Late Field Goal Lifts Masuk To Class MM Football Title Over Windsor

NEW BRITAIN, CT — The old saying "the third time's the charm" certainly came true in a big way for the Masuk High School football team in the Class MM finals Friday against Windsor.

Tied at 21-all with seven seconds remaining, the Panthers decided to rely on the right leg of junior kicker Jackson Zylick. He lined up a 38-yard field goal attempt, but the ball sailed wide of the uprights. We're headed for overtime...

Not so fast. As the ball was snapped, a whistle blew, and the referee explained Windsor had called a timeout. Given a second chance, Zylick booted a kick straight down the center, but did not give it enough distance and the ball dropped to the ground short of the crossbar. Again, it looks like overtime...

But it wasn't. On the second attempt, a Windsor player ran into Zylick and was flagged for a personal foul, giving Masuk a third opportunity, but from much closer range. This time, the ball split the uprights for a 24-21 Panther lead.

There were still four seconds left on the clock, meaning unbeaten and top-seeded Windsor still clung to life. A squib kickoff went out of bounds, resulting in a 5-yard penalty and a re-kick, but the Warriors misplayed the second kickoff as time expired, giving Masuk its first state championship in 14 years.

The game at Arute Field on the campus of Central Connecticut State University featured everything a championship matchup could provide, with plenty of highlights from both teams.

Masuk's Gavin Walker set the tone by returning the game's opening kickoff 31 yards. A few plays later, his brother, Shane, caught a short flare pass from Aaron Champagne, broke a tackle at the 10-yard line and scored for a 7-0 Panther lead less than three and a half minutes into the contest.

After an exchange of punts, Windsor began its second drive from its own 20, and executed a critical play on 4th-and-1 from its own 29. John Manning, who accounted for the majority of the Warriors' offensive production despite being somewhat undersized at 5-foot-8 and 183 pounds, picked up the first down, then broke off a 26-yard scamper into Masuk territory. A 15-yard personal foul call against the Panthers extended the drive, and Manning scored on an 8-yard run, breaking a tackle on his way to the end zone, to knot the score at 7-7.

Masuk came right back on its next possession, aided by a 35-yard completion from Champagne to Gavin Walker to the Windsor 5. Steven Curtin hauled in a 5-yard scoring pass to move the Panthers back on top, 14-7.

Another exchange of punts found the Warriors starting from their own 5 with 2:48 to play before halftime. As the clock ticked down to the final minute before intermission, Jaden Langford collected a pass from Anthony Robinson and ran in for a 64-yard scoring play. Masuk retained a 1-point advantage, however, as the extra point kick failed.

Windsor had first possession after the break, but Robinson fumbled the ball on a sack, with the Panthers' Nick Fox recovering at midfield. A 26-yardcompletion to Gavin Walker and a defensive holding penalty gave Masuk a 1st-and-goal at the 8, and Tariq Al-Hameedi found his way into the end zone two plays later for a 21-13 Panther advantage.

An interception by Windsor's Cashmire Lewis was returned to the Masuk 10, and Manning ran in on the next play, then successfully scored on a 2-point conversion to bring the teams even at 21-21.

Windsor had a chance to grab the lead for the first time in the contest, but missed a field goal attempt with 8:55 remaining in regulation time.

With 4:40 left, Masuk got the ball back on its own 45 after a Warrior punt. A 38-yard run by Shane Walker inside the Windsor 10 was negated by a holding penalty, but he came back to execute a 22-yard run to the Warrior 22, setting up the dramatic conclusion by Zylick.

Windsor had entered the matchup as the consensus top team in Connecticut, topping both the coaches' and media polls each week since mid-season. They were one of just three unbeaten teams remaining in the state, and had been seeking their second state championship, and first since 2014.