Published: November 21, 2009 11:44 pm      

Missed extra point costs St. Francis in upset bid

LORETTO — Executing the little things wins football games.

Failure to execute them often results in heartbreak, and St. Francis experienced that Saturday at DeGol Field as the Red Flash were poised to upset the leader of the Northeast Conference.

A fumbled snap on an extra point resulted in the loss of one point, and problems in the snap exchange resulted in a missed field goal in the first half.

Those miscues were factors in a 14-13 victory by the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils, who won the Northeast Conference outright with the win.

The win would have been a great morale booster for the Red Flash seniors and for junior linebacker Scott Lewis, who became the all-time leading tackler in St. Francis history.

Instead, Lewis was upset with the loss after the Blue Devils marched

75 yards on seven plays to score the winning touchdown and PAT.

“(The record) means a lot to me, but my hat goes off to my teammates and my coaches because without them, I could not have done it,” Lewis said. “I wasn’t even thinking about the record coming into the game. I just wanted to get the win for the seniors. That means a lot more to me than the record.”

Lewis recorded 14 tackles, 11 in the first half, to give him 386, breaking the mark set by former Bishop Carroll High School standout Matt Farabaugh.

With the score tied at 7 late in the third quarter, the Red Flash offense finally put together a scoring drive, moving 68 yards on eight plays for a score. Freshman running back Kyle Harbridge sprinted through the middle of the Blue Devils offense for a 31-yard touchdown with 12:28 left in the game.

On the try for the extra-point attempt, the snap was fumbled by Tim Myers, a freshman who had been pressed into duty because of an injury.

“Colton Sipe was the best field goal (holder) that we ever had,” St. Francis coach Dave Opfar said. “Then, he gets injured and can’t throw any more, and he’s done. So, now we have open trials. We’ve been trying to get the right combination, but you can see over the past four weeks we’ve had trouble with field goals, and that’s what it is.”

With the Red Flash leading 13-7 with 4:52 left in the game, the Blue Devils mounted the winning drive starting at their own 25. They made some outstanding plays to reach the end zone.

First, senior quarterback Aubrey Norris scampered away from a stiff St. Francis pass rush and ran for 12 yards to pick up a first down on a third-and-12.

Then Norris connected with wideout Nick Colagioanni, who made a sensational catch for a 51-yard gain to the Red Flash 9-yard line.

Three plays later, on a third-and-goal from the St. Francis 2, Eric Richardson scored on a dive with 2: 21 remaining. Wesley Bakker kicked the PAT, giving the Blue Devils (8-2, 6-1) the conference title.

St. Francis’ first touchdown was directly attributed to the defense. Norris was trying to move the Blue Devils into position for at least a field goal in the final minute before halftime. St. Francis junior linebacker Matthew Parker hit Norris, and Red Flash senior defensive end Russel Fisher picked off the ball and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown with just 16 seconds left on the clock before halftime.

Josh Thiel’s kick tied the game at 7.

St. Francis frittered away two scoring opportunities in the game. Thiel’s 24-yard field goal try hit the upright and fell back with 11:11 left in the second quarter. Freshman quarterback John Kelly’s pass into the end zone was intercepted with 5:26 left in the third quarter.

The St. Francis defense held James Mallory, who was second in the NEC in rushing, to 57 yards on 24 carries.

The Red Flash outrushed CCSU

126-94, while the Blue Devils had a 177-101 advantage through the air.

St. Francis ends the season with a

2-9 record, 1-7 in the NEC.