Mt. Ararat’s Shea Farrell, front, hauls in a pass while Freeport’s Daniel Casale defends during a 7-on-7 football game Monday in Freeport. Eli Canfield/Times Record
FREEPORT— It was a cold and windy night at Freeport High School, meaning it was perfect weather for a game of football.
In its final home game of the unprecedented season, Freeport rolled past Mt. Ararat to a 42-8 victory behind five touchdown passes from senior QB Anthony Pancioicco, who returned to his role behind center after missing Friday’s win over Brunswick.
“It was good to be out here, it was a fun night,” Pancioicco said, who was playing in his final game.
For the Eagles, it was their final game of the season, and the last game of senior Nolan Blessington’s high school career, barring a spring season.
Mt. Ararat’s Nolan Blessington, right, tags Freeport’s Justin Cogswell during a 7-on-7 football game Monday in Freeport. Eli Canfield/Times Record
It’s weird, I’m not ready for this ride to be over,” said Blessington, who threw the lone touchdown for the Eagles. “This sport has given me more than I ever could have asked for. This sport teaches you a lot about growing up and making friends, the scoreboard doesn’t reflect in any way of how I am feeling right now.”
After beating the defending regional champion Dragons of Brunswick on Friday, the Falcons showed their resilience once again and topped the defending 8-man state champion.
“That was some great football on both sides of the ball tonight,” Freeport head coach Paul St. Pierre said to his team after the game.
While 7-on-7 is vastly different from the football we have become accustomed to, one place you can show your talent is pass coverage, something the Falcons did extremely well on Monday, causing Blessington to make multiple “coverage sacks”.
Like Friday, the wind and temperature played a factor in how the game played out. Wind gusts were so strong at times both Blessington and Pancioicco would take a step out and wait for it to die down.
“I felt a little chilly at first and was thrown off, but I think I was able to control the ball more as I got used to the conditions,” said Blessington.
Mt. Ararat’s Kobe Clark turns upfield after making a catch against Freeport in a 7-on-7 football game Monday in Freeport. Eli Canfield/Times Record
The Falcons scored two touchdown passes in the first quarter both of which were caught by senior Caden Benedict. Benedict caught the lone touchdown for either side in the second quarter, finishing with three total for the game.
Daniel Fox and Tony Casale each added a touchdown catch in the third quarter, and Daniel Casale returned an interception for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to put the game on ice.
The Eagles only touchdown came in the first quarter, when Blessington found Shea Farrell in the end zone.
When asked about what he will remember most from his career, Blessington didn’t hesitate to answer.
“Nothing will beat that feeling of when we won the state championship. Playing football through the program all these years, that was something I dreamed of growing up,” said Blessington.
While the state championship will always top the list for what Blessington will remember most, he couldn’t help but talk about his senior season, albeit different than what he expected.
“To be able to be the captain and go out and lead these guys in a time like this, to keep the culture we had last year, that’s made this year awesome, regardless of what we did on the field,” Blessington explained.
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