D line sends Rockets packing at buzzer, 21-20
By JENNIFER GENTILE
READING—It was a win for the ages.
The unpredictable season opener between Melrose High and Reading High football, two classic rivals, had it all last Friday evening at Reading High. Hail Mary passes. Buzzer-beating heroics. And both teams fighting to one of their most memorable games in years. And the victory went to Melrose thanks to a remarkable goal line stand by Melrose defense that prevented a two point conversion that would have given Reading a 22-21 win at the buzzer but instead gave Melrose the win, 21-20.
Thanks to a collection of defensemen in the back, including Sam Madden, Keegan Maloney, Jack Feeney, Marley Hamilton, and Tyler Garipay, Reading’s super talented D’Von Bursy was stuffed outside the end zone as he attempted a two and as regulation ended Melrose players swarmed the field in victory.
This after Reading’s Brady Comenos scored on a Hail Mary toss from Reading QB Jack Murphy, which turned their fans wild and set Reading up with an extra point attempt and no time on the clock. Rocket coach John Fiore chose to go for the win and the result was a victory that has Melrose 1-0 going into their home opener this Friday evening against Malden, with an early start time of 6:00 p.m.
“This team showed tremendous heart,” said Melrose coach Tim Morris. “They battled all night. And when you fight the whole time you get chances at wins like this. We ran a great stop and it was a good win for the boys, our first since 2011. Reading is a well-coached program and always good. We should have locked it up earlier, gotten that final first down to avoid the punt, but it was a great way to start the season.”
Melrose senior quarterback Connor Brophy had a fantastic debut, rushing for two touchdowns, nailing two extra points attempts, and running for about 150 total yards. “Connor manned up and played great,” says Morris. “He did a lot of running for us on a hot night when a lot of the kids were cramping up.”
Melrose held a 7-0 edge at the end of the first thanks to a 20-yard touchdown run by Brophy and held a lead of 14-7 at halftime.
Melrose scored early when Brophy connected with Ben Cassavoy for a 25-yard pass, saw running gains by Nico Chiulli and Keegan Maloney, before Brophy found a hole up the middle for a 20-yard touchdown. Melrose would score again on a series of runs by Sam Madden and Brophy, who earned his second touchdown on a 10-yard run, then kicked the team’s extra point. On Melrose’s next possession, despite a fantastic 30-yard rush by Marco Albanese, they were forced to punt and the teams went into halftime with Melrose up by a touchdown.
Brophy had already run for 100 yards before halftime.
Reading, down 17 starters from last season, seemed out of synch against Melrose but would prove resilient in the second half. They tied things up in the third on a touchdown run by D’Von Bursy, 14-14, but Melrose would take the lead again on their next possession. Set up by a great 30-yard kickoff return by Max Lanciani, Melrose ran for a series of drives by Marco Albanese and Nico Chiulli, who rushed 20 yards to the 10 yard line. From there, Sam Madden hoofed it into the end zone, untouched, for Melrose third touchdown of the night, giving Melrose a 21-14 and putting Reading under the gun to score on their final drive of the night.
Credit goes to Reading QB Jack Murphy who kicked off a remarkable drill to help the Rockets before connecting with Brady Comenos in the end zone on a Hail Mary that turned the game around. Unfortunately, they’d have to contend with Melrose’s defensive line and the rest was history.
Coach Morris respected Reading’s call. “We had a violation that brought them even closer to the end zone. You go for the win. Any time you have a good chance with a good quarterback and running back, you roll the dice.”
Melrose, slightly banged up from the effort, hosts Malden tonight at 6:00 p.m. at Fred Green Field, where they hope to make it two in a row.