The saying goes in football, “You can’t win them all.”
This holds true even for the Ansonia Chargers, who dropped a heartbreaking 21 – 13 game to Holy Cross of Waterbury, a team they have dominated over the years, with their last loss to them being in 2005.
As has happened so often this year in the Naugatuck Valley League, the game came down to the last play. Ansonia was driving for what they hoped would be a game-tying touchdown and extra-point try. They were set for a pass at the Crusaders 13-yard line. But the throw from quarterback Nick O’Connor was broken up, and the victorious Holy Cross team mobbed the field.
“The dominated us in all aspects of the game,” said Ansonia’s Coach Tom Brockett. “They beat up us on the line and shut down our running game in the second half.
We couldn’t establish the pass and we weren’t able to stop their option attack.”
Holy Cross came into the game fired up, undefeated at 2 – 0 as were the Chargers. They executed their game plan to perfection and came up with only their second win over Ansonia in the past 13 years.
“This was a huge win for us,” said Holy Cross Coach Mike Giampetruzzi. “Our guys worked hard all night and we were able to do the things we had practiced all week.”
Giampetruzzi is in his first year coaching the Crusaders, who now stand at 3 – 0 going into their game next week against Torrington.
Holy Cross established their running game early, using misdirection plays out of the shotgun formation, which had the Chargers confused all night long. They marched methodically down the field on a long scoring drive, capped off by a 17-yard touchdown scamper by quarterback Ryan Plourde.
“Ryan played a heckuva game for us,” said Giampetruzzi. “He executed the play-action and misdirection perfectly .”
The extra-point try was no good, but the Crusaders led 6 – 0 with 7:44 to in the first period.
On the ensuing drive, Holy Cross shut down Ansonia and took over at their own 30 yard line. But on the second play from scrimmage, Ansonia Montrell Dobbs picked off an errant Plourde pass and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown. Michael Palmquist’s kick was good and the Chargers took a 7 – 6 lead.
The momentum seemed to swing Ansonia’s way, with Dobbs getting the team on the scoreboard again with a brilliant 73-yard run on a toss sweep that stunned the Crusaders, givng Ansonia a 13 – 6 advantage, which they took into the locker room at halftime.
The Holy Cross fans were muttering to themselves at the half that this looked like so many past games where the Crusaders’ hopes for a win over Ansonia were stymied. But the team didn’t give up and continued to play strong throughout the second half.
“They made some adjustments at the half,” said Brockett. “They completely shut down our running game.”
Ansonia game up with a huge goal line stand early in the third period and it looked like they might be able to hang on for a narrow win.
But the Crusaders didn’t give up, scoring early in the fourth quarter on another run by Plourde, this time for just four yards. Then came a big decision, whether to go for the tie or the lead. Holy Cross chose the latter, with Brandon DiClementi coming up with the two-point conversion behind some great blocking by his line.
The Chargers got the ball back, but then disaster struck in the form of a fumbled hand-off, which was scooped up by lineman Ryan Kalnins, who returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. The conversion kick was successful and the Crusaders led 21 – 13 with about seven minutes left in the game.
Ansonia had two chances to tie the game up. The drove the ball all the way down to the Crusaders five yard line. But on fourth and goal, a perfectly placed pass to Dobbs in the end zone was dropped and it looked like Ansonia was doomed to defeat.
But Ansonia was able to mount one final attempt, judiciously using the clock. With no timeouts left they marched down to the Crusaders the10 yard line. But a couple of penalties hurt their cause, and the would-be touchdown pass was broken up by a Holy Cross defender to end the game.
“We have to take our hats off to them,” said a disappointed Brockett after the game. “They really came to play.”
Ansonia falls to 2 – 1 with the loss. They will look to return to their winning ways next week when they host the Wilby Wildcats on Friday at Jarvis Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
