In the end, Stamford came up one drive short. The Black Knights defense did all it could, holding perennial football powerhouse Greenwich to just seven points. The offense, however, couldn't get much going with almost no yardage on the ground and several key passes dropped. Stamford had one last chance to drive down the field, but quarterback Bryan Broderick was picked off with two minutes to play to end his team's chances.
"Our kids played tough and battled through the entire game," head coach Bryan Hocter said. "All we can ask for is to have a chance to win late in the fourth quarter. I'm happy with our productivity and how our kids competed against a team like Greenwich."
Nothing came easy for either team. Stamford running backs combined for less than 25 yards from scrimmage. Broderick had more success in the air, targeting his brother, Barry, a total of 11 times, connecting on five. Broderick was forced to settle for short yardage, leading to six punts. Broderick dodged a bullet early in the fourth after a vicious sack and sat out one series.
Greenwich ate up hard-earned yards with a three-pronged running attack from Mark Kelley, Mike Daly and Shane Nastahowski. Kelley scored the game's only touchdown on a three-yard run, busting through the middle of the Stamford defense. Greenwich got in the red zone only once in the second half. Stamford couldn't get past the Cardinals' 40-yard line. Greenwich was called for pass interference on the Black Knights' last drive. Two plays later, though, Broderick was intercepted by cornerback Joel Arroyo, icing the game for Greenwich.
"We fell short, but this is a great learning experience for us as a program," Hocter said. "They accomplished two goals tonightthey competed and they never gave up. Those are two things that any sports organization must have to be competitive."
Click here to follow Daily Voice and receive free news updates.
