Long passes help Holy Cross leave the Yellowjackets behind

Gilbert co-op’s Wes Allyn (6) tries to avoid Holy Cross tackler John Petrokaitis (53) during Saturday’s Naugatuck Valley League game at Van Why Field in Winsted. (Photo courtesy Steve Barlow)

By STEVE BARLOW
Special to The Collinsville Press
WINSTED, Nov. 15, 2025  – Speed kills – on the highway and on the gridiron.

The Holy Cross High football team used its fleet feet to emerge victorious, 36-20, over Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic in a Naugatuck Valley League game Saturday afternoon at Van Why Field.

The Crusaders (6-3) kept their Class M playoff hopes alive, while the Yellowjackets (4-5) saw their postseason dreams in Class SS perish under a withering aerial attack by the visitors from Waterbury.

The game featured more flags than the United Nations, with a total of 26 penalties being called.

The decisive factor, though, was the right arm of Holy Cross quarterback Brady Lombardo (the son of girls basketball coach Frank Lombardo). The Holy Cross QB completed 16 of 27 passes for 367 yards and five touchdowns. His main target was wideout Dae’Sean Graves, who made four catches for 123 yards and left would-be tacklers grasping futilely at air.

Graves’ first touchdown catch covered 64 yards in the second quarter as he broke three tackles. His second TD was an elusive, 35-yard catch-and-run with only 12 seconds left before halftime, producing an 18-7 score.

Sandwiched in between was a 77-yard bomb to Devonne Drake, who finished with three catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

“You have to pay so much attention to covering (Graves) and making sure he doesn’t get the ball. And he doesn’t get the ball deep. He runs and gets the ball underneath. Our game plan was to try to bracket him with as many people as we could, play zone. We knew nobody could match up with him one-on-one,” said Gilbert co-op coach Scott Salius

“Physically, we got beat by (Drake). He just ran faster than our kid, and Lombardo put the ball right on the spot. Pass defense, we’ve been off and on all year. (Holy Cross) is a proficient passing team. They were spot-on and (Lombardo) throws the ball to the right spots.”

After a scoreless first period, GNH took the lead with 4:57 to go in the half. A 44-yard pass from Trevor Campbell to Ryan got the ball to the 2, where, following an illegal motion penalty, the Yellowjackets resorted to some trickery.

Jaden Hoffman, normally a lineman, took a handoff from Campbell and swept right end 7 yards for the touchdown. Esten Ryan’s extra-point kick made the score 7-0.

Holy Cross scored four straight touchdowns after that, though. Nick Craft’s 31-yard scoring run put the Crusaders up, 24-6, with 6:36 left in the third period.

Holy Cross defender Devonne Drake (5) dives to stop Gilbert co-op runner Airyn Berube (3) during Saturday’s game at Van Why Field in Winsted. (Photo courtesy Steve Barlow)

Campbell completed six of nine passes for 126 yards for GNH and had a 1-yard TD run in the third quarter. Cole Linnen, who rushed for 100 yards on 13 carries, had a 32-yard scoring run in the fourth period. The Yellowjackets simply couldn’t keep pace with the high-octane Crusaders.

“We felt good about this game. Our offense had been clicking. We were doing a lot of things well. We told the kids before the game it was a playoff game. We needed this to make the playoffs. Holy Cross needed it,” Salius said. “We knew it’d be a battle. We knew the chippiness would be there because each team needed this game. We knew it wouldn’t be an easy game.”

Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic saw a three-game win streak end. The Yellowjackets, who started out 1-4, have only the Thanksgiving Eve game at St. Paul (2-6) remaining.

“After starting out 1-4, to go 5-5 would be a good accomplishment,” Salius said.

Holy Cross 36, Gilbert/NWR/Housatonic 20
At Winsted
Holy Cross (6-3)         0  18   6  12 — 36
Gilbert co-op (4-5)     0     7   6    7 — 20
Second quarter
G: Jaden Hoffman 7 run (Esten Ryan kick)
HC: Dae’Sean Graves 64 pass from Brady Lombardo (kick failed)
HC: Devonne Drake 77 pass from Lombardo (kick failed)
HC: Graves 35 pass from Lombardo (pass failed)
Third quarter
HC: Nate Craft 31 run (pass failed)
G: Trevor Campbell 1 run (run failed)
Fourth quarter
HC: Drake 4 pass from Lombardo (pass failed)
G: Cole Linnen 32 run (Ryan kick)
HC: Aaden Hall 10 pass from Lombardo (pass failed)
Individual statistics
Rushing: HC – Craft 17-96; GNH – Linnen 13-100; Airyn Berube 9-44; Campbell 8-40.
Passing: HC – Lombardo 16-27-1, 367 yards; GNH – Campbell 6-9-1, 126
Receiving: HC – Graves 4-123; Drake 3-122; Hall 5-64; Craft 4-58; GNH – Owen Reimer 3-72; Ryan 2-51.
Interceptions: Hall (HC), Reimer (GNH). Fumble recovery: Luke Koester (GNH).