Zenker, Chaminade win a close, close one
Holy Trinity's Joseph Furgeson battles the Chaminade defense. (Oct. 2, 2011) Credit: Lee S. Weissman
Even the final score -- 21-20 -- doesn't quite reflect just how close Chaminade's win over Holy Trinity was Sunday.
It came down to inches: a foot just inbounds, a fumble recovered amid a mad scramble and a ball that glanced -- just glanced -- off a set of outstretched fingers.
Tommy Zenker caught an 18-yard touchdown from Joe Anile on a fade to the right corner of the end zone to give Chaminade a 21-7 lead with 2:19 left in the third quarter.
"I didn't even think I caught it," Zenker said. "I beat my guy and he threw it right to me . . . but I thought I landed on the track [out of bounds]. But when I came down, I had my foot down [inbounds]."
That was the catch that was made. Now, for the one that wasn't: After scoring twice in the fourth quarter, Holy Trinity, down 21-20 with 1:49 to play, went for the two-point conversion. Chris Laviano, under heavy pressure from Greg Rhodes, rolled right and spotted his only open receiver, tight end Chris Hardardt -- barreling toward the right corner of the end zone with Brian Dunne and Ryan Lukacovic hot on his trail.
Hardardt reached out, but the ball glanced off his outstretched hand to keep Chaminade (3-1) in the lead.
"It was time to come up big," Dunne said. "And [Hardardt] took it off the fingertips in the very corner."
It was a highlight play for a defense that had also tallied five sacks (two each from Rhodes and Chris D'Ambrosio, and one from Daniel Fowler, who ran for 98 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries at fullback).
Holy Trinity (0-4) had to stage a mighty comeback to even get that close. Seven seconds into the fourth quarter, Laviano (14-for-27 for 124 yards) threw a deep ball to Juwan Brown, who corralled the pass over his shoulder for a 35-yard score to draw the Titans to within 21-14. Laviano tried to recapture the magic on the next possession, targeting Brown on third-and-11 on the Chaminade 22, but, in the theme of the afternoon, the ball sailed just inches past his hands, forcing Holy Trinity to punt.
The Flyers, though, fumbled on the first play of the ensuing possession, recovered by Holy Trinity's Mike Williams at the 50. Eight plays later, Joseph Ferguson dived over the pile for the 1-yard TD to set up the closest of margins and the final heart-pounding seconds.
How close was it again?
Said Dunne, "Inches."
