Panthers Punch Ticket to State Championship

Panthers quarterback #11 Cole Brisson along with right tackle #64 Matthew Binezewski and right guard #54 Ray Boudreau during the team's 29-20 win over Notre Dame-Fairfield in the Class S quarterfinals

Cromwell/Portland football advanced to the Class S state championship game for the first time since 2011 following wins over Notre Dame-Fairfield in the quarterfinals on Nov. 30 and Ansonia in the semifinals on Dec. 5.

In the quarterfinals victory, the Panthers led from start to finish before holding off the visiting Lancers 29-20 on a bitter cold night at Pierson Park.            
           
“We always have 100% effort,” said junior Ben Fagan, who scored a touchdown offensively and forced two turnovers defensively, “We just never stopped, we never let off the gas pedal. “
           
Following a field goal from Allen Cohen late in the first quarter, C/P upped their lead to 10-0 on a 32-yard touchdown run from Teddy Williams with 11:05 to play in the first half.  
           
Fagan then hauled in a touchdown from quarterback Cole Brisson with 4:21 left in the third, giving the Panthers a 19-7 advantage before Notre Dame made one last push to save their season. 
           
Lancer quarterback Jailon Denny connected with Bailey Coleman for a second scoring strike and then Denny threw a throwback screen to Tayshawn Dixon, who sprinted 44 yard to the end zone, narrowing the home team’s lead to 22-20 with 9:47 to play in regulation.
           
Then Williams, who played through cramps in both calves in the second half, pulled one more rabbit out of his hat.
           
Williams caught a screen pass at his own 10-yard line and split two defenders before galloping 75 yards to the Notre Dame 15-yard line, setting up a decisive touchdown run from Alex Hair.    
           
“I saw great blocking up in front of me and made a couple of cuts and just tried to take off,” Williams said of his crucial catch and run.
           
On the following possession, Fagan recovered a Denny fumble, ending any threat of a comeback. Fagan also had a first-quarter interception, his seventh this fall.
           
“Ben Fagan is a guy that knows where he is supposed to be and knows what he needs to do,” Panthers head coach Randell Bennett said. “He’s always coaching guys up to make them better and he might be the quarterback on the defense.” 
           
Fagan said the win was a collective effort. “All the guys stepped up. The d-line and linebackers were penetrating. It was a team effort tonight.”
           
Emeka Yearwood caused a third turnover early in the fourth when he jarred the ball loose from Denny, which was recovered by Jack Williams.
           
Cromwell also won the special teams battle. Cohen made all three of his field goals (35 yards, 17 yards, and 33 yards).
           
Bennett joked, “We don’t have goal posts on our practice field so I don’t know how he’s able to be accurate on his kicks, but we needed all three of those tonight.”
           
In the semifinals, the Panthers completely dominated the visiting Chargers from Ansonia on a picturesque sunny afternoon at Pierson Park.
           
Brisson tossed a career-high six touchdown passes, five going to Williams, who hauled in a mindboggling 328 receiving yards. 
           
“We saw they were playing a lot of man defense on film and we knew as a team we could beat man,” said Brisson. “Our receivers were awesome today. They got open and I just had to get them the ball.”
           
Brisson and Williams hooked up for three scores in the first half as the Panthers took a commanding 26-0 lead into the break. Brisson continued to slice and dice the Chargers secondary in the second half, finishing with a 502 passing yards, also a career-high. 
           
“Anytime we saw man-to-man this year, we’ve had really good days,” said Bennett, “[Ansonia] stayed in that man all year long and we knew that would be the game plan. Our guys just had to make plays.”
           
Interior lineman Ethan Philbrick powered a defensive that limited a Chargers offense that was averaging 30 points per game entering the semifinals.
           
“We had full confidence. We knew we had to play with more aggression than them. We needed that swagger that we had against Coginchaug and Morgan,” Philbrick said. “We played like we wanted to win and we did.”
           
The playoff triumphs set up a Class S championship game against Bloomfield. The title tilt will feature teams with identical records (12-0), who have each thoroughly dominant all season. The Panthers have outscored their first dozen opponents by 377 points while the Warhawks from Bloomfield have outscored their dozen opponents by 408 points.
           
Bennett knows it will be a challenge going up against a Bloomfield team who will be playing in the Class S championship game for the third straight season. This year’s Warhawks feature a dynamic offensive backfield led by the duo of Dallas Rose and Cornellius Patrick. 
           
“I’m confident in our coaches to come up with a game plan to stop the things they want to do and we’ll see what we can do on offense on the other side. We’ll be ready,” stated Bennett.
           
Brisson added, “We just have to prepare like we did this week and we have to bring energy. I think we can beat anybody in the state no matter who it is.”
           
The championship game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 11 at Trumbull High School. Kickoff is 11 a.m.
           
Ten years ago, the Panthers fell to Holy Cross in the 2011 title game. They are looking to capture their first football state championship since they beat Ansonia, 14-12, in 2008.
           
Philbrick believes the team has the talent and the desire to bring a trophy back from Trumbull. 
           
​“It’s two undefeated teams in the state championship. It’s all about who wants it more,” said the 6’5” defensive tackle, “And I think we want it more.”