On Friday, September 20, the South Windsor Bobcats football team traveled to battle the Owls under the bright lights of Hartford Public High School, leaving the contest with a 35-22 victory.
The game began with the Bobcats on offense, but would see them walk off the field scoreless. Neither side was able to punch in a touchdown for the entirety of the first quarter of play.
In the second quarter, Bobcats senior quarterback Jake Pflederer connected with fellow senior Ethan Burke on a touchdown pass. With a Hartford Public touchdown in between, Pflederer would add a rushing touchdown just a few minutes later to make it a 14-6 lead.
Near the end of the half, the Owls were marching down the field. They found themselves at the goal line with under one minute to go. After three failed attempts to punch it in, they faced fourth and goal. Hartford handed it off to running back Edwin Rodriguez, who couldn’t escape Bobcats sophomore linebacker Jahlil Montgomery.
The ‘Cats took over at their own seven yard line with about 20 seconds left. Pflederer took the snap and handed it to Burke on a jet sweep. Burke ran around the line and down the left sideline all the way to the end zone. South Windsor’s halftime lead would be 21-6.
On the opening drive of the second half, the Bobcats drained a huge chunk of clock while parading down the field. With the ‘Cats in striking distance for the fourth straight drive, Burke once again found the end zone on a handoff, marking his third of the game.
Hartford Public was able to find the end zone again and convert a two point conversion before the end of the third quarter. The score read 28-14 in favor of the Bobcats.
The Hartford Public offense was once again mounting a strong drive. They were in South Windsor territory, but the Owls quarterback would fumble the ball, and it was all Bobcats on top of it.
Pflederer would take advantage of the turnover by rushing for his second touchdown of the contest. The Owls scored once more before the conclusion of the game but it would be nowhere near enough.
Following the game, The Prowl spoke to defensive coordinator Kevin Quinn. “It was a total team effort. We had contributions from the offense, defense and special teams. The defensive goal line stand followed up by Burke’s touchdown run before the half set the tone for the rest of the game,” Coach Quinn said.
The team plays the Stamford Black Knights who are currently 0-2, having recently played Greenwich and Newtown, but “we shouldn’t treat them as an 0-2 team,” senior Nihaal Thakran commented.
With the sound of the final horn, the ‘Cats had emerged victorious by a score of 35-22. This win makes the Bobcats 1-1 on the year, and the team is looking forward to their game against Stamford this Saturday for their home opener.
