The 2009 Johnston Panthers Varsity squad came into last Sunday's second-round playoff game fully aware of the task ahead of them. Knocking off the undefeated Jets on the road would take every ounce of energy they could muster. Heading into practice last week, head coach Tony De Marco told his Panthers, "You are battle hardened."

Part of De Marco's game plan was to score first and see how the Jets would react to being behind, a situation they had never been in. Unfortunately for the Panthers, this never came to pass and it was the Panthers that had to fight from behind through much of the game.

In first quarter action, the Jets took the ball on the first series of the game and started a drive on the Panthers 46-yard line. The Jets powerful offensive line had little trouble with the Panthers defensive line and its interior linebackers. They worked between the tackles and ground the ball down the field and scored with 6:37 left in the first quarter. The Panthers held off the conversion. The Panther defense appeared flat and defensive coordinator Ralph Bubar called a time-out to try and fire up the unit. Johnston could ill afford to fall any further behind.

Early in the game, the Panthers suffered a devastating blow when halfback and safety Chris Pistacchio was forced to leave the game with a severe ankle sprain. Injuries to Keith Scaramuzzi and Richard Lonardo forced even more adjustments to the Panther defensive unit.

Johnston had to generate some offense so they called on veteran halfback Jimmy Suon. Suon advanced the ball from the Panthers 38 to the Jets 10-yard line when he ran a counter play that caught the Jets off guard. The Panthers were operating from deep in Jet territory. Three plays later, quarterback Steve Simone threw a tight spiral to tight end Steve Perfetto for a touchdown. The Jets turned the conversion away and the score stood at 6-6 with 2:05 left to play in the first quarter.

In the second quarter the Panthers defense became more physical and though they bent, they did not break. Tackle Mike Garafalo and linebacker Nick Paola made defensive plays that stopped the Jets on the Panther 34-yard line. Zack Fontes, the Panthers’ wide receiver, became an important target in the contest. The Panthers’ drive fell apart when a holding penalty put them out of commission. The game was deadlocked going into the halftime break.

When play resumed, it was apparent that the game would go to the wire and both defenses played with intensity. The Panthers managed to pin the Jets deep in their own end and forced them to punt.

The punt was fielded by Johnston and as the return man advanced, the Jets swarmed him. The ball squirted loose and bounced forward. Panther Brenden Iannelli fell on the ball and appeared to recover it, however, two Jets fell on him and the official awarded the ball to the Jets.

The Jets put together a drive that ate up the clock and marched them down the field. The Jets looked to their strengths and pounded up the middle as they were now in the fourth quarter of play. North Providence eventually scored on the right side from about three yards out. They also scored on the conversion to keep the pressure on Johnston. The Jets led 14-6.

The Panthers Iannelli fielded the kick off and advanced it to the Jets’ 45. The Panthers could sense the urgency and quarterback Steve Simone threw repeatedly to his tall target Fontes, who moved the ball quickly down field. Operating from the red zone Simone put the ball right on target and hit Fontes in the numbers for a touchdown. The momentum was with the Panthers and all that stood in the way of the tie was the conversion.

With 4:30 on the clock, Jimmy Suon was given the ball and plunged forward. It appeared to be good and the Panthers celebrated, but the two points were waived and the scoreboard reset at 14-12 when an official indicated Suon was inches short from the goal line.

The Jets stayed aggressive and moved the ball into the Panthers’ end of the field. With 1:15 left, the Jets blundered on a pass and cornerback Jimmy Suon intercepted the ball on the Panther 22, giving them one last opportunity to win the tilt.

The Jets played brilliantly on defense and the Panthers only advanced to their 34-yard line when time ran out.

The Panthers gave it all they had and gave the powerhouse Jets all they could handle. Despite being on the short end of some controversial calls and suffering some key injuries, the Panthers proved to be a tough and tenacious team. They are champions on and off the field.

In the final team huddle, defensive coordinator Ralph Bubar and head coach De Marco said goodbye to a team that rose to the challenge and was a remarkable source of pride to the organization and to the town of Johnston.

The North Providence Jets will take on the Southside Saints varsity in the Super Bowl.