n
n
CHESHIRE – The Cheshire football team never trailed during its home victory over Glastonbury Friday night, but it took a touchdown with 4:33 left and a pair of blocked kicks by the Rams’ special teams in the final 1:08 of the game to secure their 21-20 victory.
n
Noel Martinez scored his second touchdown of the second half on a 4-yard run to give Cheshire a seven point lead, but Glastonbury then put together its best drive of the game, going 80 yards in just seven plays to pull within a point with 1:08 to play.
n
The Guardians were an extra point from seemingly forcing overtime when Cheshire’s Simon Levine blocked the conversion kick attempt by Matthew Cartwright.
n
“I was thinking, I have to put everything into this,” Levine said. “We all had to just give everything we had left in the end. It felt amazing. I was so hyped after.”
n
The game wasn’t over for Glastonbury, however. The Guardians successfully recovered an onside kick at the Cheshire 44-yard line, and on a 5-yard pass on first down, Cheshire was penalized for roughing Cartwright, who is also the team’s quarterback. The flag put the ball at the Cheshire 24, and the Guardians immediately began playing to set up a game-winning field goal.
n
After two short rushes by the Guardians, they intentionally spiked a pass to stop the clock with 10.9 seconds to play to give Cartwright a chance at a 29-yard field goal.
n
Rushing off the edge, Cheshire senior linebacker Evan Gonzalez blocked the kick to allow Cheshire, ranked No. 8 in GametimeCT’s high school football poll, to improve to 2-0.
n
“We had been backed up a couple times and made a couple fourth-down stops, and I knew we had to stop them,” Gonzalez said. “When they lined up for the field goal I was like, ‘Yeah, I am going to go get this.’ I worked my butt off and got it. It felt great, because I knew it mattered right then and there.
n
“It was great to see everyone rush the field, the fans, the team and everything. It was great.”
n
It was a great back-and-forth contest all game long. Cheshire took a one-touchdown lead on three separate occasions only to have Glastonbury answer back.
n
Ultimately, Cheshire’s running back duo of Michael Chopak and Noel Martinez kept the Rams out front. Chopak scored the game’s first touchdown on an 18-yard run and finished with a game-high 103 yards on 16 carries. He wore down the Glastonbury defense just enough that Martinez took control in the second half.
n
Martinez finished with 50 yards on five carries, including two touchdowns. His touchdown runs were only 3 and 4 yards, but he had a huge 25-yard run to set up the winning touchdown.
n
“This was the game plan from the beginning, as soon as Chopak gets tired, I was going to go in the second half and take over, and that is what I did,” Martinez said. “When your team needs you the most, that is when you have to step up, and that is what I did with two touchdowns runs.”
n
“Before the snap, I have a feeling, and I am pretty accurate with it,” Martinez said. “I have a feeling I am going to get into the end zone, when the line is hyped up, they are going to block well.”
n
The Rams running game took shape behind the offensive line of Jeremy Matos at center, Hunter Hearrin and Cole Roberts at guard with Carter Marciano at right tackle and Will Shaw at left tackle.
n
Glastonbury played valiantly right until the final seconds. Cartwright was outstanding, completing 17 of 28 passes for 224 yards. Shane Santora had eight catches for 103 yards while Gavin Twilley had seven catches for 86 yards. Dante Casdia rushed 18 times for 77 yards. Santora, Twilley and Casdia each scored a touchdown.
n
Player of the Game
n
Noel Martinez and Michael Chopak, Cheshire: The two running backs controlled the game well enough to allow Cheshire to never trail. Chopak wore out the defense rushing for a game-high 103 yards while Martinez scored both second-half touchdowns for the Rams.
n
Quotable
n
“This game was a blood bath. Two very good teams going at it back and forth, back and forth. It was a defensive battle, and our defense stepped up a little more than theirs, and that is what took the win.” – Cheshire running back Michael Chopak.
n
Cheshire 21, Glastonbury 20
n
GLASTONBURY 0 7 0 13 – 20
CHESHIRE 7 0 7 7 – 21
C – Michael Chopak 18 run (Timothy Reinhard kick)
G – Gavin Twilley 3 pass from Matthew Cartwright (Thomas Pringel kick)
C – Noel Martinez 3 run (Reinhard kick)
G – Dante Casdia 8 run (Pringel kick)
C – Martinez 4 run (Reinhard kick)
G – Shane Santora 25 pass from Cartwright (kick blocked)
Records: C, 2-0; G, 0-2.
n
This article originally published at Cheshire football blocks pair of kicks in final 1:08 to hold off Glastonbury.
About the Author
