Trinity-Pawling Overpowers Phillips Andover

EASTHAMPTON -- There is a reason Trinity-Pawling boasts one of the top offensive units in the New England Prep School Athletic Council. It didn't take long for Phillips Andover to discover why.

The Pride demolished the Big Blue defense and ran away with a 42-26 victory yesterday to win the Eaton/Estey Bowl at Berube Stadium on the campus of Williston-Northampton School.

Averaging 36 points per game during the regular season, Trinity-Pawling (N.Y.) kept up those numbers as it amassed 440 yards of offense, 265 on the ground, en route to its first NEPSAC title.

''It was a tough one," said Andover coach Leon Modeste. ''They're a good team and my hat is off to them. They had some great players who made some big plays. They were just a little too much for us and we had to play the perfect game against them and we didn't do that."

Leading, 15-12, at the half, the Pride (9-0) exploded for 27 unanswered points over the third and fourth quarters to turn the game into a rout.

Trinity Pawling staged a balanced attack of run and throw. Running backs Greg Harris, Chris Coratti, Ron Bracchi, and Robert Damon all came up big for the Pride, with Damon, a senior, leading the way with 110 yards on five carries, including a 90-yard scoring run midway through the fourth quarter. Six-foot-3-inch receiver Martwain Johnston had five receptions for 137 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

''He high jumps 6-feet-10 and we just said 'Get the ball up to him,' " said Pride coach David Coratti. ''He made some great catches and really opened up the game for us. We have a lot of weapons on offense. You have to watch a lot of things. You can't just look to stop one because if you do, you'll get burned by the other guys."

Trinity Pawling jumped ahead, 7-0, following a 15-play, 82-yard drive which consumed 6:31. Key passes by Mike Sarnese to Colin Coneys and Bracchi for 18 and 15 yards, respectively, set up a Harris 2-yard scoring run. Harris, a senior, had three touchdown runs and threw for another.

But Andover (8-1) fought back, scoring 12 straight points on touchdown runs by Charles Houghton (4 yards) and Matt Fernandez (35 yards) to go on top, 12-7, with eight minutes left before intermission.

Houghton and Fernandez, who have carried the Big Blue all season, were held in check by the Pride as they combined for 139 yards on 21 attempts.

''Our defense is quick," Coratti said. ''We knew they had two great running backs and we knew we had to stop them, which we did. They had to go to their passing game, which is what we wanted them to do."

Trinity Pawling regained the lead in the final minute before the break when Sarnese found Johnston in the end zone on a 14-yard pass-and-catch to send the Pride into halftime leading by 3.

Things got worse for the Big Blue to begin the second half. Quarterback Joe Lokitis (20 of 31 for 228 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) was picked off by Harris, who returned it 29 yards to set up his own 2-yard score, pushing the lead to 22-12. Minutes later, Damon recovered a fumble after Andover was effectively moving the ball. That miscue set the stage for a Harris 72-yard option pass to Johnston, who got past the defensive back and rumbled the rest of the way, upping T-P's lead to 29-12.

Bracchi scored on a 16-yard run early in the fourth and Damon's 90-yard jaunt added to the Big Blue's misery, making it 42-12.

Jason Soule scored on 6-yard catch and Houghton on 5-yard reception for Andover.