Late Burgess touchdown sends Panthers past Oakers

After scoring just 28 points in its first three league games, the Johnston football team has picked up its offense and put it into high gear and has now scored 152 points in its last four league games. The Panthers would come up with a last-minute, 42-38 win on Friday night at the Walter Clark Athletic Complex in Coventry as Elijah Burgess scored his third touchdown of the night with a little over a minute to play to put the Panthers on top for good. Johnston's offense had a little different look to it Friday night, with junior Evin Calfiano making his first start of the season at quarterback, while senior Kyle Nelson shifted over from the quarterback position to wide receiver.

"Evin is one of those kids who is a student of the game, he always pays attention and knows where everyone should be at all times," Johnston head coach Joe Acciardo said. "He is focused and is always ready to go. When there is a senior playing in front of you, a lot of guys might lose their faith, not Evin. He was ready and executed well. He is ready to go the rest of the season. Evin has a quick release and gets rid of the ball quick, he just has to work on the long ball. Kyle said that he would like to go to receiver, that's where he likes to be. It is less pressure and stress and he did a good job there tonight."

It was senior night for the Oakers, but it was three Johnston seniors who helped in ruining their night. Nelson caught four balls for 142 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown, Burgess ran for three scores and caught another and Nassir Vasquez ran a punt back for a touchdown and made an interception that sealed the game. The Panthers finish with a 2-5 Division II-A record, while Coventry falls to 1-6 in Division II-B. The Oakers scored one minute and 51 seconds into the game on a Nicholas D'Ambra 45-yard touchdown run out of their wildcat offense. Alex Soito ran in the 2 for an 8-0 lead. The Panthers would go on to score 28 unanswered points starting early in the second quarter, as Burgess recovered a fumble that led to his first touchdown of the game, a 2-yard run made possible by a Nelson catch. Aristides Tejeda tied the game with the 2-point conversion.

When the Panthers got the ball again, Calfiano found Burgess for a 40-yard touchdown pass play, with Tejeda converting another 2 as Johnston doubled up on Coventry for a 16-8 halftime advantage. Calfiano hit Nelson on a long pass, making a leaping grab before outrunning the Oaker defense for an 80-yard score to open up the second half.

After the Panther defense forced a three-and-out, Vasquez took it to the house with a 70-yard punt return and a 28-8 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, however, D'Ambra ended the Panther run with an 80-yard return for a score, cutting the Panther lead to 28-16.

D'Ambra got his team closer late in the third quarter on a 9-yard touchdown run. Tyler Pellettier's 10-yard rush tied the game at 28, with D'Ambra converting for the 2 for a 30-28 Oaker lead early in the fourth quarter.

Ty Harriel's 40-yard gain set up a Burgess 5-yard touchdown up the middle as Johnston regained the lead, 34-30, ending the home team's 22-point run.

Jarred Grossguth scored on a fourth-and-2 play at the Johnston 38-yard line and D'Ambra ran in another 2 for an Oaker 38-34 lead with 4:18 left to play.

Calfiano drove his team down the field with key passes to Nelson and Vasquez that set up what proved to be the winning score, a Burgess 6-yard bolt up the middle. Burgess would gain 53 hard-earned yards in the game on 11 carries.

"Burgess runs really hard," Acciardo said. "He is the type of guy that when you tackle him you pay the price. You don't realize it with his small frame, but he hits you as if a truck hit you. He just explodes on you and is a punishing runner."

Calfiano and Burgess connected on the 2 and Johnston led 42-38 with 1:10 remaining in the game. Calfiano was 10-for-17 passing on the night for 202 yards. Starting from its own 18 with two timeouts and 1:08 on the clock, Coventry drove to the Panther 32-yard line. Johnston's defense would play well, and with one second left on the game clock, Vasquez intercepted Oaker quarterback Michael Abbruzzese in the end zone to secure the win for the Panthers in what had to be one of the most exciting games of the 2016 Johnston season.

"We can score points, we just have trouble stopping people on defense," Acciardo said. "We are playing with a little more heart and sense of urgency. The third quarter seemed like deja vu all over again and I told the juniors that they had to pitch in and they did."

Johnston will host Classical in a non-league game Friday at 7 p.m. It will then host a Thanksgiving Eve game at Polisena Stadium against undefeated D-III power Juanita Sanchez/PCD/Wheeler on Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.