Watertown QB Brayden Gambee, shown in Tuesday’s win over Granby/Canton, threw a pair of TD passes Sunday as the Warriors advanced to next week’s Class SS title game.
TORRINGTON, Dec. 3, 2023 – They won just five games and never got over the .500 mark in the regular season. Now, the Watertown High football team is going to play for the Class SS state championship on Saturday.
Watertown QB Brayden Gambee rushed for a game-high 152 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Warriors to a 21-0 win over Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic in the Class SS semifinals at Torrington High.
Watertown (7-5), which beat just one team with a winning record during the regular season, has two wins over winning teams in the playoffs including a 26-12 win over No. 1 seed Granby/Canton in last Tuesday’s quarterfinals. Watertown was the No. 8 seed in the Class SS tournament and advances to the finals for the first time since 1987.
Watertown will face defending champion Joel Barlow at 4:30 p.m. at Rentschler Field in the championship game on Saturday.
In Wallingford, Andrew Watson caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from QB Andrew Watson with six seconds left in the game to lift Joel Barlow (7-4) to a 17-16 win over No. 5 Sheehan at Riccitelli Field. Kicker Keane Horne had the successful extra point to lift Barlow.
Watertown 21, Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic 0
At Torrington
Watertown (7-5) 0 7 6 8 — 21
Gilbert/NW/Housy (7-5) 0 0 0 0 – 0
Second quarter
W: Gambee 4 run (Sam Paoletto kick)
Third quarter
W: Gambee 4 run (kick failed)
Fourth quarter
W: Adam Hassinger 23 pass from Gambee (Hassinger pass from Gambee)
Joel Barlow 17, Sheehan16
At Wallingford
Joel Barlow (7-4) 0 7 0 10 – 17
Sheehan (7-4) 7 9 0 0 — 16
First quarter
S: Paul Gorry 5run (Austin Eccles kick)
Second quarter
JB: Dylan Taylor 2 run (Keane Horne kick)
S: Dante DiNuzzo 23 pass from Gorry (kick fails)
S: Eccles 20 FG
Fourth quarter
JB: Horne 22 FG
JB: Andrew Watson 25 pass from Jack Gilbert (Horne kick)
Class S
Bloomfield rallies to earn spot in final
BLOOMFIELD, Dec. 3, 2023 – Davion Kerr scored on a two-yard run with 36 seconds remaining in regulation to lift Bloomfield to a 20-14 win over Notre Dame-Fairfield and into the Class S championship game for the fifth straight year. The Warhawks (10-1) trailed 14-0 at the half but rallied.
In Derby, Cromwell/Portland scored 22 points in the fourth quarter and got three big scoring plays of 64 yards and longer to beat Ansonia, 28-0 and earn a spot in Saturday’s Class S championship game for the second time in the last three years.
Bloomfield and Cromwell/Portland will face each other Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.
Bloomfield 20, Notre Dame-Fairfield 14
At Bloomfield
Notre Dame-Fair (9-3) 7 7 0 0 — 14
Bloomfield (10-1) 0 0 6 14 — 20
First quarter
ND: Raijon Pettway 8 run (Justin Jimenez kick)
Second quarter
ND: Antwan Davis 1 run (Jimenez kick)
Third quarter
B: Marlon Britton 1 run (run fails)
Fourth quarter
B: Davion Kerr 18 pass from Darrien Foster (pass fails)
B: Davion Kerr 2 run (Davion Kerr pass from Foster)
Cromwell/Portland 28, Ansonia 0
At Derby
Cromwell/Portland (10-2) 6 0 0 22 – 28
Ansonia (10-2) 0 0 0 0 — 0
First quarter
CP: Emeka Yearwood 64 run (pass failed)
Fourth quarter
CP: Tyler Cipolla 74 pass from Jess Elfreich (Ositadinma Yearwood pass from Elfreich)
CP: Vaughn Payne 10 run (Jack Nolan pass from Elfreich)
CP: Ositadinma Yearwood 80 run (pass failed)
Rockville moves into Class M title game
In Class M, Amir Knighton ran for 288 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 2 Rockville (11-1) past Holy Cross, 14-13 and into the Class M championship game. It was the second straight one-point win for the Rams, who beat Berlin by an identical 14-13 score in the quarterfinals.
Against Berlin, the Rams blocked an extra point try to get the win. On Sunday, the Crusaders (8-4) went for two points and the lead but the Rams defense blew up the play and the pass failed.
Rockville, in the title game for the second time in three years, will face Hand, a 48-0 winner over Abbott Tech/Immaculate, in the final on Saturday at 1:45 p.m. at Central Connecticut State’s Arute Field.
Rockville 14, Holy Cross 13
At Vernon
Holy Cross (8-4) 0 7 0 6 — 13
Rockville (11-1) 0 7 0 7 — 14
Second quarter
Ro: Amir Knighton 9 run (Molly Wilson kick)
HC: Christopher Perrone 9 pass from Drew Caouette (Nathan Craft kick)
Fourth quarter
R: Knighton 69 run (Wilson kick)
HC: Dylan Gray 80 kickoff return (pass fails)
FCIAC rivals to meet in Class L
In Class L, New Canaan used a last-second field goal to beat Maloney again. A year ago, the Rams beat Maloney to win the Class L title. On Sunday, kicker Tucker Stevens hit a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give the Rams an 11-8 win over Maloney in the Class L semifinals at Dunning Field in New Canaan.
New Canaan will face FCIAC rival Darien in the title game. The Blue Wave became the second No. 8 seed this year to earn a spot in the final with a 21-0 win over No. 4 Newtown as sophomore QB Benjamine Rolapp threw three TD passes. Watertown, the No. 8 seed in Class SS, will also play for a state title on Saturday.
Staples, West Haven advance to Class LL final
In Class LL, top seed Staples dominated Southington, 41-0 to win their 11th straight game and earn their first trip to the state final since 2011. The Wreckers will face West Haven, who secured their first trip to the finals since 2003, with a 26-13 win over Greenwich. West Haven QB Nick Conlan ran for two TDs and threw two TD passes.
