Holy Cross Holds On To Win Against Bridgton

The Wolverine football team traveled south to Worcester, Mass to face the JV team from Holy Cross on Friday.  The game began with the Wolverines winning their third consecutive coin toss and taking the ball.  The offense set a nice tone as Geeavonti Griffith (Randolph, MA) took the first hand-off to the right for a twenty yard gain to mid field.  Though the drive fizzled out, the ability to run the ball effectively would be an earmark of the Wolverine offense.

Unfortunately, for the Wolverines, the second trend of the day occurred on Holy Cross’s first possession.  The Crusaders took seven plays to put the ball deep within BA territory; where the quarterback escaped a sack and scrambled for a fourth down touch down.  The lesson:  the Wolverine defense would be close, but unable to get off the field in critical downs.

Holy Cross added a second touchdown in the first quarter when the D lost track of a receiver and again the Crusaders struck, this time through the air for six.  The score now 14-0, the two teams exchanged punts and the Wolverine offense took over near mid field and went on a march.  The drive was highlighted by the tough running of Devan Lofton (Fairfield, CT) and capped when Brock Dale (Palos Verdas, CA) found Bobby Paul (Westfield, MA) on a nineteen yard scoring strike.

Holy Cross answered with another long drive capped by a fifteen yard touchdown pass to put the Crusaders up 20-7.  Dale and the offense would not go quietly, as the Wolverines responded with a ten play sixty yard drive.  Paul again played an essential role, catching a key first down during the drive.  Eris Nahoum (Goshen, NY) caught a big, twenty yard pass from Dale, to set up the second scoring pass to Paul.  This touchdown, Paul’s second, was on a ten yard crossing route, that saw the offensive line give Dale a ton of time to find Paul late in his route.  The teams went into the half with the score Holy Cross 20, Bridgton 14.

The second half saw improved defense out of the Wolverines, forcing four punts and a turnover on downs, while Billy Sturgis (Bristol, RI) picked off a pass in the red zone.  Midway through third, Dale led the offense on an epic march.  The drive saw Byron King (Brooklyn, NY) gain critical yards behind the strong blocking of Malcolm Williams (Long Island, NY), Dan McCourt (Pembroke, MA), Alex Stilphan (South Portland, ME), Evy Elledias (Bedford, NY), and Scott Carucci (Stoneham, MA).  Nahoum and Paul continued their key contributions, both catching first down passes on the drive.  While newcomer, Jared Osumah added his first catch of the year, a twenty yarder, that set up the scoring pass on the first play of the fourth quarter.  The touchdown, Dale’s third of the day and the first for Nahoum, tied the game at 20.

Unfortunately, the Crusaders found pay dirt for the fourth time after a fumble deep in Wolverine territory.  The drive, a four play twenty six yard series, put the Crusaders up 27-20 with under five minutes to go.  Despite moving the ball down the field into scoring range, the Wolverines came up short as a last minute heave to the end-zone fell into the hands of a Crusader defender as the clock struck triple zero. 

The next game for the Wolverines will be Saturday, September 29^th.  The contest will be the lone home game on BA’s schedule and will take place during the homecoming/parents’ weekend festivities.  The game will pit the Wolverines against arch rival Navy Prep at 2 pm on Ellis-Fischer Field.