Sports
Darien Holds Off Wilton 35-34 in Double Overtime Thriller
The wild win sets up next week's showdown against fellow unbeaten Staples.
The Blue Wave football team survived a huge scare Saturday afternoon, holding off Wilton 35-34 in a double overtime thriller at .
The win sets up a showdown next week of unbeaten teams at Staples.
Each team scored twice in overtime, with Peter Gesualdi providing both of the Blue Wave's touchdowns. In the end, the game came down to a missed extra point as the Warriors couldn't convert after their final score.
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Trailing 21-13, Wilton tied the game with 33 seconds remaining in regulation on Brett Phillips' touchdown pass to Rob Keers and a successful conversion pass to Alex Ward. Two Darien offside penalties kept Wilton's game-tying drive alive.
Gesualdi fumbled on the ensuining kickoff and Wilton recovered at Darien's 38-yard line, but the junior running back made amends with an interception on the next play to send the game into overtime.
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After the teams exchanged scores in the first OT, Gesualdi's 1-yard TD run on fourth down put the Blue Wave back ahead. The Warriors' Travis Stella answered with a 1-yard TD run, also on fourth down, but the extra point attempt sailed wide.
The Warriors rallied from a 21-7 deficit to force the overtime, but surprised the Blue Wave by driving 93 yards on 10 plays on the game's opening to take a 7-0 lead on Connor Devane's 1-yard TD run.
Darien answered with a 13-play, 67-yard march, pulling even on the first of Gesualdi's three touchdowns, another 1-yard plunge.
Henry Baldwin then tossed a 31-yard TD pass to Harlan Smith to give the Blue Wave a 14-7 lead before the Warriors closed to 14-13 on Phillips' 22-yard TD pass to Keers. The extra point was no good.
But Darien burned Wilton again before the half, as Baldwin's 22-yard TD strike to Patrick McDonald with eight seconds left gave the Blue Wave a 21-13 lead at the intermission. The third quarter was scoreless.
Chris Smith made all five of his extra points for Darien.
The Blue Wave may have breathed a huge sigh of relief Saturday, but the Wreckers are up next, having improved to 5-0 with a 38-16 victory at Trumbull on Friday.
Wilton lost its third straight game, dropping to 3-3.
