BY JERRY LIPTAK
The Spartans shoved. The Eagles pushed back. But when the hosts shoved harder still, the visitors teetered and were ultimately toppled in a 34-18 Pembroke Academy victory over Kennett on Saturday, Oct. 6.
A pair of first-half touchdowns – a short run from Douglas Merrill and a 42-yard trek by Christopher Allen, who followed a lead block from quarterback John Natalizio – gave PA a 12-0 edge.
Kennett responded in the second quarter, cutting the locals’ lead to 12-6 at halftime.
“I told them (at halftime) it was pretty important that we take control right away with a sustained drive of four or five minutes,” said Pembroke head coach Dave Tremblay. “And that’s pretty much what happened.”
Indeed, Justin Muniz capped the second-half’s opening drive with a 12-yard touchdown run, and PA’s lead swelled to 20-6 when Natalizio hit Merrill in the right corner of the end zone for the two-point conversion.
Roughly four minutes later, Natalizio’s 10-yard scamper and the point-after-touchdown off the foot of Patrick McCormack made the lead three TDs.
The team, specifically the defense, is built on individual responsibility, said Tremblay.
“If they don’t do the job, we lose as a defense. That’s what’s built confidence,” said the first-year coach.
“They know they’ve got to make the play.”
For the most part, the Spartans did. Facing two exceptional Kennett athletes, running back Alain Lanciaux and 6-foot-4 tight end Ian White, Pembroke contained most of the damage with good tackling and two forced fumbles.
Jon-Michael Gattuso and Dakota Arsenault each made seven stops, while Gattuso and Nathan Huntley caused fumbles that Brian Juranty and Muniz recovered.
Benjamin Mitchell and Allen added four tackles apiece, helping the Spartans improve to 3-3.
The three wins represent the biggest total in the history of the program, though Tremblay grinned at mention of the achievement.
“I’m hoping for more than that,” he said.
Three games remain, including a road trip to Weare for a match-up with 3-3 John Stark on Saturday, Oct.. 13, at 1:30 p.m.
The teams bring similar hard-hitting, aggressive styles to the game. The winner continues its fight for a postseason berth; the loser drops below .500.
The Spartans and their coach expect a rough contest, complete with lots of pushing and shoving at the line of scrimmage, though the Generals are nowhere near a pushover.
“Whoever is willing to accept four yards (a play) should do pretty well,” said Tremblay.
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After Kennett cut the lead to 27-12, Mitchell’s 2-yard burst on fourth down ended the Eagles’ final hope to pull off a comeback.