AUGUSTA — The miracle Cony needed to win Friday night nearly required an act of blind faith.
Trailing by six and facing fourth-and-28 with less than two minutes left, Mitchell Caron completed a 36-yard pass to Anthony Brunelle, the key play that kept Cony’s hopes alive in a 22-21 win over Greely.
“I lost it in the lights at first,” Brunelle said. “But it came down, I saw it, got in front of the defender and got some extra yards out of it.”
Four plays later, Tayler Carrier pounded it in from inside the 1-yard line with 12 seconds remaining to tie it.
With Spencer Buck’s extra point, Cony pulled out an improbable comeback.
Trailing 21-15 at the half, Cony (5-2) shut out Greely (4-3) in the second half, but then had to rally after the Rangers’ defense bent but didn’t break on two series.
“We faced the same situation last year in the state game, being down at the half, being down by 16 with a quarter and a half to go,” Carrier said. “This is what this team does.”
Carrier rushed for two touchdowns and ended the game with an interception at midfield.
But he was immense in the passing game, catching 14 passes for 187 yards.
“A couple of times I had to rush it and throw it away because a couple of guys seeped through the line. But most of the time I know where he’s going to go and I put it where he wants it,” said Caron (22 of 34, 308 yards, one TD, one pick).
Greely emerged from a seesaw first half with the lead after scoring twice in two minutes.
Sam Peck weaved his way through the Cony secondary on a 61-yard TD reception from Matt Pisini (11 of 19, 108 yards, 2 TD) that tied the game, 15-15, with 3:27 left in the half.
On Cony’s next possession, Andrew Verrill stripped Brunelle following a reception. Verrill caught the ball in midair and returned it 40 yards to the Rams’ 15.
On the next play, Pisini found Alex Krost for a 21-15 lead late in the half.
“We prepped for option all week and their run game. They kind of grinded it out last year against us (a 35-21 Greely win),” Cony Coach Robby Vachon said.
Cony started the second half with a 15-play drive that ended in disappointment when Peck stuffed Carrier on fourth-and-goal.
The Rams then put together a 14-play drive only to have Verrill break up a pass in the end zone on fourth-and-15.
Cony’s final drive seemed destined for disappointment, too. After driving to Greely’s 28, the Rams put themselves in the hole with a false start, two bobbled snaps and a sack. Then Caron and Brunelle pulled it off.
“He’s the only giraffe in America with thumbs,” said Cony running back Reid Shostak, referring to Brunelle’s nickname, “Baby Giraffe.”
“He’s a stud, though,” Caron said.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
