Cromwell's Offensive Show Overwhelms Northwest Catholic, 35-19

Quarterback Anthony Morales and the Cromwell offense went about their appointed task with the precision of a neurosurgical team.

Even when his passes weren’t as accurate as he’d like, his receivers made acrobatic catches. When Morales wasn’t hitting them in stride streaking down the sideline, they were sliding and leaping to first downs. couldn’t find a solution.

Morales directed a balanced offense that struck for over 450 yards Saturday as No. 8 Cromwell overcame an early deficit to defeat the fifth-seeded Indians, 35-19, and advance to the Class S championship against Holy Cross-Waterbury.

Northwest (9-3), playing in its eighth Class S tournament since 2004, has never won a state title. The Indians are now 2-5 in postseason play. Cromwell, which has qualified for postseason play in seven of the nine seasons since beginning a varsity program, seeks its second ‘S’ title.

The Indians began the game like they were going to uphold coach Mike Tyler’s strategy of controlling the ball with their power rushing attack. Two touchdowns by Anthony Carter staked the Indians to a 13-0 lead. With 2:42 gone in the second quarter, Northwest had enjoyed possession for all but Cromwell’s short three-and-out midway through the first quarter.

Once the 6-foot-2, 175-pound Morales found his rhythm, the Panthers flashed their state championship credentials. When he wasn’t finding Mike Antonio (6 catches, 154 yards, 1 TD) or Brett Director, junior running back Derrick Villard (20 carries, 155 yards, 2 TDs) was getting to the edge and turning it upfield.

“[Morales is] a real good quarterback and had a great game,” Tyler said. “[Antonio] had a great game and [Director] had a pretty good game. Their running game hurt us with that option. We weren’t getting off the blocks like we needed to. They did a great job.”

The first half was a study in the offensive diversity. Northwest, often using a tight double wing, sought to establish ball control. Cromwell’s attempt to spread the field failed.

Northwest dominated early. The Indians methodically marched 53 yards in 12 plays after Carter returned the opening kickoff 39 yards. Carter capped the drive with a 16-yard touchdown by cutting back behind the Indians’ big offensive wall.

Cromwell gave the Indians’ defense a taste of its explosive big-play capability on the first play from scrimmage when Morales fired to Antonio for a 58-yard gain to the Northwest 10. But the defense stiffened. Wesley Hopkins and Chris Thomas collaborated on a third-down sack and the Panthers turned it over on downs.

The Indians proceeded to drive 81 yards on 14 plays, digesting nearly six minutes and taking a two-touchdown lead on Carter’s two-yard run.

“We tried to keep the ball out of their hands,” Tyler said. “They’re a real good football team. You’ve got to make your plays when they’re there.”

A moment that Tyler said he would like to have back came midway through the second quarter. Cromwell had just answered Northwest’s second score with a demoralizing 34-yard touchdown pass from Morales to Antonio on third-and-13.

The Indians were faced with fourth-and-1 at midfield when Tyler opted to pin Cromwell deep. After a 22-yard punt, Cromwell scored on the next play. Villard turned the right corner for a 72-yard touchdown that gave the Panthers (10-2) the lead for good at 14-13.

“That really hurt,” he said. “Maybe next time I’d go for it.”

The sequence was the turning point. Northwest’s next possession came to a halt when Alex Ramirez intercepted and set up the Cromwell offense at its own 47 with 30 seconds left until halftime.

A pass that most everybody but the officials could see short-hopped Director was ruled a catch on a first-down play good for 15 yards. Passes of 22 and 15 yards took the ball down to the 1 and Villard scored with two seconds remaining. Cromwell’s 21-point second quarter shifted the momentum irreversibly.

“Our offensive coordinator put together a game plan and our kids executed it better than we could have anticipated,” Cromwell’s first-year coach Chris Eckert said. “They felt unstoppable. They got off the bus charged and ready to go and it really showed today. …

“That last touchdown just before the half was a big, big game changer.”

Cromwell’s dominance spilled over into the third quarter with Morales dicing the Northwest secondary. He completed five straight passes and gobbled up 80 yards of prime Cheshire real estate. The 28-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Walker was wide open. Cromwell enjoyed a 28-13 lead 3½ minutes into the second half.

Northwest went to a Wildcat formation with Nick Gaynor taking direct snaps and it paid immediate dividends. Gaynor went 73 yards for a touchdown with 5:28 remaining in the third quarter, but it was the Indians’ last gasp.

Thirty-yard air strikes to Director sustained a fourth-quarter drive that pushed the game out of reach when Director tiptoed in from the 5.

The Northwest rush was often in Morales’ face but he deftly eluded would-be tacklers and effectively moved the pocket so he could get his body behind his deliveries.

“He would get it off in time and he was throwing BBs,” Tyler said. “He threw some great passes and they made some great catches. We were there a couple times but they just made great catches.”

Morales has thrown for 3,354 yards and 31 touchdowns this year.

Eckert wouldn’t specify how Cromwell slowed Northwest’s ground game but acknowledged that it was tantamount in turning the game the Panthers’ way.

“We changed a little bit of the scheme, we put different people in different spots and we told them to get downhill and tackle a little bit more,” he said.

“I was getting very nervous about stopping them, the fact that they were driving the ball up and down the field. Just making the changes, the kids started cranking it up. Once our offense gets going, everybody kind of feels the energy that those guys put on the field. Things changed in our direction after that.”

Cromwell 35, Northwest Catholic 19

Class S Semifinal at Cheshire High School

Cromwell (10-2) 0 21 7 7 – 35

NW Catholic (9-3) 7 6 6 0 – 19

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

NWC – Anthony Carter 16 run (Christian Farrell kick), 5:49

Second Quarter

NWC – Carter 2 run (kick failed), 9:18

C – Mike Antonio 34 pass from Anthony Morales (Brett Director kick), 5:56

C – Derrick Villard 72 run (Director kick), 2:52

C – Villard 1 run (Director kick), :02.2

Third Quarter

C – Brandon Walker 28 pass from Morales (Director kick), 8:24

NWC – Nick Gaynor 73 run (run failed), 5:28

Fourth Quarter

C – Director 5 run (Director kick), 4:24

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Cromwell: Villard 20-155, Director 4-0, Morales 3-(-5). NWC: Carter 15-89, Gaynor 11-101, Calitri 7-20, Lucien Cance 2-13, Joe Repoli 4-7.

PASSING – Cromwell: Morales 16-24-0, 304 yds. NWC: Calitri 6-15-1, 55 yds..

RECEIVING – Cromwell: Antonio 6-154, Director 4-93, Ricky Feggins 1-0, Ryan Jarzavek 2-20, Villard 2-9, Walker 1-28. NWC: Jalen Lollar 1-4, David Blackwell 3-38, Carter 1-4, Henry Hayes 1-9.