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Mistakes cost Pelham

Saturday, November, 07 By Conor Clancy

PELHAM N.H. — Three-peat no more.

The two-time defending Div. V State Champion Pelham Pythons fell in the state semi-finals 32-18 to the Bishop Brady Giants. The dream of winning its third state championships in a row was erased by the Giants who used a nightmare of a first half for Pelham to its own advantage, capitolizing on almost all of Pelhams turnovers and turning them into points.

Pelham turned the ball over six times in the first half which Bishop Brady turned into 22 points and jumped out to a quick 29-6 lead going into the half. Pelham quarterback Joe DeAngelo came out firing in the second half throwing both his touchdown passes and 165 of his 232 yards but the deficit was too much and the Pythons failure to convert a fourth-and-inches late in the game all but sealed the win for Bishop Brady who moves on to face top seed Trinity in the state championship game.

"You can't play the 'woulda, shoulda, coulda' card in games like this," saich Pelham head coach Tom Babainan. "The turnovers happened and you really can't say much else."

DeAngelo finished with his 232 yards passing on 41 pass attempts, Pelham struggled in the first half to establish or stop any sort of running game and did not run one designed run play in the entire second half. Brady meanwhile was able to gobble up 208 yards on the ground lead by brusing tailback Mike Smirnioudis who finished with 142 yards and two touchdowns.

I think you saw our weaknesses today," said Babainan. "All year we've had trouble with size and strength and Bishop Brady exploited that. They are a very good and tough football team and just out-muscled and- fought us."

Things started off poorly for the Pytons who turned the ball over on four of its first five possessions which yeilded two scores for Brady. Finally a spark came early in the second quarter when senior running back Cam Robidoux took a kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown pulling within six points at 13-6.

"That should have been the momentum switch for us," said Babaian afterwards.

However when DeAngelo was called for intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety two possessions later, momentum swung in Bishop Bradys favor as it scored twice more before the half, the second one just 29 seconds on a 45-yard fade.

" That was the clincher right there," said Babaian. "I think if we had kept them out right before the half it might have been different."

Although DeAngelo struggled in the first half (completing just 6 of 23 passes with three interceptions) he was that much better in the second, finding receivers Josh Luciano (9 catches 113 yards), and Kevin Cheam (3 catches 32 yards) for touchdown passes which brought Pelham to 29-18. But a late field goal for the Giants and a turnover on downs on the Bishop Brady 11-yard line was all the Pythons could muster.

"I'm proud of my kids this year," Babaian said. "They are football kids, they want to work, they love to play and I could not find a better group."

Before Pelham won its back-to-back state championships in 2007 and 2008, Bishop Brady had won back-to-back in 2005 and 2006.