Barlow Football Repeats as Class SS Champion

At the beginning of the season, Joel Barlow High head football coach T. J. Cavaliere was uncertain as to whether his team would be competing for another state Class SS championship.

The Falcons had graduated their starting quarterback and front line from last season’s championship team. They still had plenty of incentive as well as talent and determination, however.

Such determination not only got them another trip to the playoffs, but for the second straight year they reached the title game, holding on for a 21-20 win over Watertown at Rentschler Field in Hartford on Saturday, Dec. 9.

“We felt if we could make the playoffs that would be a really good year for us,” said Cavaliere, whose team was seeded seventh. “We got hot at the right time and it worked out for us.”

A defensive battle at first, the game featured both sides trying to move the ball in the first quarter without much success. Despite making some progress in its opening drive, Barlow was hurt by a couple of penalties before having to punt.

The Falcons’ defense kept the competition in check until their offense got in gear. Starting at midfield at the beginning of the second quarter, they managed three first downs on runs by quarterback Jack Gilbert and running back Luke Bishop. Later faced with fourth down on the Watertown one yard line, they found the end zone on the keeper by Gilbert and with Keane Horne kicking the extra point, Barlow led 7-0 with 7:23 left in the half.

Eighth-seeded Watertown answered on its next series. On third down, Aiden Arline found some room down the right side for a 60-yaerd touchdown run and with the extra point the Warriors tied it up.

“We were misaligned on the long run,” said Cavaliere. “Unfortunately, our linebacker went to the wrong side of the field, and they hit us at the right time and had quite a big play on it.”

Following a Barlow punt, Watertown began its next scoring drive with good field position on the Falcon 40. A 25-yard pass from Brayden Gambee to Arline got them to the Barlow 12. Although the Falcon defense would force a fourth and goal situation from the three, Gambee broke through for the score with 19 seconds left in the half and with the extra point the Warriors led 14-7.

Barlow responded early in the third quarter. Starting on its own 35 following a Watertown punt, it got some help in moving the ball due to a facemask call against its opponent. On first down, Luke Bishop went 17 yards up the middle for the score and with the extra point it was tied at 14-14.

A Watertown fumble on its next series proved costly, as Barlow’s Conor Smyth recovered on the Warriors’ 28 yard line. Runs by Cole Peterson got the Falcons to the one and Gilbert scored to put his team on top for good 21-14 with the extra point.

It remained a seven-point game until late in the action when Arline scored on a 13-yard run. Instead of kicking the extra point for the tie, the Warriors’ attempted a two-point conversion for the lead, but the Falcons’ defense came up big to preserve a one-point lead with 1:38 left.

“It was apropos because we depended on our defense a lot this year,” said Cavaliere. “The defense had to step up and make one big play at the right moment, and they did it.”

Recovering an onside kick is something the Falcons practiced all season. The first time they actually had to do it came when Dylan Taylor smothered the ball on his own 48. Unable to get a first down, they had to punt one more time with 20 seconds left, and Watertown had the ball on its own 20.

Victory was assured when Sam Guidera intercepted an errant pass by Gambee, giving the Falcons’ their second straight state title.

“We were talking about how we wanted them to make a moment for themselves this year,” said Cavaliere, whose team finishes at 9-4 overall, winning its last six games. “We’re super proud of them. It’s a big step forward for the program for us to be able to do this two years in a row.”

Click on the right arrow to advance the slide show. Photos by Suzanne Romano.