Cheshire’s senior kicker Tim Reinhard absolutely drilled a 44-yard field goal with just 1 minute, 55 seconds left in the fourth quarter on Friday, powering the Rams to a wild 15-13 Southern Connecticut Conference win over West Haven. What a finish, seriously.
What Even Happened in That First Half?
Man, if you just watched the first half, you wouldn’t believe that final score. Cheshire was stuck in neutral, literally going into halftime down 13-0 with less than 20 yards of offense. They had a measly 11 total yards in the game’s first 24 minutes, with six possessions ending in five punts and the clock running out. Meanwhile, West Haven was moving the ball, racking up 168 yards in that first half. It felt like two totally different teams were on the field. Coach Don Drust said they “didn’t play our best football to start the game,” and yeah, no kidding.
The Turnaround That Changed Everything
The second half? Totally different story. It kicked off with a West Haven error on their very first offensive snap of the third quarter, a bad snap sailing out of the end zone for a Cheshire safety. Just like that, it was 13-2. Then Cheshire actually put together a 44-yard, six-play drive that ended with Michael Chopak’s 15-yard touchdown run, and Shane Jerome got the conversion run. Suddenly, it was 13-10! And get this: just two plays later, West Haven had another snap out of the end zone, giving Cheshire another safety and making it 13-12 with 9:09 left in the third. Talk about flipping momentum! Drust nailed it, saying, “Turnovers and things like that change momentum. Welcome to high school football. It’s a game of momentum. It’s a game of trying to flip it.” West Haven coach Tom Unger even admitted, “sometimes the lights get big when it happens.”
Reinhard’s Moment, West Haven’s Heartbreak
West Haven had a chance to extend their lead, but they got stopped on downs at the Cheshire 29 with under 10 minutes to go. That was huge. Then Cheshire started their game-winning drive with 4:58 left on the clock. Jerome made a big 20-yard completion to keep it going, setting up Reinhard for his moment. Remember, Unger said he knew Reinhard was “kicking fifty, sixty-yard field goals in warm-ups.” Reinhard came through, blasting that 44-yarder. “It felt great,” he said, crediting his team and holder. West Haven quarterback Landon Gartner tried to answer, marching his team to the Cheshire 32, but two straight incompletions sealed the deal for Cheshire. What a comeback, and what a clutch kick to get it done!
What a wild Friday night it was at Ken Strong Stadium. From 13 points down to a two-point victory thanks to one massive kick. This is the kind of game that sticks with you.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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