Lisa Reisman Photo
Coach Maurice Morrison with Sterling Hayward, Christopher Wiley, and Jagger Bush in first quarter.
It was a battle to the finish between two teams, one from New Haven and one from Boston. It wasn’t that game.
And it all came down to this: The Connecticut champion 8U2 New Haven Steelers stood on the 25-yard line as the seconds ticked down in the fourth quarter. Twenty-five yards to the end zone, where a touchdown and extra point would tie the Steelers with Massachusetts champion Mattapan Patriots and send the game into overtime, where the Steelers traditionally have shined.
The stakes for the 30 8 and 9‑year-old members of the Steelers youth football team, their families and friends, and the roughly 250 fans who turned out Sunday morning at West Haven’s Veterans Memorial Field, filling the stands, leaning over the short chain-link fence, and circling the perimeter: a Pop Warner Football Conference Regional championship.
The Steelers have had a stellar year: They went undefeated in the regular season. They won the state championship. On Sunday, they were seeking the regional championship.
Crowd cheers touchdown in second quarter.
The Steelers started slowly. By the end of the first quarter, the Patriots were ahead 13 – 0, relying almost exclusively on the running game.
“Wake up, Steelers!” came a voice from the stands in the crisp November air.
“Keep your head, keep your head,” coach Nate Morrison called out.
Team moms Delores Roberts and Tynay King.
They kept their heads. A stop by Damar Eddins early in the second quarter seemed to enliven the crowd, and the team. A touchdown by quarterback Bryce Jones followed, sending the fans into hysteria.
“We got this!,” team mom Tynay King shouted from the sidelines, clapping. “Let’s go. Let’s do this.”
Head coach Lovale Morrison with Jagger Bush and Ethan Jones at halftime.
With three minutes remaining in the second quarter, William “E.J.” McClary tore down the sidelines and into the end zone.
The score at halftime was 13 – 12, Patriots.
“They acted like they had to get woked up,” King said as the team headed into the locker room, their cleats crunching on the asphalt. “They woke now.”
As vendors offered delicacies like the Cardiac Arrest — a half-pound burger, bacon, and two fried eggs, topped with French fries and cheese on a toasted bun — the team exuded a quiet confidence.
“We hit ‘em hard coming out into the second half, we got this,” said one coach, as the players relaxed on steel benches, staring into the middle distance, focused on the prize.
Again, the Steelers came out of the locker room slowly. The team’s first possession resulted in a turnover on downs.
Coach Enice “Nico” Jones and Lawrence Howard in third quarter.
Halfway through the third quarter, the Patriots pounced. On fourth down and long, a shovel pass resulted in a first down, quieting the home crowd. All at once, the Steelers were down 19 – 12.
“Let’s go, boys,” someone in the crowd cried out. “You still got this. Plenty of time.”
Chase King, a team captain.
The teams traded possessions. The clock ticked down. The tension rose.
“Great game,” said Shawn Freeney, grandfather of Jay Threadgill, from behind the fence. “This is great for Jay, for all the kids, win or lose. It’s all about getting out there and playing together as a team.”
Then, drama. The dynamic running back E.J. McClary went down, limping off the field. Quarterback Bryce Jones picked him up, cutting for a long run and a first down on the 25-yard line.
The crowd went wild. There was 3:47 left in the game.
Lawrence Howard and Bryce Jones.
“Take it home, baby, take it home,” Freeney shouted.
Then, a false start moved the team back to the 30 yard line. A face mask penalty pinned them back to the 45.
“Let ‘em play, ref!” someone called out. The Steelers took a time out. E.J. returned to the field. The crowd roared.
“Fourth and long,” the announcer boomed.
“You got this, Steelers,” team mom Delores Johnson said. “You got this.”
The referee blew the whistle. Across the field, center Christopher Wiley hiked the ball.
William “EJ” McClary with Delores Roberts and Coach Demelle Turner after long touchdown run to draw the Steelers within 1 point.
All of a sudden, there was a mad scramble.
“Ball is fumbled, recovered by Patriots,” said the announcer. The crowd went silent.
The game was, for all intents and purposes, over.
There was a runner-up trophy. Each player got a medal.
“You all are still champions,” Tynay King told the tear-streaked faces slumped in a group outside the stadium.
“State champions,” someone else said. “Pick your heads up like state champions. No one in the state of Connecticut was better than y’all.”
As the public address system was announcing the champion Mattapan Patriots, someone’s voice rang out.
“We are proud of you, and we are proud of you,” she chanted. Other voices joined hers. “We are proud of you, and we are proud of you.”
It was still a triumphant year the Steelers and their families will never forget.
Chase King, a Steelers captain, stood apart from the group, peeling off his pads.
“We fought hard,” he said. “This hurts, but I know this team fought hard. We’ll be back.”
Congratulations to the New Haven Steelers for a job well done and a great season! You may have not won this particular game, but you are winners, every one of you, for how great a game and how great a season you played. And you had a better season than the NFL's NY Giants, so hold your heads up high and be very proud of what you have accomplished this year!