'He iced the game': GNB Voc-Tech's secret weapon (and his foot) seal win over Apponequet
NEW BEDFORD — When Connor McManus stepped onto the field with his team clinging to a six-point lead with just over a minute to play, the GNB Voc-Tech senior kicker calmly knocked down a 40-yard field goal, his third of the game, to put the Bears up by two scores.
“I can’t let the pressure get to me,” he said afterward. “I’ve been practicing all season for it and I was ready for it.”
Four plays later, teammate Gabriel Alves sealed GNB Voc-Tech’s 23-14 victory over Apponequet with an interception on Friday night in the final seconds of the South Coast Conference Blue Division battle.
With GNB Voc-Tech ahead by just six (14-8) at halftime, McManus hit three field goals of 37, 27 and 40 yards in the second half to lead the Bears to victory.
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“That makes a huge difference,” said Apponequet head coach Zane Fyfe. “That kid has a heck of a leg. He was right down the middle every single time. That can be a game changer for you obviously. That’s nine points and without those nine points, we win.”
GNB Voc-Tech head coach Justin Cruz was not surprised with McManus’ performance Friday night or this season.
“He did awesome,” Cruz said. “We knew coming into this all the hard work he put in on his own in the offseason doing camps and working on his craft. He came in as a sophomore and he proved his value. He came through huge for us today.
“That (final field goal) was massive. With his ability to cap that off and make it two scores was a good feeling.”
GNB Voc-Tech senior Alex Pellegrino added, “He iced the game. We have all the confidence in him.”
McManus first began kicking his freshman year and has focused his attention on improving each offseason by attending camps. Through seven games, McManus has converted 14 extra points and four field goals.
“I’ve been putting in a lot of work since my freshman year,” said McManus. “It means a lot to me. I want to play at the next level.”
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HOW IT HAPPENED
GNB Voc-Tech’s defense, which held Somerset Berkley to just 14 points last week, came up big against the Lakers.
Late in the first quarter, senior Kiegan Anacleto scooped up an Apponequet fumble and returned it 30 yards for a score.
The Bears forced three Apponequet punts and another turnover in the first half.
Senior quarterback Jhaden Reis connected with senior Alex Pellegrino on a 48-yard scoring strike to put Voc-Tech ahead 14-0 with 4:21 left in the second quarter.
In his first year of playing football at Voc-Tech, Pellegrino finished with four catches for 103 yards.
“He was a soccer guy before,” Cruz said. “At the beginning of the season we weren’t sure. We didn’t know his name. His hard work in practice and he was consistent and he constantly showed up and did the right thing and at the end of the day he was our go-to guy today.”
Pellegrino played football his freshman year at Bishop Stang, but focused on soccer the next two years.
“I just love the game,” he said of why he came out for football as a senior.
Apponequet pulled within 14-8 late in the second quarter when junior running back Brody Joly broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run. Joly had the 2-point conversion.
It was Joly’s 17th touchdown of the season.
“He’s definitely a workhorse,” Fyfe said. “He’s a hard worker and he’s hard to bring down. He’s had a lot of success and he can thank that line that he’s had in front of him. We have a really good offensive line.”
GNB Voc-Tech had possession for most of the third quarter thanks to a nine-play, 68-yard drive that was capped off by a 37-yard field goal from McManus.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Bears recovered the ball and put together another long drive, leading to McManus’ second field goal of the game.
The Lakers responded in the fourth quarter when senior quarterback Caiden Cyr connected with junior Elijah Barlow on a 10-yard TD pass play to pull Apponequet within 20-14 with 8:38 to play.
“They’re a good football team and they’re similar to a Dartmouth or Old Rochester — if you don’t play perfectly, they’re going to push the envelope and make it tough,” Cruz said. “I was really proud with how we finished today and I’m really happy for our (19) seniors on Senior Night.”
WHAT IT MEANS
With the win, GNB Voc-Tech improves to 3-4. The Bears visit Dighton-Rehoboth on Friday. The loss drops Apponequet to 2-5. The Lakers host undefeated Fairhaven (7-0) on Friday. “We’ve got to win one more and that’s going to be hard to do,” Fyfe said.
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McManus came up clutch, knocking down three field goals and a pair of extra points.
COACHES CORNER
“Our defense is pretty good. Other than that Old Rochester week, they’ve had some really good teams that can put points up to some fairly low numbers. Today our offense came through.” — Cruz
“Hats off to Justin and Voc-Tech. They played fantastic. They were coming hard. They were well prepared and they executed better than we did. They played better and coached better than we did.” — Fyfe
GNB VOC-TECH 23, APPONEQUET 14
APPONEQUET;0;8;0;6 — 14
GNB VOC-TECH;7;0;0;0 — 23
Scoring
First Quarter
VT: Kiegan Anacleto 30 fumble recovery (Connor McManus kick), 1:19
Second Quarter
VT: Alex Pellegrino 48 pass from Jhaden Reis (Connor McManus kick), 4:21
A: Brody Joly 65 run (Brody Joly run), 1:15
Third Quarter
VT: Connor McManus 37 field goal, 6:52
VT: Connor McManus 27 field goal, 3:28
Fourth Quarter
A: Elijah Barlow 10 pass from Caiden Cyr (run failed), 8:38
VT: Connor McManus 40 field goal, 1:05
Individual Statistics
Rushing — A: Dylan Bradley 3-32, Elijah Barlow 2-3, Brody Joly 14-114-1, Caiden Cyr 6-24; VT: Jhaden Reis 18-79, Harrison Cabral 12-39, Aliaz Colon 7-22.
Passing — A: Caiden Cyr 9-13-67-0-2; VT: Jhaden Reis 5-12-110-1.
Receiving — A: Dylan Bradley 2-7, Colin Cyr 2-13, Ryan Ponte 1-2, Brody Joly 1-11, Evan Dupras 2-24, Elijah Barlow 1-10-1.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: GNBVT football beats Apponequet for third win of 2023
