North Branford’s Tyler DiNapoli runs with the ball during the T-Birds overwhelming victory over Cromwell/Portland (Photo Paul Augeri / For Hearst Connecticut Media)
CROMWELL – The first five minutes for North Branford were a bear.
Cromwell/Portland took advantage of a pass coverage mismatch to score on its opening drive, and, after picking off quarterback Brandon Fratta on the Thunderbirds’ first play from scrimmage, the Panthers got into the end zone again two plays later for a 14-point lead.
The next 43 minutes for North Branford? Night and day from the opening five.
The T-Birds scored on consecutive possessions to tie the game, took the lead with a safety, and scored two more touchdowns before halftime en route to a 61-14 Pequot Conference win Saturday at Pierson Park.
Fratta, a junior who made some starts as a freshman, threw for 363 yards and five touchdowns — four to senior Aiden Ferrucci — as North Branford won for the second-straight week following a six-point loss to SMSA/University Classical in its season opener.
WEEK 3 FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD / SCHEDULE
Fratta took advantage of excellent pass protection – North Branford’s offensive line did not allow a sack – and spread the wealth, completing 22 of his 32 attempts to five different receivers.
North Branford’s Aiden Ferrucci breaking tackles, taking a Fratta pass 80 yards fpr a 32-14 T-Bird lead with 56 ticks left in the 1st half #cthsfb
That’s his third TD, 32 unanswered points for T-Birds pic.twitter.com/ZYBrolpuO9— Sean Patrick Bowley (@SPBowley) September 28, 2019
“Offensively, we had a number of guys contribute everywhere, and I felt defensively, once we were able to shut down (the Panthers’ Matt Pepe), we were able to do what we needed to do defensively (to help us win),” North Branford coach Mark Basil said.
Ferrucci led the receiver corps with six catches for 134 and his four scores, and Alex Clinton had four receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown.
“(Fratta) trusts his line,” Basil said. “Brandon took a sack last game (a 19-6 win over Haddam-Killingworth) and that was on him. Other than that, the line has taken good care of him. When he can keep his eyes downfield, and trust his line, he’ll find his receivers. And he was able to do that today.”
Obscured by the ref, but I can assure you North Branford’s Aiden Ferrucci catches his second TD of the game, this time on 4th and long. NB Has scored 24 unanswered, up 24-14 on CP late 2 #cthsfb pic.twitter.com/youAbUbsPo
— Sean Patrick Bowley (@SPBowley) September 28, 2019
North Branford was able to mix the pass with a running game that saw junior back Tyler DiNapoli rush for 74 yards and two touchdowns (DiNapoli had 118 totals yards on the day).
Pepe was the player who took advantage of the first-drive mismatch and scored on a 25-yard pass play from freshman quarterback Cole Brisson to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead. The score capped an 11-play, 66-yard drive.
Pepe also was the Panther who intercepted Fratta on North Branford’s first offensive play, snagging a floater over the middle at the T-Birds’ 39-yard line. Ethan Wilson beat his defender down the field for a 38-yard catch on the next play. Freshman Alex Hair scored from a yard out, giving the Panthers a 14-0 lead.
North Branford has tied it up on this TD pass from Brandon Fratta to Aiden Ferrucci, 14-14 after 1#cthsfb pic.twitter.com/EAaPeCemji
— Sean Patrick Bowley (@SPBowley) September 28, 2019
With emotions and mouths in overdrive on the T-Birds’ sideline, Fratta did his part to help the team pull it together by directing a 74-yard scoring drive, with DiNapoli scoring on a 2-yard run and then running in the two-point conversion with 4:11 left in the first quarter.
After forcing the Panthers to go three and out, the T-Birds covered 71 yards in seven plays, with Fratta throwing a 10-yard scoring strike to Ferrucci. The conversion failed, but the deficit was gone.
“I thrive during adversity,” Fratta said. “You always gotta keep going.”
Cromwell/Portland strikes on its first drive, Cole Brisson to Matt Pepe for a 25yd TD, 7-0.
C/P’s first TD of the season #cthsfb pic.twitter.com/fl0Uy95DOI— Sean Patrick Bowley (@SPBowley) September 28, 2019
After another Panthers punt, North Branford was driving at the Cromwell/Portland 20 when Fratta was intercepted at the goal line by Justin Stergos, who returned it to the 3. Instead of the pick serving as a momentum builder, on the Panthers’ first play, Hair was hit behind the goal line by Alex LeMere, who then got an assist from Xavior Cognata, for the safety and a 16-14 advantage.
North Branford was stopped on downs on its next possession, but its defense again forced the Panthers to punt. Another scoring drive followed (72 yards in seven plays), with Ferrucci turning a fourth-down dump pass in the middle of the field into a 32-yard catch-and-score.
A CP pickoff at the goal line saves a TD, but NB’s Alex LeMer smacks CP’s Alex Hair for the safety on the next play. 16-14 North Branford leads early 2nd #cthsfb pic.twitter.com/nRTHphwaxd
— Sean Patrick Bowley (@SPBowley) September 28, 2019
The T-Birds forced another C/P three-and-out and got the ball back with 1:57 left in the half. On third-and-10 from his own 20, Fratta found Ferrucci with a screen pass on the right side and Ferrucci did the rest, avoiding being forced out of bounds near his own sideline and sprinting the rest of the way for the 80-yard touchdown. North Branford led 32-14 at the half.
The pass play was one example of what Basil said is Fratta’s improved field of vision.
Pepe then picks off a pass on NB’s first play from scrimmage, sets up another TD for Cromwell and suddenly it’s 14-0 CP early 1st #cthsfb pic.twitter.com/gpEDX3AqCi
— Sean Patrick Bowley (@SPBowley) September 28, 2019
“He’s a kid who we have high expectations for,” Basil said. “It’s really his third year starting for us. He’s a smart kid and sometimes he tries to take in too much, so we try and simplify. And he’s had a lot of one-on-one work with his quarterback coach and he’s gotten a lot better. He doesn’t need to see the whole field, he needs to see half the field he wants to work in.”
Panthers coach Randell Bennett could not hide his disappointment after seeing his young team fall to 1-2.
“You can’t not play technically sound football, you can’t not be dialed in defensively, and hope to beat a Mark Basil (team),” Bennett said. “I don’t think they ran much that we didn’t see on tape, but we just keep reverting back to the things that can get us beat. We’ll watch the tape and try to beat Coventry next week.”
Brisson, who is quarterbacking the Panthers in place of injured starter Cam Latronica, faced heavy pressure throughout, and North Branford took away the run game.
The T-Birds scored touchdowns on their first four possessions of the second half and hope to ride the wave into next Friday’s Pequot game at 3-0 Rockville.
“We’re just getting started,” Fratta said. “I think we’re going to go on a good run.”
