Hall's Rally Is Denied by Unbeaten NFA

quarterback Riley Carroll threw. Then he threw some more. When Carroll was unable to throw, he ran.

And when Carroll was not running or passing, Hall coach Frank Robinson threw in a couple of linebackers against undefeated Norwich Free Academy.

"Our kids responded," Robinson said Tuesday after a 30-14 loss to NFA in the CIAC Class LL quarterfinals in Norwich. "They said, 'Hey, we're going to keep fighting here.'"

Tony Facchini rushed for 160 yards (124 in the first half) on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead No. 2 seed NFA (11-0), which will play No. 3 Trumbull Saturday in the Class LL semifinals.

Seventh-seeded Hall (8-3), playing without running back Jacob Rosario (knee) and receiver Miguel Godoy (leg), needed another big game from Carroll, the sixth-rated passer in the state. The 5-11, 175-pound senior was 16 of 35 passing for 211 yards and rushed for 66 more.

"I thought he played great," Robinson said.

But Hall quickly trailed 20-0 and appeared stationary on offense with only 27 yards and two first downs until 2:10 before halftime.

Then Carroll guided an 11-play, 65-yard drive. He ran twice for 24 yards. A 17-yard reception by Joseph Denault set up Hall at the NFA 12-yard line. After an interference call, Carroll burst up the middle for a 6-yard touchdown with 14 seconds left.

"That was definitely a big deal going into the half," Robinson said.

Hall took only four plays to strike at the start of the third quarter. Carroll scrambled and hit Denault along the left sideline for a 54-yard gain to the NFA 1, where Justin Sundstrom, a senior linebacker, made the plunge.

Trailing 20-14 with 11:06 in the third, Hall started to make mistakes. The defense gave up a 52-yard pass by Eric Washburn to Colin Smith. But after stopping NFA on downs at the 12, Hall drove to the NFA 36. Sundstrom carried once and Kevin Farrah, another senior linebacker, carried four times for 31 yards, including a 10-yard run.

"[Farrah is] all over the field," Robinson said. "He's a character. He's a kid who stepped in and did some running for us. He stepped up and so did [Sundstrom]. They're linebackers. They're not running backs."

But a motion penalty cost 5 yards. Then Carroll's fourth-down pass was dropped.

"It was 20-14. If we had that catch, I think we go in and score because the momentum was on our side," Robinson said. "Instead [NFA starts] going the other way."

NFA used 10 plays and the last 4:14 of the third quarter before Ryer Caruso kicked a 22-yard field goal for a 24-14 lead to begin the fourth.

Farrah, who boomed a 63-yard punt in the first quarter, mishandled a snap with 10:14 remaining, setting up NFA at the Hall 30.

"He practices that every day and I've never seen him do that," Robinson said.

Washburn, who opened the scoring with a 58-yard TD pass to freshman Marcus Outlow in the first quarter, capped a six-play drive with a 3-yard run with 6:55 left.

Turn on the lights, please?

NFA plays one regular season game each year under portable lights. There were five stanchions on the east side of the field and six on the west. One went out 30 minutes before the game. And it sure looked dark out there. … Rosario rushed for 831 yards and 10 TDs this season. Godoy, also the backup running back, had 455 yards receiving and 11 TDs. "They've been outstanding players for us all year," Robinson said. … Carroll passed for 2,150 yards and 23 scores this season and Hall averaged almost 40 points a game. … Hall made its fourth postseason appearance and first since 1986. … NFA, which made its first postseason appearance since 2002, won a state title in 1945. … The temperature was 50 at game-time with light rain. … The officials were from the Naugatuck Valley Conference.