Football: Ascenzo, Cordeiro help Washingtonville stun Lourdes in overtime

POUGHKEEPSIE - Emotions were raw in both instances, and the Washingtonville football team couldn't contain its fervor in either event.

"Except the emotions are very different this time," Nick Ascenzo said with a grin on Friday.

This time, it was glee. The Wizards skipped off the field, saluting their fans and howling into the night, having just pulled a rabbit out of the hat.

Brent McLee maneuvered through the line and pressured Our Lady of Lourdes' Mike Sabini, eventually forcing the quarterback to roll left. But he was chased down by Vince Lombardi, who made the tackle for a fourth-down, game-ending, program-elevating sack in overtime.

"This feels great!" said cornerback Cian Cordeiro, who had two interceptions. "Winning a game like this, it's got the team hyped up and we know we've got something special going on right now."

Ascenzo rushed for two touchdowns, including a 3-yard score in overtime, and the Washingtonville defense was superb in a 16-8 road upset of Lourdes that might be a steppingstone victory.

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The Wizards had dominated each of their first three opponents but this, a nail-biting win over the defending section champion, can stand for them as validation of their progress.

Washingtonville twice survived scares in the final two minutes of regulation, but a fumble at the 1-yard line and a blocked field goal with 6.5 seconds left, denied Lourdes the go-ahead points and gave the Wizards second and third lives.

"We never gave up," Ascenzo said. "Our backs were to the wall, it looked like it might be over, but we kept fighting. That's what this group does. We showed resilience."

And got revenge. The teams had last met in the Section 9 Class A semifinals last fall, when Lourdes cruised to a 39-12 victory en route reaching the state quarterfinals.

Cordeiro was in the stands at Washingtonville High School then, saddened while watching his future teammates amble off the field, heartbroken and despondent.

"I think back to that, and it makes this even more (meaningful)," the senior said. "It means a lot to us to get this back and show how much we've grown since then. We knew we had to show out tonight."

It helped, of course, that Washingtonville was returning a chunk of its core and would compete this season with a senior-laden roster. Lourdes graduated several stars and is in somewhat of a rebuilding phase.

"The chemistry is there and Coach (Don) Clark's schemes are perfect for us," Ascenzo said. "I think we can be great."

Both of Cordeiro's interceptions came in the second half, including a momentum-halting pick in the end zone with 9:36 remaining in the fourth quarter. Joel Trocino had a sack and three tackles for loss, and Steven Flower recovered a fumble in the third quarter.

"They're very strong and physical up front and they played a great game defensively," Lourdes coach Sean Keenan said of the Wizards. "They slowed us down a lot, but we also hurt ourselves with penalties and turnovers."

The Warriors got on the board four minutes in when Drew Cornax sacked Aidan Milmore in the end zone for a safety. After receiving the free kick, Lourdes approached the red zone, but Washingtonville forced a turnover on downs with 4:42 left in the first.

Ascenzo later cashed in on a short drive, scoring a 2-yard touchdown and burrowing in for the two-point conversion that gave the Wizards an 8-2 lead two minutes into the second quarter. Sean Davis' 24-yard punt return had set them up at the 25.

Lourdes answered on its ensuing possession, tying it on Joe Tempestelli's 7-yard touchdown run with 3:31 left in the first half. That score was set up by Tempestelli's spectacular 41-yard catch of Sabini's pass along the sideline. Their two-point conversion attempt was stopped short, though.

Tempestelli ran for 155 yards, had two receptions for 59 yards, and made seven tackles for the Warriors (2-2). Noey Ledesma had 11 tackles, and Liam Harris and Stephen Sume each had an interception.

On a drive highlighted by Tempestelli's diving 18-yard catch of Ledesma's fourth-down pass, Lourdes reached the 1, threatening a touchdown in the waning minutes. But the ball was fumbled into the end zone on a run with 1:52 left, giving the Wizards possession and a sigh of relief.

Lourdes soon regained possession on Sume's interception with 1:07 to go. The Warriors' drive set up a would-be winning field goal, but the 21-yard kick was blocked by Luke Laquidara, forcing overtime.

At that point, Cordeiro said, "I knew our offense would bring it home. We have all the trust in Nick to make something happen in moments like that."

Washingtonville had the first possession of overtime, starting at the 20. Ascenzo converted a fourth-and-4 with a 6-yard run, before eventually powering in off right guard for the winning 3-yard touchdown. Davis turned the corner around left tackle for the two-point conversion that created the margin.

The Wizards' defense continued its dominance on Lourdes' last possession, stuffing the run and then flooding the backfield to prevent a last-ditch pass.

"Lourdes is a great program, so beating them at any time would be big," Ascenzo said, "but I wanted revenge after having our season end like it did last year. Getting this win, in a hard-fought game, is all I could ask for."

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Football: Ascenzo lifts upstart Washingtonville over Lourdes in OT