The Crosby football team looked to be in trouble against rival Kennedy on Thanksgiving at Jimmy Lee Stadium.
The Eagles were running the ball well, and Damar Byrd had just given the visitors a one-point lead with less than five minutes left on a short touchdown run and ensuing two-point conversion. The Bulldogs needed a response, and they got it from their seniors.
Crosby came from behind to beat Kennedy, 35-22, and finished at 5-5. The Eagles ended the season at 2-8. Bulldog senior quarterback Tanner Leo threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to fellow senior Taji Blizzard Jr. to put the home side ahead, 27-22, with just 1:11 to play in the game. Leo then found senior Jeffrey Burke for the ensuing two-point conversion.
Kennedy drove the ball to the Crosby 39 in the final seconds, but junior quarterback Dereck Ledee was hit as he threw a pass on the game’s last play. Burke intercepted the pass and ran it back 76 yards for a touchdown. The game was well-played by both sides, and neither had anything to hang their heads about.
Leo finished his final game with two touchdown passes, the other an 11-yard strike to Burke. Junior Michael Scott ran for a pair of touchdowns, and fellow junior Syere Coleman intercepted a pass. Junior Jonathan Rosario recovered a fumble on a kickoff.
For the Eagles, Ledee ran for a pair of touchdowns. The senior trio of Byrd, Matthew Velasquez and J’Kwon Crawford combined with Ledee to pile up more than 220 yards rushing.
Bristol Central 38, Bristol Eastern 8: After spotting the Lancers an eight-point lead at Muzzy Field, the Rams tallied 38 unanswered points to win the Battle for the Bell.
Victor Rosa went wild in his final Bell game, rushing for 282 yards and three touchdowns and passing for 79 yards and two more scores. Rosa finished with five touchdowns, which tied the single-game Bell record he holds with Ram legend Tim Washington. Rosa also tallied five touchdowns in 2019. He was the offensive MVP for Central for the second straight Bell game, while Dan Lauretti earned defensive MVP honors.
Central finished the regular season 9-1 and will play in the playoffs for the first time since 1987.
Alex Marshall was the offensive MVP while Austin Shorette earned defensive MVP honors for Eastern. It was also the second offensive MVP honor for Marshall in a Bell game. The Lancers finished the season at 4-6.
Holy Cross 47, Wolcott 8: Tom Ligi nearly ran for 200 yards for the second straight game as the Crusaders beat the rival Eagles at Municipal Stadium.
Ligi ran for 181 yards and scored Holy Cross’ first four touchdowns as the home team built a 27-0 halftime advantage. Ligi eclipsed 1000 yards and tallied 1178 in 10 regular season games, according to the Crusader Gridiron Club website. Chase Zaccagnini ran for a touchdown, as did David Kacprzyski. Gavin Perrone threw a touchdown pass to Carsten Donovan, and Kevin Matiz converted five extra point kicks for the Crusaders, who finished 8-2 and will play in the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
For Wolcott, Mitch Matyoka ran for a touchdown and Anthony Bell threw a two-point conversion pass to Spencer McKenna. The Eagles finished the season at 3-7.
Wilcox/Kaynor 42, VG Techs 12: Brandon Alvarado scored five touchdowns, three on the ground and two through the air, as the co-op won their final game of the season on Wednesday night and finished 1-9.
Caden Kennedy threw a pair of touchdown passes to Alvarado, and Jake Ferrauolo also had a touchdown.
Oxford 13, St. Paul 0: Isaiah Conner ran for 91 yards while Nick Dube rushed for 80 yards on Wednesday night for the Falcons, who finished the season at 2-8.
WCA 52, Wilby 0: Five Spartans combined for nearly 250 yards rushing and six touchdowns on Tuesday night at Municipal Stadium.
WCA finished the season at 5-5. D’vonte Lane ran 11 times for 89 yards and a touchdown while Zyaire Ettson toted the ball five times for 92 yards and a touchdown for the Spartans, according to stats posted on MaxPreps. Ettson also had an interception on defense. Carlos Calle rushed eight times for 20 yards and two touchdowns while Carmelo Mojica tallied 35 yards and two touchdowns on six attempts. WCA ran for 248 yards on 31 attempts.
On defense, Calle had seven total tackles, including three tackles for loss and two sacks. Calle also returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown. Jio Vargas snagged five tackles including one tackle for loss while Dasani Yates and Brandon Kelly each had four tackles, including one tackle for loss. Kelly added a sack and Trevor Bassett tallied a half-sack. Yates, Juan Garcia and Tracy Graves II also recovered fumbles, with Yates’ recovery coming in the end zone for a touchdown.
Wilby finished the season at 1-9.
Photo caption: Crosby quarterback Tanner Leo (2) looks to the sideline for instructions during his team’s Thanksgiving morning game against Kennedy at Jimmy Lee Stadium. Standing next to Leo is running back Michael Scott (3). (Copyright, Sports on CT-69)
