This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Wreckers Fall in Overtime to Cheshire

Cheshire wins the Class LL State Championship

For senior running back Matt Kelly, his first fumble of the season came at the worst possible time.

Kelly was stripped on the 4-yard line in overtime, giving Cheshire a 28-21 win over Staples in the Class LL State Championship Sunday at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven.

"I feel bad for Matt for putting the ball on the ground," Staples coach Marce Petroccio said. "That's a crummy way to end his career. He's such a great player for us, he just didn't get it done today."

Find out what's happening in Westportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

It was Cheshire that got it done in overtime. 

After going on offense first, fullback Michael Skibicki ran in from 2 yards out to give the Rams a 28-21 lead. With Staples needing a touchdown to keep the game alive, Petroccio put the ball in the hands of his star running back. But Cheshire's Brian Havilcek - the grandnephew of legendary Boston Celtic John Havilcek - stripped the ball from Kelly and the Rams defense pounced on the loose ball to end the game.  

Find out what's happening in Westportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For Petroccio, this was a game that he felt was within reach for his team.

"I felt like we were coming back and momentum was building and if we could have stopped them in overtime we'd had put (place-kicker) Santiago Cuartas out there to kick a field goal and the story has a happy ending," Petroccio said. "Unfortunately it didn't happen that way."

Kelly spent much of the game helping to make it happen that way.

His 35-yard reception in the fourth quarter jump-started the stagnant Wreckers' offense that faced a 21-7 deficit. After trading possessions for much of the final period, quarterback Keith Gelman found tight end Pat Murray (5 catches, 50 yards) for a 29-yard gain. He then hooked up with his go-to receiver Brendan Rankowitz for a 16-yard touchdown to cut the Cheshire lead to 21-14 with less than five minutes to go. Rankowitz finished the evening with eight catches for 119 yards and a score.  

After the Wreckers' defense forced the Rams to punt, Staples got the ball back with three minutes to go and an opportunity to tie the game. Gelman, arguably in his best performance of the year, led the Wreckers down the field and found Kelly for a 29-yard swing pass before hitting Rankowitz for a 24-yard gain across the middle of the field. Two plays later, Gelman found Rankowitz for a 19-yard completion to the 1-yard line. This set up a Gelman quarterback sneak that knotted the game at 21.  The senior, who stepped in after starting quarterback Brandon Pacillio broke his leg earlier this season, finished the game 16-for-19 for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception. 

Before the Wreckers' comeback to force overtime, the game belonged to the Rams. After Kelly scampered in from 4 yards away on the opening drive, the Rams scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter. Cheshire quarterback Greg Palmer's touchdown gave the Rams a 14-7 lead. On Staples ensuing possession, Havilcek picked off a Gelman pass and took it down to the 6-yard line with 51 seconds remaining in the half. Palmer scored on the next play giving the Rams a 21-7 halftime lead. Palmer rushed 23 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns as well as throwing for 188 yards and a score.   

The Wreckers finished the season 12-1 and captured the FCIAC title. 

Santiago Cuartas set the state record for most field goals in a season with 12, and Kelly became the first running back to rush for more than 1,000 yards since Jimmy Hughes. Gelman, who saw the first action of his career, helped move Staples into the state championship game.

Dan Worthington also contributed to this report.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?