SPB's High School Football

Not every great game has to have title implications. When you get two teams of equal talents lined up, the results can be pretty satisfying — especially for the football players on the field.

Since I’ve been at the Connecticut Post, I’ve annually come to cover the Week 9 Harding-Bassick game (with the exception of 2006, when Bassick broke its 63-game winless streak).

Yeah, Harding and Bassick have taken their lumps this season — Harding perhaps more than Bassick. But they work as hard as anyone else out there. They’re football players. As city rivals, they always put on a great show.

That’s what we got Monday night at Kennedy Stadium.

Bassick sophomore Davonte Franklin‘s 34-yard catch-and-run touchdown with no time left gave the Lions a thrilling 18-12 victory over the Presidents.

Yes, it wasn’t pretty at times — the two teams combined for maybe six of seven turnovers — but the frantic finish was worth the price of admission.

Harding’s Julian McCord scored on a 14-yard run to tie the game, 12-12, with 2:48 left. Harding went 2-point conversion and failed. Though they recovered the onside kick,  Bassick stopped the Presidents on downs with a minute left and drove right back down the field to the Harding 34.

There were just 12 seconds left.

Harding had the initial play stopped, but quarterback Rodney Lanham scrambled for more time and found Franklin, affectionately known at Petey to his coaches and teammates, all alone beneath Harding’s prevent defense. He scooted left and danced out of several tackles — all while coach Frank Marcucio was screaming for a time out if (and in Marcucio’s mind, when) Franklin fell to the turf.

Franklin never fell. He was standing in the end zone when his teammates finally caught up to him to celebrate.

For Bassick, it was their second win of the season and their third straight over Harding.

For coach Jim Morris and the Presidents it was a crushing loss, their second in as many weeks (Harding had Danbury beat a week ago but couldn’t seal the deal). Their players were devastated. Your heart has to break for them considering how this one get away.

For Bassick, it was absolute jubilation. Franklin, for one, was almost at a loss for words to describe his feeling.

They have bragging rights, for now.

On a side note, the Lions got a scare when teammate DeAndre Harper was knocked unconscious, taken off the field on a gurney and to Bridgeport hospital. Marcucio, who visited him after the game, said Harper was doing fine. He’ll stay the night as a precaution and get an MRI Tuesday.

DeAndre, here’s how it all went down:

ADD: We didn’t have adequate rosters for Harding and couldn’t identify No. 24 after the game. We now know, it was Taquan Broadway who caught Harding’s first touchdown, an impressive 24-yard strike from McCord. Sorry, Taquan!