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| DeAndre Wallace had a pair of long touchdowns in a 21-16 Holy Cross win over Crosby on Friday. (Copyright, Sports on CT-69, 2017 file) |
The 2017 season didn’t start the way Holy Cross wanted it to.
The first NVL Brass Division game, a win over Kennedy, became a forfeit loss due to the use of an ineligible paper. A 1-0 start became an 0-1 start.
From that beginning, fast forward to Friday, Nov. 3. Holy Cross held off Crosby 21-16 at Jimmy Lee Stadium to run its Brass record to 4-1. The Crusaders will be rooting for those same Bulldogs to knock off Kennedy (3-1 Brass Division) on Thanksgiving morning. If that happens, Holy Cross owns the Brass Division title.
The Crusaders were expected to be a division contender, just not the way it transpired this season. Since the forfeit, Holy Cross has won division games against Wilby, Waterbury Career Academy, Sacred Heart/Kaynor Tech and Crosby. There were struggles along the way, and late rallies to either put a game away or pull it out.
On Friday, DeAndre Wallace caught a 63-yard touchdown pass from Corey Fappiano and returned a punt 65 yards for another score. The second quarter return was big as it gave the Crusaders a 21-8 halftime lead.
Crosby got a fourth quarter touchdown pass of seven yards from Al Klenja to Marquel Jackson-Smith, plus a conversion pass to Davonte Howard, to cut its deficit to 21-16. Holy Cross was able to hang on for the win and move closer to the Brass Division title it has coveted.
Kennedy (3-1) stayed near the top of the division with a 34-14 win over Sacred Heart/Kaynor Tech on Friday night at Ray Snyder Sr. Field.
Nice road win for Bristol Central
Dathan Hickey ran wild for the Rams in a 43-26 win over Platt on Friday night at Meriden’s Falcon Field.
Hickey had 206 yards rushing and four touchdowns to lead Central (5-3). He also ran a punt back 84 yards for another score. arrell Payton had 149 yards rushing before being thrown out of the game following a third quarter brawl. The Rams dominated up front, according to the story written by Dave Greenleaf for The Bristol Press.
When Platt attempted a late rally, Justus Fitzpatrick picked off a pass and ran it back 99 yards for a back-breaking touchdown.
Marshall to Laprise a big connection
Bristol Eastern lost 14-13 at home to Wethersfield on Friday, but the Justin Marshall to Jaden Laprise connection continues to work for the Lancers.
In the first quarter, Marshall hit Laprise for a 58-yard touchdown pass, and the score was 6-0 after a missed extra point. Trailing 7-6, Marshall and Laprise hooked up again, this time for a 65-yard touchdown. John McPhee’s extra point put the Lancers up 13-7, where the score remained at halftime.
Unfortunately for Eastern (2-6), the only other score in the game belonged to Wethersfield (3-5). The Eagles scored on a third quarter touchdown pass, then converted the extra point for a 14-13 lead.
Tough losses for St. Paul, Wolcott and Wilby
The Falcons, Eagles and Wildcats all sustained one-sided losses on Friday night.
St. Paul lost its third straight, 49-12 at home against Seymour. The Falcons pulled within 7-6 on a Damien Rabis touchdown run, but that was as close as the home side would get.
Wolcott was down just four points to Naugatuck at halftime on the road, but a monster second half from the Greyhounds sent the Eagles to a 61-22 loss. Wolcott dropped to 4-4 on the season.
Wilby got 252 yards passing from Alexandre Gonzalez, but didn’t get in the end zone in a 43-0 loss to Oxford. The Wildcats remained winless on the season.
WCA drops to 3-5
Matt Torres had two touchdown runs, but it wasn’t enough in a 30-14 loss to Watertown. Larry Zapata, a former Sacred Heart athlete, booted four extra points for the Indians.
