Friday, September 25, 2009 10:53 PM EDT
By ANDREW LOVELL
Staff Writer
GLASTONBURY – If ever there was a tale of two halves, Friday night’s CCC Division I battle between Southington and Glastonbury was it.
The Tomahawks erased a 20-point halftime deficit and pulled out a thrilling 49-46 home win against the Blue Knights.
Glastonbury senior quarterback Sean McQuillan led the charge, accounting for five of the six touchdowns scored in the second half and seven overall in the game.
McQuillan tallied touchdown runs of 40 yards, 30 yards and one yard, connected with Ryan McCarthy on a 37-yard touchdown strike and returned an interception 42 yards for another score in the second half alone.
McQuillan’s one-yard touchdown run with 47 seconds remaining put Glastonbury on top for the first time in the game.
Southington quarterback Connor Butkiewicz moved Southington down the field, but the drive stalled at the Glastonbury 38-yard line.
On fourth down with just five seconds remaining, Butkiewicz looked for wide receiver Mike Rhodd deep on the Hail Mary heave.
But the ball fell incomplete, clinching the win for the Tomahawks and the bitter defeat for the Blue Knights.
The first half, however, was all Southington.
The Blue Knight’s offense picked up where it left off in last Wednesday’s season opener, marching 73 yards down the field on just five plays, punctuating the drive with a three-yard touchdown pass from Butkiewicz to Anthony Florian.
Glastonbury answered right back on their first drive, needing only four plays to get into the end zone on a 17-yard touchdown run by McQuillan.
At that point, the game looked like it would every bit the back-and-forth slugfest it had been billed to be.
The Blue Knights, however, made sure that wouldn’t happen until the second half.
Southington scored on its next two possessions and then returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown to build up a 30-7 advantage.
Butkiewicz connected with Tyler Dube on a five-yard touchdown pass on the team’s second possession.
Dylan Danko capped off a nine-play, 99-yard drive with a touchdown plunge from one-yard out on the Blue Knights’ third possession.
On the following Glastonbury possession, McQuillan was knocked out of the game after a sideline collision with a pair of Southington defenders.
Two plays later, backup quarterback Cory Santor was intercepted by Joe Pesce, who returned it 60 yards for a touchdown.
After McQuillan ran for his second touchdown, Butkiewicz answered with a 51-yard touchdown bomb to Zach Etter in the final minute before halftime.
Southington entered the break with a 38-14 advantage. But the Tomahawks weren’t about to roll over in their home opener.
Just five plays into the second half, McQuillan broke free for a 40-yard score, which cut the lead to 38-21.
After a Southington turnover on downs, McQuillan again gashed the Blue Knights, this time scoring from 30 yards out to cut the lead to 38-28.
Two possessions later, Southington would respond with Butkiewicz touchdown pass to Dube, putting the Blue Knights back up by 18 points.
After a McQuillan interception, Butkiewicz was himself victimized by the defense, throwing an interception to McQuillan, who returned it 42 yards for another touchdown.
On his very next throw, Butkiewicz was again picked, this time by Santor. Four plays later, McQuillan made the Blue Knights pay, hitting McCarthy for the 37-yard touchdown, which also cut Southington’s lead to 46-41.
Southington’s following drive stalled and the Blue Knights couldn’t convert a fourth-down opportunity at Glastonbury’s 45-yard line.
McQuillan and company took over there and drove the length of the field for the go-ahead score.
Glastonbury improved to 2-0, while Southington dropped to 1-1.
