NEW BRITAIN– The two teams felt each other out for a while, sticking and moving like prize fighters, neither one quite able to land that first knockdown blow.
Then, all of a sudden, it was a melee, and Sheehan of Wallingford landed just a couple more haymakers.
Senior running back Josh Durant rushed for 213 yards and three touchdowns, and the Titans scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to push past Northwest Catholic, 21-7, in the Class S title game at Willow Brook Park in New Britain Saturday.
It was Sheehan’s first title since 2019.
“No doubt. We said it every week, in every practice, when we were conditioning, we looked at each other, and we told each other no doubt, and we left no doubt today,” Durant said.
“We just wanted to play with relentless effort and energy, and we leave no doubt that we’re doing everything we can to be successful,” said head coach John Ferrazzi. “I’m just, I’m ecstatic. I’m speechless.”
The two teams played to a scoreless first half, as defenses thwarted promising drives on both sides and Mason Johnson came up with a late interception to stop a Northwest Catholic drive with 1:45 left.
Sheehan got on the scoreboard first, as Durant scored on a seven-yard touchdown run with 2:17 left in the third quarter to make it 6-0. The Titans missed the extra point.
Northwest Catholic answered right back, using a long scamper by quarterback Vincent Burbank to get to the 22-yard-line. Burbank then fired a 21-yard strike to star wide receiver Kayden Davis for a touchdown. The Lions made the extra point to take a 7-6 lead with 11 seconds to go in the third.
It wouldn’t take long for Sheehan to answer again, though. A 19-yard completion to Sebastian Rosario and a roughing-the-passer call on the ensuing drive had the Titans back on the Northwest 33-yard line, and a Rosario run set up Durant for a two-yard score that put Sheehan back on top. The Titans then scored on a two-point conversion to make it 14-7.
After stopping the Lions on the next drive, Sheehan faced a 3rd-and-21 near midfield, but a miraculous 23-yard completion from quarterback Jake O’Brien to Mason Francis kept the drive alive and severely dashed Northwest’s hopes. A 12-yard touchdown run from Durant, his third of the day, iced it on this chilly Saturday in New Britain. Both teams finished the season 11-2.
Class S
Veterans Stadium, New Britain
Sheehan 21, Northwest Catholic 7
Sheehan 0 0 6 15
NW Catholic 0 0 7 0
Third quarter
S- Josh Durant 9 run (kick failed)
N- Kayden Davis 21 pass from Vincent Burbank (Burbank kick)
S- Durant 2 run (Nolan Kiely pass from Jake O’Brien)
S- Durant 12 run (Reid Carter kick)
Sheehan has its own version of Frick and Frack leading the way to the Class S championship game