Stratford Stuns Notre Dame-Fairfield With Late Touchdown

The Notre Dame of Fairfield football team was one play away from giving Rico Brogna his first win as the Lancers' coach, but then a three-hour game with numerous monentum swings had one more stunning twist.

Stratford sophomore quarterback Michael Cannata completed a 38-yard pass to Jailen Johnson on 4th-and-15, then found Asia Bolling for a 25-yard touchdown with 35 seconds remaining as the Red Devils rallied for a 41-38 victory in a contest that ended  in the dark.

"I give a lot of credit to 12 (Cannata)," Brogna said. "He put a couple balls right on the numbers, great passes. He hung in there, it's dark, he's tired, it's late -- all those factors. He put a couple balls right on the money."

The game-winning touchdown came after the Lancers (0-4) put together their best drive of the season after Stratford had rallied from a 30-14 deficit late in the third quarter to take a 30-27 lead on Cannata's 3-yard TD pass to Johnson with 6:13 remaining.

Notre Dame (0-4) responded with a 10-play, 64-yard drive march consumed nearly five minutes. Daquan Coleman completed three passes on the drive, including a 21-yard scoring strike to freshman Glody Tumba with 1:22 remaining.

Brogna called the drive a building block for his offense and it appeared the TD pass to Tumba would be the game-winner.

"We had an unbelievable drive," Brogna said. "That drive right there showed so much character. The fact that they (his team) are getting better every week is a sign that they are investing their time and energy. This will teach them, more than any practice, that the game never ends until the final."

Thursday's contest got off to a favorable start for the Lancers as Nigel Beckford returned an intereception on a deflected pass 61 yards for a touchdown 51 seconds into the contest.

After Stratford tied it on Dana Smith's 71-yard punt return, the Lancers went up 16-8 on Beckford's 34-yard power run up the middle in which he broke several tackles and Frank Zumba's conversion run.

After the Red Devils pulled within 16-14 on Cannata's 56-yard TD pass to Noah Provo, Notre Dame scored again just before the half. Coleman's 10-yard keeper and conversion pass to Brandon Thompson made it 24-14 at the intermission

On the Lancers' first possession of the second half, Beckford showed his explosiveness, ripping off a 75-yard TD run that increase Notre Dame's lead to 30-14.

Notre Dame appeared to be in control, but the Lancers are still learning how to put games away. On their next possession,  Smith kept the Red Devils in the game with an interception near the goal line.

But the momentum really started to turn Stratford's way when a botched punt gave the Red Devils a first down at the Lancers' 7-yard line late in the third quarter. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Donald Graham scored a TD run to begin Stratford's comeback.

Notre Dame went three-and-out on its next possession and Bolling's 61-yard TD run pulled Stratford within three. The Lancers again were forced to point and the Red Devils put together a 47-yard scoring drive in seven plays, giving them three touchdowns in a span of seven minutes.

After falling behind 41-38, Notre Dame had a chance, reaching the Red Devils' 47 with 10 seconds left, but a fumbled snap sealed the victory for Stratford.

"It hurts," Brogna said. "I hurt when I see the players hurt, but the fact that they're feeling hurt and down really tells me their heart and soul and effort was in it, and that's a great sign. I had a lot of fun today.  We lost, and it hurts absolutely, but, man, did we did some good things."

Of course, it dos't any easier for the Lancers as they face Masuk, the state's top-ranked team, next week.