Jake Dressler Photo
The victorious Hillhouse Academics with the 2018 trophy.
The annual Hillhouse-Wilbur Cross Elm City Bowl football match-up, played this year on Thanksgiving Eve rather than Thanksgiving Day, ended up a 36 – 8 rout.
It didn’t start that way.
Playing at Bowen Field in 16-degree weather, the teams ended the first half tied at 8 – 8. Hillhouse dropped the ball a few times, threw several incomplete passes, and threw an interception at the opposing 1‑yard line. The Wilbur Cross Governors scored the first touchdown and 2‑point conversion of the game.
Spirits were down on the Hillhouse sideline, but the team came back quickly to tie the game by the end of the first half.
In the second half Hillhouse hogged the scoreboard. Running back Neal Eley zigzagged through a tough defensive line to score a touchdown. The game was dominated by running plays, with Eley taking the lead with 158 yards.
“We had a couple mistakes in the first half. We picked up in the third quarter,” Eley said afterwards. “In the fourth quarter, we just finished the game, really.”
Click on the video above in this story to watch a highlights reel, including several touchdown passes.
