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Centurions see early lead vanish in loss
NEWBURY PARK — Jumping out to an early lead is a great way for a team to build momentum. The trick is keeping that feeling going for the rest of the game.
Saugus couldn’t have gotten off to a better start in Friday’s game at Newbury High, with senior linebacker Austin Giraldo recovering a Chris Brooks fumble on the first play of the Panthers’ opening drive and returning it 20 yards for a touchdown.
That’s about as good as it got for the Centurions, however, as they got outscored by 21 the rest of the way and lost 26-14.
“I filled the hole, and the lineman was blocking me and I looked down and there the ball was,” said Giraldo “To get a gift like that, especially on the first play, it gets everyone pumped up.”
On the Panthers’ next drive, sophomore quarterback Cameron Rising responded, hitting Shane Sipes down the left sideline for a 79-yard touchdown pass to tie the score 7-7.
Rising was sharp for the Panthers (1-1), completing 13-of-25 passes for four touchdowns and 161 yards.
The Centurions (1-1) regained the lead when Demaurea Ruiz rushed in from 12-yards out, giving Saugus a 14-7 lead.
Quarterback Louis Eusebi threw for 282 yards and rushed for another 148 for the Centurions, but his four interceptions were costly.
Saugus also had serious special teams trouble, with bad and muffed snaps costing them dearly in field position.
“Field position was big tonight,” said Saugus head coach Jason Bornn. “We only had seven points on offense, so that’s something we need to figure out.”
In the second quarter, Rising hit Brooks for a 33-yard score, but a failed 2-point conversion kept Saugus in the lead, 14-13.
Brooks was a workhorse for the Panthers, catching four balls for 36 yards, but doing most of his damage on the ground. The junior finished with 182 yards rushing on 19 carries.
“Chris ran the ball really well,” said Panthers head coach Gary Fabricius. “Our offensive line did a really good job blocking for him and giving Cameron time.”
Things started coming apart for the Centurions in the second half, however.
Rising hit Andrew Noble from 18-yards out to give the Panthers a 19-14 advantage after another failed 2-point conversion.
After a Saugus three-and-out, Rising found Noble again, this time from 16-yards out to give the Panthers their final 26-14 lead.
Saugus will look to rebound next week when it takes on Buena at College of the Canyons.
“On defense, we have to work on our tacking because they had a few guys that were really shifty,” said Giraldo. “But as a team, we just have to improve on our finishing.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
