This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
11/25/2018 11:00 PMThe Valley Regional-Old Lyme football squad took a 27-21 defeat against Haddam-Killingworth in its regular-season finale last week and missed making the Class S State Playoffs by one spot. The Warriors concluded their year with an overall record of 7-2 to finish in ninth place in the Class S rankings, in which the top eight teams qualified.
With the win, Haddam-Killingworth qualified for Class S Playoffs by going 9-1 for the regular season, in addition to winning to Pequot Conference Sassacus Division title with a record of 6-1. Valley-Old Lyme finished at 5-2 in the division with its loss to H-K.
Head Coach Tim King was disappointed that his team won’t playing postseason football in 2018, although he was still proud of the fight that the Warriors showed through the final whistle. He also appreciates that Valley-Old Lyme once again earned the opportunity to play important football games that had playoff implications.
“It’s always tough to get back. We’ve been so fortunate with the last game meaning something. There are so many teams across the state that have nothing to play for in November,” Coach King said. “For the past 10 years, we’ve been fortunate to have an opportunity to get into the playoffs.”
On Nov. 20, the Warriors hosted divisional rival Haddam-Killingworth in what was essentially a playoff game for both teams. The winner would move on to the State Playoffs and stake its claim to the Principal’s Cup, while the losing team would come up just short of a postseason bid. Valley-Old Lyme looked to be in good position to get the win after building a 14-9 lead through the first three quarters. However, H-K scored three straight touchdowns in fourth quarter to take a 27-14 lead and then hung on for the victory.
Jason O’Brien had 10 catches for 139 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Warriors, including a few long pass plays from fellow senior Ryan Santos. Senior Nick Braga ran for a long touchdown on a lateral from O’Brien on a wild play late in the game.
Haddam-Killingworth took the first lead of the night with a short touchdown run to go up 6-0. The Warriors responded with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Santos to O’Brien. Junior Brian Funk kicked home the extra point give Valley-Old Lyme a 7-6 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Warriors extended their lead with another touchdown connection between Santos and O’Brien, this time from 37 yards out. After the Funk extra point, Valley-Old Lyme held a 14-6 advantage. The Cougars closed the gap to 14-9 before halftime by hitting a 23-yard field goal.
In the fourth quarter, Haddam-Killingworth took a 15-14 lead by scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run after an interception stopped a Warriors’ drive in the red zone. The Cougars added a 2-yard touchdown run to make it 21-14 following another interception. H-K scored its final touchdown on a 44-yard run to increase the lead to 27-14.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Warriors employed a hook-and-lateral play with time winding down that led to a touchdown by Braga. Santos passed the ball to O’Brien, who lateraled it to Braga, who broke free for a 68-yard TD run. Funk’s extra point made the score 27-21.
Valley-Old Lyme went for an onside kick, but could not recover. After using all three of their timeouts, the Warriors got the ball back for one last shot with less than 30 seconds to go in the game. Valley-Old Lyme went back to the hook-and-ladder, but was unable to execute it this time. On the following play, H-K recovered a Warriors’ fumble to solidify the victory.