Yellowjackets smother Plainville in 41-6 rout

Gilberter/Northwestern players stand over the ball in their Class M quarterfinal playoff win over Plainville (Photo courtesy Tim Gaffney, Litcfhfield County Sports)

TORRINGTON, Nov. 30, 2010 – A team that got to the CIAC Class M playoffs with its defense scored the first five times they touched the ball Tuesday night in the Class M quarterfinals at Torrington High School.

Gilbert/Northwestern, whose run into the playoffs was fueled by a dominant victory over Canton and a superb shutout win over Avon two weeks ago, rolled over Plainville, 41-6 to earn its first-ever CIAC tournament win and a berth in the Class M semifinals on Saturday against Hillhouse-New Haven.

Gilbert (9-2) was in charge from the start, racing out to a 21-0 lead after one quarter and a 35-0 lead at halftime.

The Yellowjackets didn’t allow Plainville a first down until there was about six minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Blue Devils (8-3) had minus 14 yards of offense in the first half.

Gilbert quarterback Bob Lippincott threw three TD passes in the first half, two to Sean Fitzgerald of 41 and 66 yards. Lippincott finished the evening completing 4-of-4 passes for 124 yards and 3 TDs.

Through three quarters, Gilbert allowed Plainville 10 yards of offense, had five tackles for losses and intercepted a pair of passes.

“The story of the game has to be our defense,” Gilbert coach Scott Salius said. “We pride ourselves on our defense. We put a lot of pressure on our defense line. We have three defensive linemen who have to do the job of five. We don’t have a lot of size but we try to make up for it with speed and getting into the backfield.”

“We executed our game plan perfectly,” Salius said. “Plainville is a good offensive football team. Our defense set the tone but the offense picked it up.”

Gilbert scored on its first drive. Lippincott found Fitzgerald down the sideline for a 20-yard completion. But Fitzgerald got away from two Plainville tacklers and raced down the sideline for a 41-yard touchdown pass with just 8:39 gone in the game and a 7-0 Gilbert lead.

“They got caught up in the play action fake,” Salius said.

Fitzgerald’s extra effort to escape two Blue Devil tacklers fired up the Yellowjackets. “When you see one person make that kind of effort, it pumps up everyone,” Salius said.

Plainville went backwards on its first possession. They were hit for losses on two of three plays and on fourth down, the snap sailed high over the head of punter Nick Moshier, who recovered the ball on the Plainville 3 after a 25-yard loss.

Gilbert’s Drew McCarthy scored on the next play for a 14-0 lead with 6:00 left in the first half.

On Plainville’s next possession, quarterback Antonio Lipizzo lost six yards on a third-and-one play and the Blue Devils had to punt.

Two plays later, Lippincott found Fitzgerald in the open for a 66-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline. Connor Gulheen made a nice block to allow Fitzgerald to score and give Gilbert a commanding 21-0 lead with 2:48 left in the first half.

Lippincott’s 26-yard run was the key play in Gilbert’s six-play, 63-yard march that made it 28-0 with 9:50 remaining in the second quarter.

HISTORICAL TIDBITS that don’t mean much: It was the first game between the two teams since 1974 and Gilbert’s first win over Plainville since 1953. … The Yellowjackets lead the series, 7-5. The two teams played seven times from 1934-40. …. Gilbert has never played Hillhouse.

Gilbert/NWR 41, Plainville 6
At Torrington
Plainville (8-3)    0    0  0  6 — 6
Gilbert (9-2)       21  14   6  0 – 41
First quarter
G: Sean Fitzgerald 41 pass from Bob Lippincott (John Ambrozaitis kick), 8:39
G: Drew McCarthy 3 run (Ambrozaitis kick), 6:00
G: Fitzgerald 66 pass from Lippincott (Ambrozaitis kick), 2:48
Second quarter
G: McCarthy 14 pass from Lippincott (Ambrozaitis kick), 9:50
G: Kyle Jones 1 run (Ambrozaitis kick), 3:54
Third quarter
G: Devon Molway 1 run (kick wide), 6:42
Fourth quarter
P: Josh Foster 66 run (kick blocked), 3:46
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Gilbert – Drew McCarthy 2-11, Devon Molway 16-80, Kyle Jones 4-17, Bob Lippincott 2-34, Nick Sullivan 1-2, Ambrozaitis 8-20, John Lippincott 2-8; Plainville – Antonio Lopizzo 4-minus 4, Chris Kuzia 5-15, Adam Foster 7-1, Kevin Waite 2-6, Dean DeMartinis 1-minus 4, Dan Bates 1-25, Mark Durkee 2-12, John Foster 1-66
PASSING: Gilbert – Bob Lippincott 4-4-0, 124, Nick Sullivan 0-1-0, 0; Plainville – Antonio Lopizzo 0-6-2, 0
RECEIVING: Gilbert – Sean Fitzgerald 2-105; Drew McCarthy 2-19

2010 CIAC football tournaments