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DeAngelo throws Pelham to victory

Friday, September, 18 By Jeff Hamrick
Staff writer

PELHAM (NH) — All the axioms regarding rushing attacks and their importance to success on a football field were tossed out last night by the Pelham Pythons.

Taking to the air almost exclusively in the first half when Joseph DeAngelo was throwing for five touchdowns and running for another, Pelham won for the second time in three outings by routing over matched Campbell 39-7 in a nonleague game.

After throwing for only one touchdown the previous two games, the Pythons' senior quarterback was close to perfect, completing 16 of his 17 attempts for 327 yards before sitting out the entire second quarter.

"I knew we were going to throw," DeAngelo said. "I was happy for my receivers. Everyone was catching the ball. If we need to run the ball we can, but the passing was working just fine."

The air attack wasted little time, as DeAngelo hooked up with freshman Kevin Cheam for 22 yards and 35 yards the first two plays from scrimmage to stake the Pythons to a 7-0 lead. Cheam, who wasn't on the roster and playing for just the second time in his career added a 10-yard scoring reception early in the second quarter.

"I just wanted to please the coach at the start of practices this season," Cheam said. "Then I didn't play in the first game, so I wasn't expecting anything like this at all."

DeAngelo's primary target was Joshua Luciano who had eight receptions for 200 yards, including six catches of 20 yards or more. Luciano scored the game's second touchdown, hauling in a 57-yard pass from DeAngleo on a 4th-and-1 situation.

Pelham tried passing on each of the nine plays it ran in the first quarter en route to a 19-0 lead, although DeAngelo was forced to scramble on one of them. Of the 28 plays the Pythons ran in the first half, 17 went via air.

"We've been running a variation of everything on offense," Pelham coach Tom Babaian said. "We just ran multiple sets and took advantage of what they were giving us. They were giving the pass so we took it. We expect (DeAngelo) to do that. He kept the offense rolling."

In the second half, which was played with a running clock, the Pythons went with their second string offense and stayed on the ground for all 16 plays from a wishbone attack. Pelham finished the game with 454 yards total offense. Campbell (0-3), which surrendered 178 yards in the first period while gaining 37, averted the shutout on a 10-yard run by Kiel Canada with 9:26 remaining in the game.