Knights Fall In Overtime Heartbreaker

Up by 14 points heading into the fourth quarter of its first-ever Class M playoff game Tuesday, the / football squad was confident it would be heading to the state semifinals.

Wolcott, however, had other ideas.

The Eagles scored two touchdowns in the final nine minutes to forge a 26-26 tie, then scored on its overtime possession. Wolcott's defense tightened up on the Knights' overtime chance, and Mike Nicol tipped away a fourth-down pass attempt in the end zone to help the Eagles emerge with a 32-26 victory.

"We stepped up when we had to and made big plays," Wolcott coach Jason Pace said. "Offensively, it's been our theme throughout this year."

Wolcott (8-3), the number seven seed, advances to play No. 3 Ledyard Saturday, while Ellington/Somers (10-1) saw its dreams of a perfect season literally washed away in the windy downpour in which most of the game was played.

"This yanks your heart right out of your body," Ellington/Somers coach Keith Tautkus said. "We had it so close so many times, and at 26-18 with one quarter to play, I thought we were in good shape. Penalties hurt us a lot, holding calls all over the place were killing us."

Jason Moustafa, who led the Knights with 87 rushing yards, got his team on the board with a 7-yard scoring run late in the first quarter. Mitch Cobb kicked the extra point.

Wolcott answered on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Nicol to Devante Bonvillian, but a bad snap on the extra point attempt left Ellington/Somers with a 7-6 lead.

The Eagles had a great chance on their next possession, driving to the Knights' 12-yard line, but lost yardage and came up empty when Tom Bochicchio's 40-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

Facing fourth-and-3 from his own 47, Moustafa broke free for a 40-yard scamper to the Wolcott 13, and a facemask penalty against the Eagles moved the ball to the 7. Two plays later, quarterback Bryan Rider crossed the goal line from a yard out for a 13-6 Ellington/Somers lead; Cobb missed the extra point try.

Wolcott came right back down the field, aided by a 32-yard run by Bonvillian, and Nicol scored from two yards out with 14 seconds remaining in the first half. Bochicchio's kick failed, leaving the Knights with a 13-12 advantage at intermission.

In the third quarter, Ellington/Somers grabbed a seven point lead on a 2-yard run by Rider; the drive was sustained on a juggling catch by Jake Schneider that went for 25 yards to the Wolcott 5. The Knights went for a two-point conversion, but Schneider was stopped short of the goal line.

Rider scored his third touchdown on a 6-yard run with 18 seconds left in the third quarter, and Cobb's kick put the Knights in front, 26-12 heading into the final 12 minutes.

By the fourth quarter, the rain had intensified, and heavy wind was at the Eagles' backs as they clawed back from a two-touchdown deficit.

Nicol cut the margin to 26-18 on a 1-yard run with 8:42 to play, but Mike Cleary knocked down Nicol's two-point conversion pass. Ellington/Somers was unable to sustain a drive on its next possession, and was forced to punt, giving the Eagles one more opportunity from their own 29.

After Wolcott drove into Ellington/Somers territory, the Knights thought they had wrapped up the game when a Nicol pass hit the hands of Austin Tautkus. However, the ball slipped from his grasp, giving the Eagles another life, and two plays later, Chad Acevedo caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Nicol to make it 26-24.

Having failed to convert after its previous three touchdowns, Wolcott nearly made it 0-for-4 when Bonvillian was hit at the line of scrimmage, but he bounced away and scored to knot the game at 26.

"I thought we had him for no gain on the two-point conversion; we wrapped him up but somehow he got out and scored," Coach Tautkus said. "We had a lot of chances to put it away, but we just didn't do it tonight."

In overtime, each team was given the ball at the opponents' 10-yard line. Wolcott took control first, on a 12-yard scoring pass from Nicol to Acevedo. Zach Paquette came up big for the Knights, stopping Nicol's two-point conversion attempt.

Ellington/Somers took the ball at the Wolcott 10, and three straight running plays picked up a total of six yards, leaving them with fourth-and-4. Rider looked for Moustafa in the end zone, but Nicol knocked the pass away to send the Eagles to the semifinals.

Bonvillian had an even 100 yards rushing, and Nicol accounted for 90 yards on the ground and 146 through the air.

Ellington/Somers had 255 rushing yards, with Mitch DiResta supplying 75.

"We had a great season, and we accomplished all of our goals except this one," Coach Tautkus said. "It's disappointing, especially for our 18 seniors."