Mustangs lose heart-breaking home opener

PDS scores defensive TD for 6-0 win

By: Shawn Tyrrell
   
   Sometimes teams lose football games because the other team is simply better. Other times a big play by the opposition can be the difference in the contest.
   Last Friday night Princeton Day School accomplished the latter, gaining or escaping — depending on how you look at it — with a hard-fought 6-0 victory over Manville High in the Mustangs’ home opener of the 2005 season.
   For MHS, this defeat was as agonizing and gut-wrenching as they come. Over the last 10 years there have been some pretty ugly losses to some very good schools. But on this evening the Mustangs came out and played four complete quarters of hard-hitting football, and except for one turnover and a few breakdowns in execution, they should have won the game.
   But victories are not about what could have been, nor is it about moral victories. Manville head coach Brett Stibitz, who has seen his share of close games, praised his team’s effort following the contest.
   "This is a hard one to digest," Stibitz said afterward. "We played hard and our offense moved the ball but we just couldn’t find a hole in the Princeton Day defense."
   The only score of the game came on a 33-yard fumble return by PDS linebacker David Blitzer. Manville’s defense didn’t allow a touchdown for the second time in three games.
   "This loss hurts obviously, especially when our defense pitches a shutout and we lose," Stibitz said. "All night we rose to the occasion and stopped them, but in the end we fell a little short."
   The contest started out with each defensive unit setting the tone. Manville won the toss but the offense was unable to move the ball farther than the 38-yard line and was thwarted on a 3rd-and-2 attempt when quarterback Mike Knitowski was stopped cold by Princeton Day defensive tackle Alex Kowalski. Following the punt, the Panther offense was only able to gain two yards they also were forced to punt.
   Manville got the ball back with excellent field position and seemed poised to get things going after taking over on the 41-yard line. But on the first play from scrimmage, Knitowski couldn’t get the ball to running back Tommy Rock, and the loose ball was picked up by Blitzer, who returned the ball 33 yards for a touchdown.
   MHS didn’t give up and the ensuing kickoff brought the Mustang fans to their feet. Behind some great blocking up front, Rock nearly made fans forget about the fumble by racing some 70 yards up the middle of the field, before he was finally brought down at the 24-yard line of the Panthers. It looked for certain that Manville would cash in, but three runs netted only two yards. Faced with a 4th-and-8, the MHS offense went to the air, but Knitowski after some great scrambling was stopped just short of the first down marker and Princeton Day took over on downs.
   The Panther offense managed to move the ball Mustang territory behind the running of Mike Shimkin, who carried five times for 14 yards, but the drive stalled at the Manville 48 after Princeton Day was charged with an illegible player down field.
   Following the punt, the Manville offense again gave the ball back. This time, Knitowski was intercepted when Andrew Ojeda picked him off. Four plays later the Mustang defense forced Princeton Day to punt, but MHS was pinned back at its 14-yard line. This time the ground game started to get going as two great runs by Leo Rodriguez for 12 yards, and another by Rock for 34 again had Manville in Panther territory at the 45. The offense moved as far as the 34 when Rodriguez fought for two yards and a first down on fourth and one, but that was the extent of the drive. On 3rd-and-14, a Knitowski pass was dropped and the Mustangs opted to punt.
   Following a short kick, the Princeton Day offense also go things going as the unit moved the ball into Manville territory with the big play being a 26-yard pass completion from quarterback Clint O’Brien to Mike Rappaport. The drive was stopped when Kowalski was hit and fumbled, and the loose pigskin was recovered by Rodriguez.
   The MHS offense had a chance as again the team moved deep into PDS territory when Knitowski found Rodriguez down field for a 26-yard completion. The Mustangs managed to advance to the 28 yard-line on a 14-yard scamper by Knitowski, but three incomplete passes and a sack put an end to the drive.
   The second half featured much of the same as both defenses clamped down on the other team’s offensive unit. MHS stopped a potential scoring drive for the Panther when Knitowski picked off an O’Brien pass at the 33-yard line, but the euphoria was short-lived again when the Princeton Day defense did the job and forced Manville to punt.
   The game clock continued to wind and with just 2:35 left MHS had one chance remaining. Starting at the team’s 19, Manville got a break when the Panther defense was called for pass interference pushing the ball to the 34-yard line. Another big run by Rodriguez for 22 yards again had the Mustangs in Princeton territory at the 44-yard line.
   A pass from Knitowski to Rock was good for seven more yards and a carry by Rodriguez netted two more with just under 1:25 to go in the game. Manville’s bid to tie the score and possibly win the game ended after a run for negative yardage and three incomplete passes.
   Rock, who contributed in many facets of the game, was like the rest of the Manville team taking this loss hard.
   "It was a tough loss considering that we didn’t give up a touchdown," Rock said.
   For Manville it was a case of execution, Offensively, the Mustangs did some good things and came up with some big plays, but the common theme was their inability to get into the end zone.
   "Twice we should have gotten into the end zone on kick returns, but we couldn’t make it happen," Rock said "Our defense played great and the offensive line did a good job blocking all night. Now we know how much it hurts. It is different losing 6-0 than 31-0."