AUGUSTA — The entrance to Fuller Field was lined with photo collages celebrating the Cony football team’s nine seniors, including quarterback Dom Napolitano, whose tribute was packed with photos and other gridiron mementos dating back to childhood.
After his effort Friday night, Napolitano may need to make some updates.
The Rams’ do-it-all star caught the game-tying touchdown and 2-point conversion with 1 minute, 28 seconds remaining, then ran for the go-ahead score in overtime as Cony defeated Falmouth, 35-28, in a battle of Class B North contenders on front of a chilled-but-thrilled senior night crowd.
The Rams (6-2) took sole possession of second place in the B North standings, while the Navigators fell to 5-3 and third place. First-place Skowhegan (6-1) visits fourth-place Windham (4-3) on Saturday.
Falmouth appeared to have the game sealed up with 2:06 left in regulation when Navigators QB Finn Claxton-Smith ran 11 yards through the Cony defense for his third touchdown of the night, giving his team a 28-20 lead following Lucas Dilworth’s extra point. But Cony coach B.L. Lippert, who admitted after the game he let Claxton-Smith score to give his team more time to respond, moved Napolitano, his QB, to wide receiver and put big-armed junior Davin Flynn under center.
On 2nd-and-9 from Cony’s 30-yard line, Flynn threw a perfect strike to Napolitano, who evaded double coverage to catch the ball and race 70 yards down the left sideline to cut the deficit to 28-26 with 1:28 left. Flynn hit Napolitano for the 2-point conversion to knot the score at 28-all.
“We know we needed eight points, so we went right to a fade ball, and Davin threw a great ball to me, and I ran it for a touchdown,” said Napolitano, who finished the night 11-for-22 passing for 159 yards and a TD and ran 12 times for 48 yards and two scores in addition to his big catch.
Flynn saw significant playing time at QB last season, Lippert said, and didn’t hesitate to bring him in with the game on the line. Napolitano, who has accounted for at least 16 touchdowns this year — including two on defense — was eager to line up at wideout when asked by his coach.
“He (Flynn) probably throws a better deep ball than Dom, honestly, and he put one right on the money,” Lippert said. “When the ball’s in the air, number 6 (Napolitano) is a player. He can make plays, and he made another one tonight.”
Falmouth’s last drive in regulation stalled at midfield, sending the game to overtime. On Cony’s first possession at the Falmouth 10, Napolitano ran into the end zone untouched to give the Rams their first lead since the second quarter. Kam Douin’s extra point made it 35-28.
Cony’s Kam Douin (13) makes a catch as he is covered by Falmouth’s Ali Carter (19) in the first half of a football game Friday in Augusta. Michael G. Seamans
“Clearly we thought when we scored late in the game that it was over,” Falmouth coach John Fitzsimmons said. “That terriffic play up the sidelines was crushing.”
In its half of OT, Falmouth tried a pair of runs that went nowhere before Claxton-Smith fired a pair of incompletions at the end zone. His second pass was intended for Dilworth, but Douin and — who else? — Napolitano made sure the receiver was well-covered. After the pass fell incomplete, the Rams celebrated and the students stormed the field.
“It’s an all-time win,” Lippert said as players, fans and students continued to celebrate. “To be down by eight like that and to come back was pretty awesome.”
Falmouth dealt Cony everything it could muster and then some. Claxton-Smith ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, and running back Indi Backman ran for 130 yards on 19 carries, including a 40-yard run in the fourth that set up Claxton-Smith’s apparent knockout blow. They were helped by the stellar blocking of massive left tackle Will Gale, who also made life hard for Cony’s runners on the defensive line.
“I think they know we played hard football, too, so it was a great game,” Fitzsimmons said. “(Claxton-Smith and Backman) are both dangerous guys. Indi’s only a sophomore, so we’ve go him for two more years, and more importantly, we’ve got him for playoffs. At 6-3, 305, Gale is just tenacious on both sides of the ball. He’s special. I think he proved that tonight.”
Cony scored on its opening drive when Napolitano took a QB keeper 8 yards into the end zone; Douin’s extra point made it 7-0. Claxton-Smith’s 16-yard TD pass to Dilworth on Falmouth’s first drive cut the deficit to 7-6 following a missed extra point. The Navigators took a 14-7 lead in the second on Claxton-Smith’s 8-yard QB keeper, following by his 2-point conversion pass to Miles Gay. Cony knotted the score at 14 when Napolitano found Douin (seven catches, 121 yards) for 25 yards with 1:28 left in the half.
The teams traded TDs in the third on another Claxton-Smith QB keeper, this one for 1 yard, and Napolitano’s 17-yard run, but Cony’s missed extra point left the Rams down 21-20 before Claxton-Smith’s fourth-quarter score.
Cony linebacker Tyler Pelletier had an interception, while leading the team in tackles with lineman Jon Lettre.
The teams combined for 15 penalties, seven by Cony.
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