Moving to the National Football Foundation division this fall gave Bishop Grimes a chance at gridiron glory.
But not even the Cobras’ most ardent supporters could have dreamed of the way Grimes would get that glory during Saturday night’s 18-13 victory over Little Falls in the NFF semifinals at Sauquoit Valley.
Trailing the Mounties 13-12, with time winding down, and facing the end of its season, the Cobras would pull it out when quarterback Jordan Newman found Austin DiRienzo on a 20-yard touchdown pass with four seconds left.
As a result, Grimes, who began the season in the Carrier Dome beating New York Mills in the Kickoff Classic, will end the season in the Dome, too, playing LaFayette/Fabius-Pompey in the NFF final Sunday night at 8 p.m. The Lancers needed double overtime to beat Adirondack 14-8 in the other semifinal.
Entering its game with Little Falls, the Cobras had already shown, through its 6-2 regular season, that leaving the formal Section III Class D structure, at least for this year, was a roaring success.
And the confidence gained from all of those wins would be needed here. Most of the first half proved scoreless, but the Mounties broke the stalemate on Preston Trumbull’s nine-yard TD run late in the second quarter.
Trailing 6-0 at the break, the Cobras staged its first comeback in the third quarter. It took just three plays for Grimes to take the second-half kickoff and find the end zone, Shakim’ Williams scoring on his own nine-yard run.
After forcing a fourth-down Little Falls fumble at it own 37, Grimes mounted another impressive. This time, it went through the air to finish it, Newman connecting with DiRienzo on a 12-yard scoring pass.
A tough Grimes defense tried to protect that 12-6 lead. Twice, the Mounties put together long drives, only to have the first of them thwarted when Williams picked off a pass in the end zone with 10:02 left.
Unfazed, Little Falls got the ball back, again moved deep into Cobras territory – and this time finished it off. Devin Dawley tied the game on a seven-yard TD run with 4:23 to play and, more importantly, Miller Tooley converted the extra point, giving the Mounties a one-point edge.
The ensuing kickoff pinned Grimes on its own nine-yard line. Patiently, it moved the ball down the field, reaching the Mounties’ 20, and from there Newman threw one more time to DiRienzo for the clinching points.
Now the Cobras get a chance to avenge its 35-12 defeat to LaFayette/Fabius-Pompey on Oct. 18. The Lancers carry a 9-0 record into the NFF final.
