In the wake of their decisive Turkey Bowl victory, the Blue
Wave Football team matched up against Daniel Hand of Madison, CT for the
quarterfinals of the CIAC Class L postseason on Tuesday (12/3) at Brien McMahon
High School. While Darien suffered from offensive and defensive woes throughout
the first half, the team was able to mount a comeback and eventually surmount
Hand on a thrilling last-second field goal by kicker Daly Hebert.
Though technically a home game for Darien, this quarterfinal
was contested at Norwalk’s Brien McMahon High School, as CIAC regulations
prohibit schools that lack stadium lighting, like DHS, from hosting state
tournament games. In spite of this fact, the Wave was able to score on their
first possession of the game and take the lead 3-0 over Hand. Unfortunately,
the next 25 minutes or so were dominated by the opposing team, aided in several
cases by Darien missteps. Among the most damning of these was a 39-yard pick
six by Hand’s Reid Sweitzer, which occurred when Darien QB Silas Wyper was
forced out of the pocket and hurriedly threw into the arms of the waiting Hand
defender. Darien’s defense also struggled, allowing a 54-yard touchdown run by
Tommy Wilson after Hand had been pushed to 3rd and 19. In this and several
other instances, the Wave’s defensive backfield proved uncharacteristically
porous, missing relatively simple tackles. Football is a fickle game, however, and
fortunes can change in an instant.
With little more than three minutes left in the half, Hebert
executed a masterful punt to the four-yard line, and senior Matt Vossler
proceeded to force a safety. Senior Jay Harrison converted a 14-yard run into a
TD, and sophomore sensation Mark Evanchick fomented a fumble, returning control
of the ball to Darien. Wyper ended the half in style by punching in a two-yard
dive, thereby giving Darien a 19-12 lead at halftime.
The third quarter began in similar fashion for the Wave –
Daly Hebert kicked a field goal to extend Darien’s advantage. Alas, Wyper once
again surrendered a costly turnover to Hand’s Hayden Atwater, which ultimately enabled
a Hand touchdown, making the score 22-21. Number 12 atoned for his mistakes
with a 66-yard heave to senior Nick Lombardo, and as the end of the game
approached, Darien retained a 28-21 lead.
Daniel Hand successfully drove and scored, taking a 29-28
lead. Unbowed, Darien launched a comeback drive of its own; Wyper threw
skillfully, Harrison ran forcefully, and Trifone managed the clock adeptly –
finally giving Hebert the opportunity to kick a 28-yard field goal and seal the
razor-thin win. In a postgame interview with the Stamford Advocate, Wyper
applauded his team’s ability to not “bend [under] the pressure and pull through.”
With this win, Darien improved its record to 11-1 and advanced
to the semifinals of the Class L state tournament. Be sure to come up and
support Wave Ball at Pomperaug High School in Southbury as they take on Middletown.
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| Darien's Jay Harrison breaks a Hand tackle |
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