Wardogs survive Connecticut’s upset bid
NORTH SMITHFIELD — In a millisecond, it seemed the Rhode Island Wardogs’ hopes of continuing their quest for a New England Football League Triple-A Division Super Bowl title were dashed.
And, in no more than an instant, veteran head coach Ruben Costa’s and his boys’ moods went from somber to elated.
That’s when they celebrated a one-point lead – and an eventual 2819 victory over the overly-vociferous Connecticut Panthers in a playoff quarterfinal at “The Boneyard” on Saturday night.
The stunning turn of events began with only 7:14 remaining in regulation, after Wardogs’ quarterback Jeff Costa used a one-yard sneak to slice the Panthers’ lead to 19-18. Terris Wallace lined up for the PAT boot to knot the game, which would have been the first tie, but a defender blocked the kick.
However, before anyone – including all but one on the field – knew what happened, 2010 Central Falls High grad Antonio Mena scooped up the carom and raced it into the left section of the end zone to notch the two-point conversion and put Rhode Island ahead for good.
Just over a minute later, with 6:02 in the contest, a Wardog forced Delroy Morris to fumble, and Woonsocket’s own Carlos Young snared it and returned it 26 yards for another score. Costa then rifled a low pass into falling Attleboro resident Damon Belien’s midsection for the two-point try that sealed the deal at 28-19.
With the victory, Rhode Island – the tournament’s No. 2 seed – not only improved to 9-2, but also earned a spot in the league semifinals. It will host the Southern Maine Raging Bulls on Saturday night at 7.
“I don’t know who blocked the kick, but I think it was No. 80 (Jakob Vera),” Mena grinned after the hosts’ post-game celebration, one that included a raucous brawl among some Panthers on the opposite sideline.
“All I know is that the ball popped up into my hands, and it seemed like everyone was standing still,” he continued, playing it like a movie in the back of his mind. “Everyone must have thought it was dead, but I knew it wasn’t, so I just took off.
“It feels so awesome! The only thing I ever did like this was in basketball; my senior year (at CFHS), I hit two free throws to send the state (Division III) championship game at the Ryan Center into overtime. Talk about ice in your veins.”
Hr reflected a bit, then stated, “I guess that’s when I knew I had ice water running through them. I can’t believe it, but I can!”
As for Young’s insurance points, the 31-year-old R.I. Army National Guard staff sergeant indicated it was just another football play.
“The guy No. 11 fumbled, so I just picked it up and ran for the lights,” he said softly. “It feels pretty good.”
The mentor Costa could and couldn’t believe his program’s good fortune while performing his usual post-game, clean-up duties.
“I’m just very happy and proud of what we were able to accomplish,” he said. “Emotions ran very high this week in practice because this was the team that beat us in the Super Bowl last year. It was hard to keep the guys focused on the task at hand, just playing football, but they did in the end.”
As for Mena, “He’s been one of our all-star players for many years; he’s a game changer. He comes up with plays that boggle the mind. The guy can do everything – punt, kick, play defense, catch the ball. He just comes up with big play after big play.”
There’s no question that the Wardogs took advantage of the visitors’ astounding 17 flags for178 yards, though their signal caller, Jamie Bryant, did amass 131 yards on nine rushes and completed 11 of 25 tosses for 169 yards and two TDs.
On the Rhode Island side, Jeff Costa went 17-for-30 for 281 yards and a touchdown, but did register one on the ground as well. His favorite targets: Belien (six receptions, 143 yards), Marqueem Monroe (seven, 92 yards) and Mena (one, 30).
The Wardogs 50 yards on 10 snaps to the Connecticut 4 before two incompletions thwarted the effort, but they did get rewarded on its second. With 3:16 left before halftime, it maneuvered 72 yards on eight plays, culminating after Costa found Monroe wide open in the left flat for a 10-yard scoring toss, though Wallace’s extra-point try sailed wide right.
It didn’t take long, though, for the Panthers to respond. Bolstered by Vera’s 28-yard return of the ensuing kickoff, Bryant completed a 14-yarder to Kevin Sylvester and a 46-yard TD aerial to Morris with 1:57 remaining.
When Ruben Berger nailed the PAT, Connecticut earned its first lead at 7-6.
Not surprisingly, “The Costas” produced a drive of their own. Just 1:07 after that previ- ous score, the signal caller ripped a four-yard pass to Kashif Montgomery in the back of the end zone to snag back the 12-7 advantage.
They did so courtesy of Belien’s 31-yard kick return to midfield, and – after an ill-advised R.I. unsportsmanlike conduct infraction – a 53-yard pass deep down the left sideline to the same.
The Wardogs actually had won the opening coin flip and elected to defer, so had an opportunity to tack onto its lead on the first drive of the third period. But that eventually stalled at the Connecticut 35. Two snaps later, Bryant took a keep off left tackle and bolted 58 yards for the go-ahead score, but two penalties resulted in the QB being picked on the two-point attempt.
The Wardogs produced another big drive to the Panthers’ 29 on its following possession, but nothing came of that.
Unfortunately for them, the Panthers maintained control for all of the next 9:30, eventually turning it into a seven-yard TD pass from Bryant to Vera in the right flat. Again, however, the Panthers were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, and Bryant’s toss to Berger failed.
That merely set up the Wardogs’ late heroics.
“Carlos was really amped up and wanted to make a big play on that fumble,” the elder Costa stated. “He had his eyes wide open and made the most of his opportunity, like all the guys did. I have to give them all credit for being aware of their surroundings and making important plays.”