Recupero’s TD grab lifts St. Joseph
STAMFORD — St. Joseph wide receiver Chris Recupero was in coach Joe Della Vecchia’s doghouse a bit in the first half after not running routes to the coach’s liking.
Luckily for Recupero, his coach and quarterback never lost confidence and went to him on the most important play of the game between the two FCIAC foes.
In the final minute of the third quarter with the score tied, St. Joseph freshman quarterback
Harry Jones threw a jump ball to the front corner of the end zone which Recupero high-pointed and came down with for the touchdown.
Stamford would score a touchdown in the fourth quarter but a two-point rushing attempt was stopped short to give St. Joseph a 17-16 win at Boyle Stadium Saturday afternoon.
“It’s all coaching and all my teammates, and my teammates kept me going,” Recupero said. “In the locker room the coaches were saying ‘we need somebody to be a superstar and make a play.’ That’s just what I did. I saw the ball in the air and I went and grabbed it.”
Stamford would come back with Cam Coard running in a 4-yard touchdown with 5:47 to play, cutting the lead to 1716.
Stamford opted to go for the lead, but the twopoint run was stopped short of the goal line.
The Black Knights hoped the game would be a turning point for the program, but fell one point shy of a signature win over a top FCIAC opponent.
Last November, Stamford went to-to-toe with the Cadets before losing 17-13. St. Joseph would eventually be the top seed in the CIAC Class L Tournament.
Earlier this season the Stamford lost 28-14 to No. 1 ranked Greenwich.
For the Black Knights, the story of the game was too many penalties which put them in long-yardage situations on multiple drives.
“I thought we left a lot of opportunities out there,” Stamford coach Donny Panapada said. “I