A comeback for the ages: Killingly rallies past Bloomfield, 28-22

NORWICH - Fourth-ranked Killingly staged a thrilling rally from a two-touchdown deficit late in the third quarter and stunned Bloomfield, 28-22, in front of a large, boisterous crowd Friday night at Killingly High School’s Morgan Field.

Killingly senior quarterback Thomas Dreibholz lofted a 41-yard TD strike to senior Noah Colangelo for the game-winning score with just 2 minutes and 19 seconds remaining.

“I’m just proud of the way we responded,” Killingly coach Chad Neal said. “That’s a trademark of this team. We couldn't be more proud of them. I told the kids at halftime we’ve got 24 minutes. We’ve got to believe and finish and win the second half. At some point it's going to break. And we got momentum and field position. The momentum was key.”

Killingly’s defense forced four turnovers, the biggest a fumble recovery from senior lineman Terrence Allen late in the fourth quarter that set up the winning touchdown.

Bloomfield built a 14-0 lead on touchdown runs of 2 and 24 yards from Davien Kerr.

Killingly (3-0) took advantage of a great punt from Dreibholz that pinned the Warhawks on their own two-yard line and a subsequent bad punt from Bloomfield that gave Killingly a first and goal from the 8.

Two plays later Dreibholz hit Perry with a 6-yard toss with just 1:10 left in the second quarter and Killingly trailed 14-7 at halftime.

Bloomfield (2-1) stretched its lead to 22-7 midway through the third quarter. After Kerr made a sensational diving catch for 44 yards on a third-and-20 play that gave the Warhawks a first down at the Killingly19, Damion Lewin-Gaynor ran for 14 yards and then 5 yards for a touchdown.

Killingly responded late in the third quarter when Dreibholz found Ben Jax for a 38 yard TD pass play that made it 22-14.

Killingly then closed the gap with a nine-play, 92-yard scoring march, highlighted by junior Soren Rief’s 50-yard run that gave Killingly a first and goal at the 10.

On fourth-and-goal from the 6, Dreibholz rolled to his right and threaded a pass to Colangelo in the end zone to pull Killingly within 22-20 with seven minutes remaining.

“When we had two blowout wins in weeks one and two we didn't know what we were made of,” Dreibholz said. “We knew we could blow out a team but could we go four quarters? Now we know.”

What it means

Killingly, which was ranked No. 4 in the GameTImeCT Top 10 football poll, solidified its high ranking with a win over a perennial state championship contender in Bloomfield.

“It feels great,” Dreibholz said. “Having a test this early against such a great football team it’s going to send a message across the state. We don't often get a lot of respect but I think this is going to get us it.”

Key play

Trailing 22-20 with just two and a half minutes left to play Killingly faced a third-and-8 from the Bloomfield 41-yard line when Colangelo raced behind the Warhawks' secondary and caught a beautiful pass from Dreibholz in stride for the game winning touchdown.

“The corner was lined up press man on me and I ran right by him,” Colangelo said. “He was looking in the backfield and I was wide open and my quarterback threw a great ball.”

Said Dreibholz: “We ran that same play earlier and I saw no one went with him. I didn't have time to get it to him on that play so we ran it again and I knew where I had to go and Noah made a heckuva play.”

By the numbers

Bloomfield outgained Killingly by just one yard, 295-294.

Bloomfield had eight penalties, while Killingly had three.

Dreibholz completed 12-of-17 passes for 157 yards and four touchdowns.

Rief gained 111 yards on 17 carries.

Jax had five receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Colangelo caught three passes for 50 yards with two touchdowns.

Warhawks sophomore quarterback Darrien Foster completed 15-of-28 passes for 152 and two touchdowns.

Unsung heroes

Killingly seniors Keith Perry and Braden Pedersen:  Perry led the defense with seven tackles and two assisted tackles. He also rushed for 32 yards on five carries, caught a 6-yard TD pass, and converted an important 2-point conversion that made it 28-22. Pedersen had six tackles and also came away with two interceptions and a key fumble recovery.

“We got down in the dumps early down 0-14 but we knew all along that this was going to be the game that was going to test us and how we face adversity,” Perry said. “We knew we just had to keep going and not give up and that’s what we did. When someone had to make plays they stepped up and made that play.”

They said it

“These are the games you want to play,” Killingly coach Chad Neal said. “It was nerve-wracking, frustrating and fun. It had all of the emotions.”

What’s next

Killingly (3-0) travels to Jewett City on Friday for an ECC Division III contest against Griswold-Wheeler.

“(Beating Bloomfield) is huge,” Perry said. “Not only is it a boost of confidence for us … we’re a veteran squad team … but it gives us more momentum to keep rolling and keep working hard.”

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Killingly rallies past Bloomfield, 28-22, in Connecticut Football Alliance thriller