Dae’Sean Graves absolutely rewired the Connecticut high school football record books Friday night, snagging his 228th career reception to officially become the state’s all-time leader in a wild 38-14 Holy Cross win over Woodland. This isn’t just about one record, either. Graves also broke the state career record for touchdown receptions on October 23, surpassing Alex Jamele’s mark of 50. Talk about a player making history every time he steps on the field!
Holy Cross Was Flat, Then Exploded
This game was a tale of two halves, big time. Holy Cross was completely shut out in the first half, staring down a 14-0 deficit at Woodland High School. The conditions were even wild, with dense fog making a foghorn a viable substitute for an official’s whistle! Woodland came out strong with their single-wing style offense, a scheme they’d only installed a couple of weeks prior. Justin Pringle finished off an 18-play, 86-yard drive that ate up 7 minutes, 39 seconds of the first quarter with a 2-yard touchdown. Pringle and Evan Mastropietro kept Holy Cross guessing by taking direct snaps, and Mastropietro even connected with Ryan Kenney for a 7-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Woodland coach Jeremy Clark wasn’t wrong when he said, “We put in a little niche offense, and we’re pretty dynamic. Our kids are pretty smart, and we had a good game plan for the first half. We executed well, but it was the tale of two halves for us. It really was.”
The halftime locker room must have been electric, because Holy Cross came out a completely different team. Hall, one of the Holy Cross players, rallied his teammates, telling them, “We’ve all got to believe it to achieve it, and that’s what we did. We came out there, came out with energy, all believed in each other, had each other’s backs, and we did it in the second half.” And boy, did they ever. Holy Cross scored 38 unanswered points after the break, turning that 14-0 hole into a dominant win.
Graves Focused While History Was Made
Graves entered the game needing just five catches to tie Joey Montalvo’s record of 226 career receptions. He didn’t just tie it; he shattered it. Graves finished with seven catches for 110 yards, bringing his career total to 228 grabs. And of course, he caught a touchdown pass as he broke that all-time reception record. Holy Cross wasted no time in the third quarter. Hall had a huge 30-yard reception right before Graves hauled in a 32-yard touchdown catch, cutting Woodland’s lead to 14-7 just 1:02 into the half. After a quick three-and-out and a short punt from Woodland, Holy Cross kept pushing. Graves had a 17-yard catch, then snagged a 4-yard pass to officially break Montalvo’s record. Michael Stradford then caught an 8-yard touchdown pass, pulling Holy Cross within one point at 14-13.
The Crusaders didn’t stop there. On Woodland’s next possession, Hall picked off a Mastropietro pass and weaved his way for a 40-yard touchdown, giving Holy Cross their first lead at 20-14. They recovered a Pringle fumble on the very next Woodland drive, and Lombardo quickly found Stradford for a 20-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 26-14. It was a complete second-half takeover, fueled by incredible plays and a relentless attitude.
What’s wild is that even while the public address announcer was noting his incredible achievement, Graves was already locked in on the next play. “It was definitely good. At the time, I was really focused on the game,” Graves said. “That just came, but I wasn’t really focused on it. I really was focused on finishing the game. That was my thought process on it, on the announcement of it.” That’s the mindset of a true competitor!
With this massive win, Holy Cross improved to 7-1 on the season and held onto their No. 2 spot in the Class MM playoff standings, right behind St. Joseph, who are ranked No. 2 in the latest GametimeCT Top 10 poll. Woodland, meanwhile, fell to 5-3. Holy Cross isn’t just winning games; they’re making history and showing serious grit.
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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