Late Comeback Bid Falls Short for Cavs

The Harvey varsity football team traveled to Washington, Connecticut, Saturday, Nov. 5, to take on NEPSAC 8-Man League rival Frederick Gunn School and lost a heartbreaker to the host Highlanders, 30-24.

The two teams traded touchdowns in the opening minutes of the game, which was a back-and-forth battle for much of the first half. The Highlanders took the opening kick and marched down the field, going 47 yards in five plays and scoring on a 21-yard pitch from the quarterback to the halfback to take a quick 6-0 lead. Gunn made the two-point conversion to make it 8-0.

Harvey came right back with sophomore QB Jackson Saccomanno leading the Cavs on a drive down the field covering 66 yards in nine plays. Runs of 21 and 11 yards by senior captain running back James Miller and a 10-yard pass completion from Saccomanno to senior captain wide receiver Danny Gasch put the ball in the red zone for Harvey. A series of penalties pushed the ball back, but Miller finished the drive with a 39-yard TD run to cut the lead to 8-6. Harvey’s two-point conversion try was unsuccessful. Gunn led 8-6 at the end of the first quarter.

After the Highlanders were forced to punt on their first possession, the Cavs took full advantage. Runs of 14 and 10 yards by Miller pushed the ball deep in Gunn territory and Miller capped the drive with a 15-yard run following great blocks by junior lineman Felix Oliver and junior wide receiver Jack Matz. The 2-point run by Miller put the Cavs on top 14-8.

The Highlanders came right back, scoring on the second play from scrimmage as their QB read a blitz and kept the ball, avoiding incoming Harvey rushers and sprinted 36-yards for a TD. The 2-point conversion put the Highlanders back on top, 16-14.

The Highlanders struck again with less than a minute left in the half.  After a long pass of 51-yards, the QB hit his wide receiver with a 9-yard TD pass to put the Highlanders up 22-14.  But a huge hit by senior defensive lineman Nekia Bland and junior DL Wes Elkind flattened the Highlanders' running back and prevented the 2-point conversion.

In the opening minutes of the second half, after the Cavs turned the ball over on downs, the Highlanders then hit a big pass from scrimmage for 32 yards and a 1-yard HB plunge followed by the 2-point conversion to put Gunn on top, 30-14 about half way through the third quarter.  But the Highlanders offense seized up after this drive as the Cavs' defense stiffened and completely shut it down. 

After Harvey went three and out and was forced to punt, a great hustle play by a Cavs player almost turned the game around. A high, deep punt by Saccomanno was tracked to the Highlanders’ 1-yard line by Jack Matz, and as he went to down it a Highlanders’ player panicked and touched the ball and it dribbled into the end zone. Several players on both teams had a chance to recover it but it squirted out of the end zone for a safety against the Highlanders. The great effort by Matz cut the deficit to 30-16 and, more importantly, the Highlanders had to kick the ball back to the Cavs. Runs by Miller of 12 and 10 yards, and a clutch 10-yard pass catch by freshman wide receiver Wyatt Bland pushed the ball in deep. Another 10-yard run by Miller put the ball on the Highlanders' 3-yard line and junior running back Mike Sorio punched the ball in for the Cavs.  A nice play-action pass to Gasch cashed in the 2-point conversion and the Cavs were in business down only 30-24 with ten minutes left in the game.

The visibly shaken Highlanders tried to get back on track but could do nothing as the Cavs’ defense roared to life. Three sacks in the fourth quarter (five overall in the game), two by Nekia Bland and one by Mike Sorio, and an interception late in the game by senior captain cornerback Brad Lederer gave the ball back to the Cavs with 73 seconds left. After a short run and two incomplete passes, a desperation pass on fourth-and-6 fell short and the Cavs were done.

QB Saccomanno played well, completing 14 of 24 passes for 78 yards. The Cavs rushed for 186 yards and three TDs led by Miller who rushed for 166 yards on 21 carries and scored two TDs, and Mike Sorio who added a rushing TD. Gasch led the team in catches, grabbing seven balls for 38 yards and freshman Wyatt Bland added three catches for 25 yards.

Nekia Bland had another outstanding defensive game with 15 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a blocked pass. Will Bland was equally impressive with 10 tackles. Mike Sorio had seven and a sack, Elkind had five and a sack, Lederer chipped in with five, and sophomore Luca Marano had three tackles including a sack.

Despite the loss, head coach Kyle Delaney applauded the efforts of his players. "This game was a tough one to lose but I have nothing but positives to say about our club,” Coach Delaney said.  “We made mistakes but we battled right down to the end and never gave up. They went out on their shields and that's all we can ask for."

The Cavs dropped to 3-2 in the division, 3-3 overall, but still are in contention for a bowl bid. They will travel to the neutral site Pomfret School in Pomfret, Connecticut, next Saturday, Nov. 12 to take on the Hebron Academy Lumberjacks in the regular season finale.