Pagano helps Granby erase 13-point deficit and beat Canton

Canton’s Patrick Lawler (83), Henry Bonini (52) and Terrence Brophy (28) surround Granby’s Ian Downey (8) Wednesday night in Granby.

GRANBY, Nov. 27 – The Canton High football team had just so many comebacks this year. By the final game of the season, the Warriors were just about out of them. Of course, Granby had something to say about that, too.

Led by sophomore Dominic Pagano, who ran for a game-high 143 yards and scored three touchdowns, the Bears rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat Canton, 21-19 to clinch its first-ever winning season and capture the ceremonial red Old Milk Jug on a wet and windy Thanksgiving Eve.

Canton, which had a thrilling come from behind win over Avon in its season opening contest and held off a late rally for a one-point win over Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton, was driving for the potential go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter.

Down by two points, the Warriors had a first down on the Granby 27-yard line with 1:12 remaining. But the drive imploded. A fumble, two dropped passes and an overthrown pass ended the series, the threat to score and the game.

Pagano had a stellar evening, breaking tackles throughout the game. He scored on touchdowns of 4, 9 and 11 yards. He had two big runs on fourth down on Granby’s second quarter drive that cut the Canton lead to six points at halftime. Pagano scored on a fourth down run from the four on the final play of the first half.

Canton’s Shane Toland (58) tries to run down Granby’s Dominic Pagano.

Terrance Brophy led the Warriors (7-4, 4-2 Pequot West) with 95 yards on 23 carries while QB Eric Scott completed 5-of-15 passes for 90 yards and one interception. Cam Daley scored twice on touchdown runs and intercepted a pass.

But it wasn’t enough on this chilly evening. The first half was played in a slow but steady rain with occasional hail stinging the cheeks of players and fans. In the second half, there were some snow flurries.

“I told them that a bad game doesn’t erase everything they’ve done this year,” Canton coach Paul Philippon said. “They had a great year and they’ve had back-to-back great years. They played their hearts out. They didn’t play their best game and Granby certainly outplayed us.”

Canton’s slim hopes to earn a spot in the Class S football tournament vanished with the loss. Canton needed a win and losses by Coginchaug (8-2) and Holy Cross (7-3) to have a shot at being one of the top eight teams in the Class S rankings.

Granby QB Curtis Field helps douse head coach Rich Gadoury in water and celebrate after Granby’s 21-19 win over Canton Wednesday night.

Canton took a 13-0 lead by scoring on two of its first three drives of the game. The Warriors marched 56 yards on nine plays on its opening drive with Daley scoring from the 13-yard line with 7:21 left in the first quarter. Eddie Melton’s extra point made it 7-0.

On Canton’s third drive of the game, Brophy was the workhorse, carrying the ball six times on an 11-play, 70-yard drive. He picked up a key first down, gaining two yards on a fourth and one play at the Granby 27-yard line to keep the drive alive. On the next play, Scott found Jake Wood behind a Granby defender for a 25-yard touchdown pass and a 13-0 lead with 2:28 left in the first half.

Granby showed their resolve, marching 68 yards to get on the scoreboard with no time left in the second quarter. Bear quarterback Curtis Field, who had a rough start completing just one of his first seven passes, completed a 15-yard pass to his brother, Connor Field, and a 20-yard pass to Ian Downey to help Granby quickly move into Canton territory.

A 14-yard run from Pagano put the ball on the Canton 19 with 40 seconds left. Three plays later, Pagano picked up five yards on fourth down and three with 28 seconds left to keep the drive alive. He scored three plays later from the four as Granby trailed at the half, 13-7.

“How do you overcome?” Granby coach Rich Gadoury said. “They didn’t get down on themselves. They believed.”

Granby (6-5, 4-2 Pequot West) scored on its first drive of the third quarter, marching 69 yards on seven plays. Pagano had a 34-yard run to the Canton nine to set up his nine-yard touchdown run that gave Granby a 14-13 lead after Matthew Holmes’ extra point.

On the strength of a 42-yard kickoff return from Sebby Gumbs and a 24-yard run from Brophy, Canton quickly regained the lead, 19-14, with a two-yard touchdown run from Daley with 3:34 left in the third quarter. The two-point conversion run failed, swallowed up by the Granby defense.

Granby took a 21-19 lead with 8:48 left in the game on Pagano’s 11-yard run, breaking a few tackles along the way.

“They did a good job of moving us around,” Philippon said. “They were clearly knocking us around. We’ll have to look at the film to see where it went all wrong.”

Canton’s last drive began with 5:11 remaining in the game on their own 30-yard line. A four-yard run from Brophy on third down and two on the Granby 42 with 2:42 remaining and a three-yard run from Brophy on third down and two on the Granby 29 with 1:45 left helped Canton move the ball downfield.

But the drive went no further.

“I’m so proud of everything we have accomplished,” Gadoury said. After a 0-3 start to the season, the Bears went 6-2 over the final eight weeks of the season, losing to only Avon and Coginchaug. Granby won three of its final four games.

QB Curtis Field said, “It’s a great win. It proves that we can play with some of the best teams in our conference. It proves that Granby football is here to stay.”

NOTES: This was the third game in the Thanksgiving series that began in 2011. Each team had won once before. … With his 143 yards, Pagano became the first Granby High football player to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season.  … Three touchdowns in a single game was a new career-high for Pagano. … With the win, Granby, Avon and Canton each finished tied for second place in the Pequot West Division at 4-2 behind divisional champion Gilbert/Northwestern.

Granby 21, Canton 19
At Granby
Canton (7-4)            7  6  6  0  — 19
Granby (6-5)            0  7  7  7  — 21
First quarter
C: Cam Daley 13 run (Eddie Melton kick), 7:21
Second quarter
C: Jake Wood 25 pass from Eric Scott (kick wide), 2:28
G: Dominic Pagano 4 run (Matthew Holmes kick), 0:00
Third quarter
G: Pagano 9 run (Holmes kick), 7:49
C: Daley 2 run (run fails), 3:34
Fourth quarter
G: Pagano 11 run (Holmes kick), 8:48
Individual statistics
RUSHING – Granby: Dominic Pagano 15-143, Connor Field 2-8, Gage Fiorentino 7-37; Canton – Eric Scott 2-0, Terrence Brophy 23-95, Cam Daley 9-51, Dan Delos 5-23, Sebby Gumbs 4-19
PASSING: Granby – Curtis Field 6-17-1, 76; Canton – Eric Scott 5-15-1, 90
RECEIVING: Granby – Ian Downey 2-33, Connor Field 3-36, Gage Fiorentino 1-3, Dominic Pagano 1-4; Canton – Sebby Gumbs 2-27, Cam Daley 2-38, Jake Wood 1-12
KICKOFF RETURNS: Sebby Gumbs (C) 2-76, Jake Wood (C) 1-12; Ian Downey (G) 3-47; INTERCEPTIONS: Cam Daley (C) 1-18, Dominic Pagano 1-2