nov 15, 2009 01:00 PM @ Salem

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Pinkerton	7	0	7	14	28
Salem	14	10	0	20	44

Passing game keys Salem semifinal win

Sunday, November, 15 By David Willis and Jeff Hamrick
Staff writers

SALEM -- Even fullback Darren Brown admitted he was a touch surprised by his team’s aerial attack yesterday.

“We’ve had trouble with different things in the passing game all season,” said the senior. “But it sure worked today.”

Matt Cannone set a season-high for passing yards -- all in the first half -- to help Salem best Pinkerton in the Division 1 semifinals yesterday.

The junior QB connected on 5-of-7 passes in the first half for 136 yards and a touchdown. He had thrown for 100 or more yards just once this year, 135 against Concord. He did not complete a pass in three tries in the second half.

“I know my job is to run fakes and do whatever,” said Cannone. “But today we needed to throw and I took advantage of my opportunities. We haven’t attempted many passes this season, but we’ve been working on it all year to pass if we needed it. And it worked.”

Cannone’s first completion of the game was a 41-yard score to Alex Sobrado. A possession later he threw a beautiful would-be touchdown that was dropped. But the Blue Devils went right back to that play, and Brown reeled in a 22-yard pass that set up a TD run by Max Jacques. Brown finished the day with a team-best three catches for 87 yards.

 

“That was a huge play,” said Salem coach Jack Gati. “Brown came right back to make that catch, and it was a big boost. Our passing game was a key today.”

 

PLAYING SHORTSTOP
Salem defensive back Jake Matthews made his presence known with five tackles, but the senior's biggest play came on Christopher Saulnier's field goal that put Salem ahead 21-7 midway through the second quarter.

Matthews took a snap that bounced twice before calmly and cleanly putting it down.

"It was a bad snap, but nothing we can't handle," Matthews said. "I just though 'Oh no' when I saw it bounce. But (snapper Joe DiPalma) was good the rest of the game and the conditions were tough."

GUINTO RETURNS TO THE PLAYOFFS
Pinkerton's Eric Guinto not only returned to the starting lineup after missing three games this season after suffering a concussion, it was his first playoff appearance since his sophomore year when he led the Astors to the title. The senior running back missed out on the Blue Devils' run last year with a torn ACL.

"My sophomore year went pretty well, so I was pretty pumped to get back (this season), then I get a concussion," said Guinto, who finished with 116 yards on 14 carries. "That was a downer (missing last year), but I did get to play in this one. I was pretty excited. I thought we were going to pull one out, but they were the better team today."

Guinto scored three of Pinkerton's four touchdowns and also had another six carriers the went at least for 12 yards, including three of 20 or more.

"We gave the ball to Eric a little bit more," Pinkerton coach Brian O'Reilly said. "He obviously turned some things around."

STUNNED BUT NOT SURPRISED
When Salem lined up for the game's first play from scrimmage, the Blue Devils didn't show anything that Pinkerton didn't expect -- except for that 73-yard explosion down the sideline by Max Jacques that put Salem ahead just 17 seconds into the affair.

"That play hurt because there was no surprise," O'Reilly said. "It was an unbalanced formation, they'd shown it before and we've worked on it in practice. As soon as I saw the formation I knew what the play was supposed to be. Our players were supposed to know what the play was going to be.”

BREAKING TRENDS
Salem's victory was only the Blue Devils' third in their past 21 encounters with Pinkerton

"We've won 18 of 20, but very few of those games have been blowouts," O'Reilly said. "Yes it's been one sided in the wins and losses, but it's always been a great game. This is a typical Salem team. Jack (Gati) has a great offense, but now he's got it with speed ... It's the one thing he's sort of been lacking is that ability to hit you outside. Now that's he's got it, it's a devastating offense."

NO TITLE GAME FOR PINKERTON
The loss snapped Pinkerton's run of championship-game appearances. But having the season end early didn't come as much of a surprise to the Astros coach.
"Well we're 5-6," O'Reilly said. "I'll put it in perspective that way. The string of (title games) for us is irrelevant if we're 5-6. that tells you what kind of team we are. We're a good football team that plays hard against everyone. But this year -- and only this year for whatever reason -- it wasn't good enough to beat the really good teams. Rarely were we embarrassed by them, but they always got us ... We are who we are, and we don't deserve to be in the championship game for the sixth straight year."

A MATTER OF FIELD POSITION
The first time he lined up to punt, Salem's Darren Brown picked up a bad snap in his own end zone only to have the kick blocked, setting up Pinkerton's first touchdown. Brown more than made up for the miscue when each of his other three punts were downed inside the Astros' 10.

"I just wanted to get it as close to the end zone as I could," Brown said. "The biggest thing we were trying to do was just kick it away from Guinto because we know how good he is. So we tried kicking it toward the sidelines and out of bounds."

Additional stories:

• Relentless Salem advances to title game