Comeback bid for The Classical Academy comes up just short on the road in 2A football semifinal
Nov. 19—The Classical Academy gave itself a chance. And on the road against the No. 1 seed in the state semifinals, that's the idea.
The attempt fell short, as a play from the Delta 28-yard line with 3.9 seconds remaining ended in a sack when the pocket collapsed from behind on sophomore quarterback Dru Brown and the fourth-seeded Titans fell 24-17 to end their season.
But rewind a little and the game was 24-7, with Delta seemingly comfortably ahead after capitalizing on two TCA miscues — a cornerback slipped and fell to give up a long touchdown and a missed assignment in coverage led to another.
"It's a playoff game, a semifinal game," coach Justin Rich said. "When you make a mistake, those mistakes are magnified."
But TCA (10-2), which had a rushing touchdown from Ethan Aragundi in the first half, hung around.
Brown scored on a 10-yard run in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 24-14 with about 8 minutes remaining.
The Titans then added a 48-yard field goal from Evan Lapoure to close to within a touchdown.
After a defensive stop, TCA started its final drive at its 20 with about 2 minutes remaining.
A conversion on 4th and 15 on a pass from Brown to Dylan Gould set up the final sequence for the Titans, who were in position to be the top seed before falling to Elizabeth in the season finale, and instead found themselves on the opposite side of the state fighting for a spot in the 2A final.
"I'd love to get a big gold trophy and put rings on all their fingers," Rich said. "But if you're talking about the true meaning of high school football — never giving up hope and keep fighting — mission accomplished. Still, it stings to lose the last one."
Delta and No. 2 Eaton will meet next week for the 2A championship.
