By Dave Stewart
MaxPreps.com
WEST HAVEN, Conn. - Charlie Westfal and the New Canaan Rams are no strangers to comebacks, so when the Fairfield County All-Stars found themselves trailing by seven points in the final minute of the 12th Hall of Fame Football Classic, Westfal was the right man to have at the helm.
Westfal threw three touchdown passes, including two in overtime, as Fairfield County snapped a five-game slide and defeated the New Haven County All-Stars 31-30 in double OT, entertaining a crowd of 3,029 at West Haven High’s Ken Strong Stadium on July 11. New Haven still holds an 8-4 advantage in the series.
While Westfal again had the gaudy numbers, when things got just a little out of control, it was a man from Bunnell who came up with the game’s biggest play.
Facing a fourth-and-8 play from the Fairfield County 43-yard line with a minute on the clock, Westfal scrambled and fired a strike to teammate Ryan Kilbane for a 15-yard pickup.
Kilbane was hit hard by Hyde cornerback Rodney Williams of the New Haven County All-Stars, and the ball was jarred loose. The play was ruled a fumble, rather than an incomplete pass which would have ended the game.
“It was a broken play, and Charlie and I have such great chemistry I went to a spot and knew he’d find me,” Kilbane told the New Canaan Advertiser. “I caught it and looked right and saw the cornerback coming fast.
“That’s when I got drilled from the other side. I was hitting the ground and watching the game slip away when I saw No. 81 running up the sideline with the ball”
No. 81 was Mike Easley, a wide receiver from the Bunnell Bulldogs who had been cleared to play by doctors late in the week after an injury suffered in the Connecticut-Rhode Island Governor’s Cup game on June 28.
The ball took a Fairfield County bounce right to Easley, who caught the ball in stride and bolted 30 yards up the sidelines for a touchdown with 56 seconds remaining.
When Norwalk’s Christian Garcia nailed home the PAT, Fairfield County and New Haven were tied at 17-17.
The overtimes used the Kansas tiebreaker system, with each team having four downs from the 10-yard line.
In the first OT, Ansonia’s Alex Thomas, who was quiet for much of the game, rushed for a 1-yard touchdown, and Shelton’s Alec Benedito booted the point after for a 24-17 lead.
Fairfield County responded with a TD as Westfal hit Kilbane for a 10-yard score and Garcia kicked the PAT to tie the game.
Bridgeport Central’s Joe Richardson put Fairfield County on the board again when he caught another 10-yard TD pass from Westfal in the second overtime. When Garcia kicked the PAT, Fairfield County had its first lead since the first half at 31-24.
New Haven tried to force a third overtime and got the touchdown when Shelton quarterback Phil Konopka threw a 20-yard strike to Woodland’s Wil Volage.
However, a bad snap on the PAT forced Benedito to scramble with the ball and when his desperation pass fell incomplete, Fairfield County had its first victory in the Classic since 2002.
Head coach Lou Marinelli of New Canaan praised the performance of his Fairfield County All-Stars, with a special nod to the departing seniors from the Rams’ State championship.
“No matter what the score, Charlie makes things happen,” Marinelli said. “As long as we got the ball back last, I had no doubt we’d come back.
“Ryan, Kyle Duncan, Charlie Donnelly and Mike Glass did a great job for us, like they have throughout their career.”
Westfal, Fairfield County’s MVP on offense, completed 24-of-41 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns. New Haven’s defense caused some difficulties in the first half, when Westfal was sacked four times and three two interceptions before righting the ship late in the game. Westfal will play for Washington and Lee this fall.
Easley, who had a TD in the Governor’s Cup game, caught three passes for 67 yards and scored the game-tying TD on a fumble recovery.
Bridgeport Central’s Trevardo Williams, who will prep at Canterbury this year before joining UConn in 2009, had a sack and was named Fairfield County’s MVP on defense.
For New Haven, Bendito was the MVP on offense with five receptions for 69 yards, three PATs and a field goal.
Andre Henderson of Shelton also had a big night on offense with 85 yards rushing and two touchdowns on eight carries.
Henderson and Woodland’s Volage will both play the University of New Haven, while Benedito joins Southern Connecticut State University.
Another Shelton player, Mike Maniero led the defense with three sacks and earned MVP honors.
New Haven led 14-10 at halftime after a pair of touchdowns by Henderson.
Volage set the table by returning the opening kickoff 79 yards to the Fairfield County 4-yard line. Henderson then cashed in on a 2-yard run for a 7-0 lead just 1:48 into the game.
Fairfield County tied the game on a 5-yard TD pass from Westfal to Harding’s Byron Jackson with 3:04 remaining in the first quarter.
Garcia booted a 49-yard field goal with 6:44 to go in the second quarter, putting Fairfield County up 10-7, but New Haven regained the lead on a 64-yard TD run by Henderson with 3:29 remaining in the half.
New Haven made it 17-10 when Benedito kicked a 37-yard field goal at 3:11 of the third quarter, and the score remained there until Easley’s big TD in the final minute.
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps.com writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com