(Copyright, Sports on CT-69)
It was the tale of two one-sided halves in the NVL high school football clash between Holy Cross and Waterbury Career Academy on Saturday afternoon at Ray Snyder Sr. Field.
The Spartans ruled the first half and led 30-7 at halftime. The second half belonged to the Crusaders, who used a shocking 44-8 edge to rally for a 51-38 victory in front of a good crowd inside the Municipal Stadium complex. Holy Cross improved to 4-2 on the season, 4-0 in the NVL Brass Division, while WCA dropped to 3-3. The Crusaders clinched the division title with the victory.
Alex Ward ran like a man possessed for Holy Cross in the second half and was rarely stopped. Ward carried 21 times for 227 yards in the game and scored five touchdowns, according to a story from Mark Jaffee of the Waterbury Republican-American.
Holy Cross was down and out in the first half. It didn’t matter if starting quarterback Corey Fappiano or backup Drevon Yeldell was throwing the ball…WCA defenders seemed to be there to pick the pass off. The Spartans got pressure on the passer, and their linebackers and defensive backs were opportunistic. Mark Cummings had two of the six WCA interceptions, including one off of a deflection from teammate Giovanni Rodrigues.
The Crusaders went into the half down 30-7, and that was only part of the story. Holy Cross was angry after a fight broke out with WCA in the second quarter. Punches were thrown, players were ejected, and it was an unfortunate moment for both teams.
The Crusaders had to bounce back from two more interceptions in the third quarter before Ward scored from 14 yards out with 10.6 seconds remaining. Vin Graziano’s extra point made the score 30-14.
(Copyright, Sports on CT-69)
Holy Cross had only just begun to put points on the scoreboard. The Crusaders recovered the ensuing onside kick, then Ward flew downfield for a long run inside the Spartan 10.
Yeldell scored from five yards out and Ward ran in the two-point conversion to make it 30-22. Holy Cross recovered a WCA fumble on the ensuing kickoff and got the ball in Spartan territory. Not long after the recovery, Pat Giancarli ran for an eight-yard touchdown to make the score 30-28. The Crusaders were called for a delay of game before attempting the two-point conversion, but it didn’t matter. Ward wasn’t going to be denied, he scored, and Holy Cross tied the game at 30-30 with 10:32 left on the clock.
WCA was reeling, and it showed on the ensuing possession. The Spartans were stuffed, then a bad snap on a punt attempt led to a huge loss and more great field position for the Crusaders. As if shot out of a cannon, Ward erupted for a 34-yard touchdown on the next play to put Holy Cross ahead 36-30 at the 9:14 mark. The extra point snap was mishandled, but the Crusaders had their first lead of the game.
Holy Cross forced a turnover on downs with 6:55 to go, and it again took Ward one play to get to the end zone. Ward scored from 49 yards out, and the Graziano kick put the Crusaders ahead 43-30 with 6:43 to go.
Holy Cross was in great shape, but WCA got right back into the game less than 90 seconds later when quarterback Savion Ettson hooked up with Jacob Torres for a 53-yard touchdown pass. Ettson, a great athlete who is really hard to tackle, ran in the two-point conversion and the score was 43-38 with 5:15 to play.
Yeldell, a sophomore, came up with a big keeper for a first down with 2:35 to play. With 1:39 to go, Ward scored from 15 yards out, then added the two-point conversion for a 51-38 Holy Cross lead. Marcus Payne and Matt Judson had sacks of Ettson on the final WCA possession, and the Crusaders were able to kill the clock and steal the win.
WCA’s big first half
The Spartans went ahead 8-0 on a touchdown pass from Ettson to Langstun Racine and a two-point conversion run with 5:54 remaining in the first quarter. Ward had a 62-yard touchdown run and Graziano’s extra point made the score 8-7, but it was all WCA from there the rest of the half.
Gopie ran 28 yards for a touchdown and a 14-7 lead at the 6:29 mark of the second quarter. It appeared that Gopie was hurt, and WCA coaches were infuriated and claimed that their star back was tackled in the end zone well after he scored. Gopie returned, and after Rafael Prado provided an interception and a long return, Gopie scored from 10 yards out. A two-point pass from Ettson was successful, and WCA led 22-7 with 2:36 to go until halftime.
Mark Cummings yanked down his second interception interception, then Ettson hit Racine for a 57-yard touchdown pass. A Gopie two-point run put WCA ahead 30-7 with 1:13 to go until halftime. Just to add to Holy Cross’ misery, Jacob Torres snagged an interception just before halftime.
Holy Cross’ monster second half
After a first half where the Crusaders struggled offensively, the blocks were there and so were the holes. Ward hit the holes and found plenty of room to run. Holy Cross’ offensive line created space and gave both Ward and Yeldell room to run. The Crusader wide receivers can’t be forgotten with their blocking on the outside.
Holy Cross scored 36 unanswered points in less than five and a half minutes, starting with the Ward touchdown run near the end of the third quarter that helped get the score to 30-14 Spartans. By the 6:43 mark of the fourth quarter, the Crusaders were ahead 43-30. It was an incredible comeback, one that won’t soon be forgotten by those who support the green and gold.
Gallery
Here are my photos from today’s game.
