By Ryan O’connor
Post-game emotion on the two sidelines was quite different, but the feeling was the same: this was no ordinary exhibition.
The annual Queen City Turkey Bowl, featuring Manchester’s top two teams, saw West and Central pass the stuffing back and forth for three-plus quarters before Blue Knights running back
Nick Clement gobbled up the Little Green defense in the final seven minutes.
West scored the contest’s last 13 points on two Clement touchdowns for the come-from-behind, 19-13 victory.
And while West players congregated at midfield, hoisting the Queen City trophy high, the Little Green retreated, heads bowed, into their locker room.
“We made the playoffs, and we obviously hoped for a state championship, but if we don’t get that, the city championship is the next best thing,” said West coach Travis Cote.
His quarterback, Lyle Smith, said while the postseason pounding at the hands of eventual state champion Pinkerton left a bruise, the scars from a 27-14 setback on Oct. 26 to their crosstown rival had his squad motivated.
“It was a lot more than just an exhibition game,” said the senior signal caller. “There’s 20 seniors on this squad, and it’s great that we all get to end the season and our careers (at West) like this.”
Central coach Ryan Ray had a drastically different take on the event.
“We play … to win football games. And you know what? I hope they had fun. I hope they learned from their experiences. But nobody should be happy that they were out there just playing football,” said the Central mentor. “This was a football game. This was a city championship, and for the next year, West is city champ.”
Few could blame Ray for being upset. The Little Green held a 13-6 lead with seven minutes remaining, and the Blue Knights, who had little success moving the ball in the second half, faced 3rd-and-17 at their own 19-yard line.
That’s when Smith took the snap and found a streaking Clement cutting across from the right sideline.
Eighty-four yards and a Kameron Knowlton extra point later, the game was tied.
“Me and Lyle have been playing together for five years. He knew what I was thinking. I knew what he was thinking. I went to the middle and he just threw a perfect ball,” said Clement, a Bedford tailback. “We knew we could score if the (offensive) line provided, and the line provided.”
The ensuing drive, Central pushed 54 yards downfield, but hit a wall at their foes’ 19-yard line.
After senior quarterback Scott McCurdy was knocked out of bounds for a seven-yard loss, the Little Green failed to convert on 3rd-and-long, and McCurdy’s fourth-down pooch punt bounced into the end zone, giving the Blue Knights the ball at their 20.
With little more than three minutes left on the clock, Smith and power back Steve Gibson led West down the field, and with 26 seconds remaining in regulation, Clement broke free, darting 30 yards to pay dirt.
“We knew we had to get the ball in our best player’s hands, so that’s why we got the ball to Nick,” said Cote. “He’s come up big for us all year. You’ve just got to allow that kid to help you out, and he came up big for us today.”
Though West loses its core, Cote said he hopes the game acts as a springboard into next season.
“Graduating so many upperclassmen, it’s really important to these underclassmen to have something positive happen,” said West’s coach. “To get a win at the end of the season like that gives us a lot of momentum going into the offseason as these kids look to step up and fill a lot of roles for us next year.”
Game notes
Miles Davis put Central on the board in the second quarter when he caught a 23-yard strike from McCurdy in the back of the end zone. Davis toed the endline in making the reception.
Mike LeClerc capped Central’s scoring with a 5-yard burst off-tackle in the third quarter. Coupled with Zach Lemire’s successful extra-point attempt, the Little Green led 13-6.