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Pallotti watched Annapolis Christian win the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association C Conference title, as the Eagles rolled past the Panthers, 27-7 at Arundel High School in Gambrills.
Pallotti (4-5) opened the game with a 12-play, 80-yard drive that lasted more than 5 minutes and ended with a 15-yard touchdown run by sophomore Allen Bright. The Eagles (7-2) countered with 27 unanswered points.
Pallotti led 7-3 at halftime, but Annapolis Christian got a field goal and two touchdowns in the third quarter to take control. The Panthers were playing without one of their top two-way athletes, running back/defensive back Keith Charles, who was suspended after being ejected from last week's game against Baltimore Lutheran for delivering a late hit out of bounds. The loss snapped a three-game Pallotti winning streak. A win would have given Pallotti a shot at sharing the C Conference title with the Eagles.
"That third quarter really changed the whole game," said Pallotti coach Pat Courtemanche. "They got that touchdown and then we had a turnover and they scored again. We just didn't execute in the second half. Not having [Keith] Charles hurt us. We only had three running backs to rotate in and out. I'm not making excuses, though. They just came out and made the plays and we didn't. But these kids fought back from a 1-4 season to get to 4-4. In the past, teams that started 1-4 would have given up."
After Bright's touchdown, Annapolis Christian countered with a long drive of its own, but the Eagles stalled deep in Pallotti territory and eventually settled for a 29-yard field goal by senior kicker Tim Lyons. After a short Pallotti punt gave the Eagles the ball in Panthers' territory, Annapolis Christian reached the Pallotti 22-yard-line before turning the ball over on downs with a pair of incomplete passes by sophomore quarterback Chris Chick.
Trailing 7-3 at the intermission, the Eagles took control in the third quarter, driving 68 yards in 10 plays for their first touchdown. Sophomore running back James Anderson carried four times for 46 yards on the drive, then junior tailback Joe Hunter went 6 yards off left tackle for a touchdown, and Lyons' kick made it 10-7. On its next play from scrimmage, Pallotti committed a turnover, and on the Eagles' first play after that, Anderson ran 15 yards for a touchdown that gave Annapolis Christian a 17-7 lead.
"It was just one of those nights where everything went their way," said Pallotti sophomore running back Matt Defrank, who had 11 carries for 27 yards. "At halftime we talked about making some adjustments to take away their running backs. But everything just went their way in the second half. I thought we fought hard to the end. I don't think we quit."
On its next possession, Pallotti quarterback Rafi Correa was stuffed in the backfield on a fourth and 1 at the Panthers' 29-yard line. But the Panthers got a reprieve when Anderson fumbled on the next play. Pallotti got the ball back, but failed to get a first down, and Rob Hughes only managed to get off a 15-yard punt. He booted a 60-yard punt on the Panthers' last possession of the first half, but his first punt of the second half failed to reach the first down marker.
The Eagles had good field position, but couldn't move the ball and settled for a 41-yard field goal from Lyons for a 20-7 lead with 15 seconds left in the third quarter. On the Panthers' ensuing drive, Anderson intercepted a Correa screen pass. Later in the fourth quarter, Eagles' senior Kyle Mellinger intercepted a Correa pass that went off the hands of two different Panthers' receivers. Mellinger returned the ball to the Pallotti 8-yard line. Three plays later, Hunter scored and Ryan Slenk connected on the extra point with 6:34 remaining.
"I thought our offensive line did an excellent job opening the holes for James," said Eagles' coach Ken Lucas, who guided Gonzaga to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title in 2002 – the last time a team other than DeMatha won the WCAC. "People think of us as a finesse, passing team but we really like to run the ball. The defense did an excellent job. Other than the first drive, they didn't allow another score. It's great for these kids. I told them they can celebrate this weekend, but next week we want to finish the season strong."