Turnovers Cost Panthers Fifth Game of Season

There was a strict no-alcohol policy being enforced Thursday at the Bridgewater-Raritan home football game against cross-town rival Immaculata.

After the game, however, the members of the Panthers coaching staff may have needed a drink.

The Panthers dropped the fifth game of the year at when the team lost to the Spartans, 42-3.  After a close first half, Bridgewater-Raritan was outscored 35-0 in the second half as turnovers hurt the team in the third quarter.

Head coach Scott Bray did not have much to say after his team once again was hurt by turnovers and penalties.

“First half good, second half, not good,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. We went in the first half and made plays, we didn’t over think and we just played. Then in the second half we started to think too much, and the three turnovers that resulted in three scores really hurt us.”

Senior quarterback Ray Mastroianni threw for 149 yards on 13-23 passing for the Panthers, who were able to control possession for a large part of the first half. Isaiah Solomon caught five passes for 83 yards and Jared Kaden got the bulk of the work out of the backfield, rushing 16 times for 55 yards.

The game didn’t start well for Bridgewater after Immaculata scored on a 47-yard run by Trevor Socarras within the first minute of the game. After that, the Panthers defense held strong, and if it wasn’t for two missed field goals, Bridgewater could have been winning the game at halftime.

“The kids played with attitude in the first half,” Bray said. “They were playing with some inspiration, being that it’s a big rivalry game. We were able to control the offense in the first half, but we couldn’t finish off our drives.”

The Panthers came out at halftime as a fired-up group that was looking to take advantage of possession in the first half. After a successful first play, the Panthers had a first turnover of the quarter.

Immaculata would go on to score just a few plays later.

Bridgewater-Raritan could not regroup after the turnover, and went on to turn the ball over two more times in the quarter. All three turnovers resulted in Spartan touchdowns, and, with 5:39 remaining in the quarter, a 7-3 deficit turned into a 28-3 hole for the Panthers.

“We came out and did exactly what we wanted to at the start of the second half,” Bray said. “We had the right play drawn up, but we turned the ball over. Once we had the first turnover, we started to unravel and the turnovers followed.”

The Spartans would go on to score two more touchdowns to bring the score to 42-3, which would eventually drive the enthusiastic student section home early.

The season has not gone the way that the coaches or players expected at the beginning of the year. Bray acknowledged that they are not building to next year, and that he wants his team to finish the season strong.

“Our team needs to understand that they are still playing with a purpose,” Bray said. “We have five games remaining in the year, and each game from here on out is a character game for our guys.”

“We are not looking to next year yet, but it’s about getting some of our younger guys reps,” Bray added. “We’re going to see what they can do and add a little inspiration to our team. It’s on their shoulders now to determine where they want to be and how they want to end the season.”

The Panthers take the field again Oct. 14 when the team plays Franklin at 7 p.m. for Senior Night at Bridgewater-Raritan High School.