Cromwell/Portland takes down rival Valley Regional/Old Lyme

OLD LYME — Cromwell/Portland needed time — 24 minutes on the game clock, to be exact — to get its bearings against Pequot Conference rival Valley Regional/Old Lyme on Saturday.

The Panthers were thrown off by two lost days of practice because of bad weather, the shuffling of the matchup from Friday night in Deep River to Saturday afternoon at Old Lyme High School, and even the Warriors’ playbook.

But come the second half, clinging to a 7-6 lead, the Panthers’ defense changed the tenor of their day, forcing three turnovers and four overall to set up a 21-6 victory over the Wildcats.

Cromwell/Portland (3-0) won its first two games of the season by a combined 77-11, so coach Randell Bennett was pleased to see his team stand in and battle against the Warriors, who are missing a starter in the backfield and receiving corps and struggled again to sustain drives and put up points.

“We’re trying to be prepared for whatever’s thrown at us,” Bennett said. “From the week we had, it was like that quick NFL turnaround to a Thursday night game. I thought we slept-walked through the first half.”

Teddy Williams, who scored two touchdowns, returned a punt 62 yards in the third quarter to give the Panthers a 14-6 cushion. Owen Brunk’s 2-yard touchdown run with 2:02 left in the game iced it. The Panthers stuck with largely a ground attack in the second half and moved the ball with success.

“We got ourselves to calm down in the second half with the run and got throws in where we could,” said Bennett. “We felt confident in our run game all day, and we just tried to stick with that in the second half and get out of here (with a win).”

Meanwhile, the Panthers’ defense wreaked havoc on the Warriors. It forced one punt, intercepted Valley/ Old Lyme senior quarterback James Marsden twice, forced and recovered a Marsden fumble, and took over twice on downs.

“You can’t win with turnovers and you can’t win with that many turnovers. It’s just not going to work out,” Warriors coach Hill Gbunblee said. “That’s a problem. You have a big turnover and you stop your momentum, and you miss a block and your quarterback gets hit and fumbles the ball and you give it right over again”

Marsden, who also plays defensive back, picked off the Panthers’ Cole Brisson on Cromwell/Portland’s fourth play of its opening drive. The lefty then piloted an 87-yard drive the other way, completing passes to four different receivers, each of which gained double-digit yardage. The last receiver of the bunch, DiAngelo Jean-Pierre, hauled in a 24-yard pass with 4:21 left in the first quarter for a 6-0 lead.

It was the Panthers’ first deficit of the season.

“With us winning by so much earlier, and this being the first time this season we’ve been down, you see the young guys (react) like, ‘Wait, what’s going on? This isn’t how this usually goes,” Bennett said.

The Panthers rebounded on their next possession, covering 67 yards in nine plays. On third-and-goal from the 6, Williams caught a screen pass and broke a tackle to get into the end zone as the first-quarter horn sounded. Allen Cohen’s kick made it 7-6.

The score stood until late in the third quarter. Valley/ Old Lyme took over on downs on the Panthers’ first possession of the second half, but the Panthers went nowhere in seven plays. Sam Mullaney’s punt was fielded by Williams, who had enough room at his own 38-yard line and great blocking to do the rest. Cohen’s PAT made it 14-6 with 4:30 left.

“We practiced all week on returning it left,” said Williams, who added that his score was the turning point of the game. “A hole opened in the middle and all I saw was open grass.”

Valley’s ensuing possession ended quickly when Ben Fagan stepped in front of Marsden’s intended target at the Warriors’ 25 and intercepted the ball. However, with the Panthers’ going for it on fourthand-9 at the 24, Marsden came up with his second pick of the day.

The teams alternated turnovers again when the Panthers’ Ryan Rozich intercepted Marsden and returned it 37 yards to the Warriors’ 40. While Cromwell/Portland’s ensuing drive stalled with an incomplete pass on fourth down at the Valley 36, Marsden fumbled on the first play of the possession.

After both teams were stopped on downs, the Panthers took over at Valley’s 44 with 3:28 left in the game and scored in four plays. Alex Hair picked up 10 yards on two runs, sophomore Daevyon Lovelace sweeping to the left side for a 32-yard gain to the 2 and Brunk blasting through the middle and into the end zone with 2:02 left on the clock.

Hair led the Panthers’ ground game with 15 carries for 73 yards. Williams had six receptions for 85 yards.

“Being 3-0, that’s pretty cool,” said Hair. “And I have to give respect to the offensive line (Ethan Philbrick, Matt Binezewski, Connor Egan, Jack Williams and Cohen). They have improved so much. A lot of respect to them.”