Crosby football’s Jeremiah Febus (7) hooked up with Courdel McLarty for the play of the season, a touchdown pass on the game’s final play to stun Wilby, 28-24, on Saturday. (Copyright, Sports on CT-69)
There was exhilaration on the home sideline at Jimmy Lee Stadium on Saturday. On the away sideline, there was devastation.
That’s what happens when a rivalry high school football game comes down to the final play, and Crosby and Wilby went down to the final whistle in their Week 7 matchup.
Jeremiah Febus rolled to his right and found Courdel McLarty in the back of the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown and a stunning 28-24 Bulldog victory over the Wildcats. McLarty had one catch on the day, but it was the biggest one of the junior’s career to date.
That was just one result from Week 7 in area high school football. Here’s how it went, starting with the Crosby-Wilby classic:
CROSBY 28, WILBY 24
The Bulldogs (3-3) scored 14 points in the final quarter to overtake the Wildcats (0-6).
Steven Dunbar ran 46 yards for a touchdown, and when Jaedan Cobb added the two-point conversion on a rush of his own, Crosby had a 22-16 lead. Wilby responded with a Treton Stevens 23-yard touchdown pass to Angel Suriel, and conversion run by Shavar Reed, for a 24-22 advantage. The Bulldogs drove down to the Wildcat 21, and that’s where Febus and McLarty for the biggest play of the home team’s season to date.
Febus got Crosby on the board in the second quarter on a one-yard plunge. Stevens hit Keven Ortiz for a 12-yard touchdown, and Suriel caught a conversion pass from Stevens for an 8-6 lead that Wilby took into the halftime break.
Dalan Gainer ran 35 yards for a touchdown, then ran in the conversion for a 16-6 Wildcat advantage. Cobb (4-34) scored on a 12-yard run later in the quarter, then added his own conversion run to cut the Bulldog deficit to 16-14, where it remained after three quarters. That set up a wild fourth quarter where 22 combined points were scored by the two teams.
Will Rogers led Crosby’s rushing attack with 161 yards on 15 carries. Dunbar totaled 112 yards on just eight attempts. Jireh Rawlison had a 55-yard reception on a pass from Febus. On defense, Kalib Shaw totaled 14 tackles and two fumble recoveries while Febus added 11 tackles, plus a blocked punt. Jayden Gerhard had five tackles (1.5 for loss) and a sack.
KENNEDY 42, DERBY 22
Kennedy ran to a 42-22 comeback win over Derby on Friday at the Stadium. (Copyright, Sports on CT-69)
The Eagles scored 34 unanswered points to take control of the Friday night encounter with the Raiders at Municipal Stadium’s Ray Snyder Sr. Field. The game, however, was called with 8:08 to play in the fourth quarter when a fight broke out between a player from Kennedy and a player from Derby.
Tensions built throughout the game between the teams, who had their issues in a previous meeting as well. Officials met with players in their huddles, and at one point brought both head coaches together. In a scary moment, Derby standout Bryan McLean was taken off the field by ambulance. GameTimeCT later reported that McLean was released from Waterbury Hospital. McLean gave a thumbs up as he was being loaded onto the ambulance.
As for the actual game, Kennedy picked up touchdown runs from Travis Figueroa, Jaydon Lopez, Julius Caban and Daniel Rodriguez. Lopez and Damian Elliott hooked up for a touchdown pass while Rodriguez added a pair of two-point conversion runs. Sebastian Elizalde also ran in a two-point conversion. Brendell Kelly had a monster game on defense, returning a fumble 44 yards for a touchdown, and ending another Derby drive deep in Kennedy territory with an interception.
Kennedy trailed, 22-8, after one quarter. The Lopez-Elliott touchdown pass and Lopez scoring run tied the game, 22-22, by halftime. Caban, Kelly and Rodriguez had touchdowns in the second half as the Eagles pulled away.
GALLERY: Here are my photos from the Kennedy-Derby game.
OTHER SCORES
Thursday, Oct. 19
Oxford 40, St. Paul 0
Torrington 18, WCA 14
Friday, Oct. 20
Manchester 42, Bristol Central 13
Platt 7, Bristol Eastern 6
Seymour 49, Wolcott 6
Sunday, Oct. 22
Ansonia 50, Holy Cross 6
