Griswold-Wheeler rallies for thrilling last-second win over Stonington

STONINGTON – The Class S football state playoffs don't start until after Thanksgiving, but you could have sworn they kicked off Friday when Griswold-Wheeler and Stonington, the 6th and 7th-seeds heading into November, clashed at Palmer Field.

Griswold's thrilling 33-30 victory over the homestanding Bears was a high-intensity, well-played classic that was worthy of a state final.

After Wolverine linebacker Josh Turner tackled Stonington 220-pound back Patrick McGugan at the 1-yard line to save the game on the final play, Griswold (7-1) celebrated in a massive victory pile while Stonington (6-2) fell in agony, pounding the turf or slamming their helmets.

"That's the best game I've ever been involved in," Griswold-Wheeler coach Gregg Wilcox said. "Two good teams slugging it out. We played with resiliency. And you talk about redemption for Josh Turner."

Game-changing play

Stonington, once boasting an unstoppable double wing offense, struggled to contain Griswold's double wing all game. The Wolverines trailed 14-12 early in the third quarter and drove inside the Bear 5 yard line, poised to take a lead. Turner took a handoff only to see Stonington defensive lineman Charlie Worsdale, snatch the ball from his arms and return it 95-yard for a touchdown to make the score, 22-12.

"I had a couple of Stonington linemen's arms around my neck and allowed the ball to be ripped from me," Turner said. "I tried to keep my head up and not get down on myself. I guess a game-saving tackle against a very big kid makes up for it."

Turner ended up saving the game.

"That's a 14-point swing and a huge play," Stonington coach A.J. Massengale said. "Usually when you have that play, it's the difference to put you over the top to win."

Double wing cranked

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Griswold trailed 30-18 with 10:45 left in the fourth quarter before embarking on a 70-yard scoring drive with KinKade Rubino (20 carries for 164 yards) scoring from 23 yards out to make it 30-26 with nine minutes left.

Griswold got the ball back with six minutes left and drove 71 yards to score on a 5-yard run by Kiyle Montigny (20 carries for 135 yards, 3 TDs) with 1:19 left.

Luke Cassidy hit Aiden Peltier with a two-point pass for a 33-30 lead - Griswold's first lead of the game.

"The double wing is our identity," Wilcox said. "If we came out in a spread offense, our players would protest."

One last Bears thrust

Stonington, one of the ECC's best passing squads, had one last answer with McGugan, who had a 45-yard TD run in the first half, playing a major role.

With 70 seconds left, Stonington's Jayden Carter hit Cooper Light for 26 yards and back Ethan Mahoney for 24 to the Wolverine 6 with 45 seconds left. Playing out of the Wildcat set, McGugan took four center snaps but was stopped on 4th and goal from the 1-yard line by Turner as time ran out.

What it means

Griswold came in ranked 7th in the eight-team playoff ratings and swapped places with Stonington to snatch the No. 6 spot. The Wolverines hold a huge point average edge (131 to 108) over Stonington.

The Wolverines will be a big favorite to beat Montville and Plainfield to finish the regular season and all but sealed a playoff berth Friday.

They said it

"This is special for me because I played with their top players in Stonington youth football," said Montigny, one of the handful of Wheeler players in the co-op. "I had a great time with them and we won the town's only U14 Super Bowl championship [in 2019].

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Griswold-Wheeler stops Stonington on final play for thrilling win