Classical quarterback Matt Lauria scored the Rams’ game-winning touchdown against Revere Friday night. Item File Photo
By Joyce Erekson
REVERE — We’re only three deep into the high school football season, so talking about big wins may seem a bit premature.
But it isn’t when the win in question is the difference between an 0-3 start and a 1-2 start.
Classical and Revere both lost their first two games and they both needed to right the ship in a hurry. The Rams did just that with a dramatic 21-18 come-from-behind win that saw the Classical march 91 yards with quarterback Matt Lauria going the final two for the touchdown.
Ishmael Johnson kicked the extra point, giving the Rams a 21-18 lead with 39 seconds left in the game. Revere got the ball on its own 29, but ran out of time.
“This was a good one,” Classical coach Tim Phelps said. “It was a tough one. When we were down at the goal line, the kids fought back. The first one (win) is the hardest.”
Revere coach Lou Cicatelli saw his team drop to 0-3.
“It was a tough day, a tough loss, but I couldn’t ask more of my guys. They played their hearts out. We stalled out three times in the red zone.”
Cicatelli said on one of the drives the Patriots could have kicked a field goal (the three-point difference), but he opted to go for it on fourth down from the five.
“Maybe we kick the field goal and would we have had a tie game,” he said. “It was a dicey situation for us, but we should have at least tied. I’ll take the hit for that one.”
Classical scored on its opening drive when Lauria took the ball in from the 14. The senior quarterback had five carries for 40 yards in the drive. Chase Buono also had a couple of nice runs (8 yards, 6 yards) for first downs.
Revere answered on its first possession. Quarterback Eddie Sullivan hit Oscar Lopez (5 receptions for 67 yards in the first half) with a 16-yard touchdown pass. The kick failed.
The Rams went up 14-6 after Lauria picked off a Sullivan pass to give Classical the ball at the Revere 30. Two plays later, Buona scored on a 26-yard run and Johnson kicked the extra point for a 14-6 lead.
Revere came back again, this time with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Sullivan to Lopez with 56 second left in the half. The conversion failed and the Rams led, 14-12.
The Patriots (0-3) took the lead, 18-14, on a 31-yard TD run by Victor Rivera late in the third quarter, but the Rams (1-2) went up for good in their final drive.