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10/14/2019 12:00 AMThe North Haven football team took a 27-23 road loss against West Haven in a Saturday afternoon SCC Tier 1 matchup on Oct. 12. The Indians held a 23-20 lead in the fourth quarter, but West Haven scored the go-ahead touchdown with 6:29 to play in the game, and held on for the victory at Ken Strong Stadium. North Haven has an overall record of 1-3 and is 0-2 in SCC Tier 1 as it gets ready to host Staples for a non-conference game this week.
Senior Jaden Watson carried the ball 18 times for 162 yards and a touchdown against West Haven. Fellow senior Corey Hooks also rushed for a touchdown in the game. Junior David Pace had a TD run that gave the Indians the lead during the fourth quarter. Junior Chase DiCarlo kicked a 23-yard field goal for North Haven.
West Haven put the first score on the board when Jaden Grant ran for a 10-yard touchdown to put the Blue Devils up 7-0 with 4:36 to go in the first quarter. The Indians came back with a drive that culminated on a 17-yard touchdown run from Watson with 36 seconds left in the frame. The extra point was no good and West Haven (1-3, 1-1) had a 7-6 edge after one.
West Haven’s offense responded on its next drive when quarterback Andre Rentas threw a 26-yard touchdown to Jordan Berrios to increase the lead to 13-6 with 10:43 to play until halftime. DiCarlo booted a 23-yard field goal with 7:07 remaining to the cut the deficit to 13-9 at the break.
On the opening kickoff of the second half, DiCarlo forced West Haven to fumble and the Indians recovered the fumble to give themselves good field position. North Haven took advantage of the short field when Hooks brought home an 11-yard touchdown run to give the Indians the lead. DiCarlo kicked the extra point to make it 16-13 with 7:39 to go in the third quarter.
The Blue Devils countered with another drive that resulted in a touchdown. This time, Rentas connected with Justin Medina for a 17-yard TD pass and a 20-16 West Haven advantage with 4:47 remaining in the third.
With both offenses rolling, North Haven took its turn by driving down the field for the go-ahead score. Pace finished off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run that gave North Haven the lead again with 8:17 to play in the game. DiCarlo’s kick put North Haven up 23-20.
However, less than two minutes later, Rentas threw his third touchdown of the day when he found Dontea Noel on a 14-yard scoring strike to give West Haven a 27-23 lead with 6:29 remaining. West Haven’s defense kept North Haven out of the end zone for the rest of the game as the Blue Devils escaped with their first win of the year.
Along with Watson’s big night on the ground, senior Max Augustine gained 80 yards on 12 rushes for North Haven. Fellow senior Albert Hooks picked up 31 yards on just four carries.
On defense, seniors Noah Perillie, Josh Blumenthal, Pat DaSilva, Kyle Maruca, and Jack Priebe all recorded a sack for the Indians. In addition to DiCarlo’s forced fumble, Albert Hooks, Maruca, and senior Kyle Rollier each recovered a fumble in the game.
North Haven’s next game is a non-conference contest against Staples on Friday, Oct. 18. The Wreckers, who play out of the FCIAC, have a record of 2-2 on the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Vanacore Field.