Jairdan Walker (11) makes a leaping grab against Flint Hill's Jonny Howard, the eventual hero of the game for the Huskies.
The Cardinals and Huskies of Flint Hill played an exciting high school football game late Saturday afternoon, capped by a pair of touchdowns in the game’s final 71 seconds.  Unfortunately for Bishop Ireton, it was the second score 25 seconds after they tied the ballgame, that sent them down to defeat.
After sophomore Alex Duke took an Andrew Latrash shovel pass the final 2 yards for a touchdown with 1:11 remaining to play, Cardinal faithful began to plan for a possible overtime session. Coach Tom Verbanic’s squad wasn’t satisfied to wait that long to decide the game.
Taking the ball on their own 45 following the kickoff, the Huskies went right to work. On first down, freshman linebacker Michael Everett just missed an interception. On the next play, Ireton senior Daniel Baskins narrowly missed a sack of quarterback Justin Saleh, who wiggled free and heaved a 37-yard pass downfield to Jonny Howard. Howard, who plagued the Cardinals all day, snared the aerial between a pair of Ireton defenders and bolted to the end zone with the game winner with :48 remaining on the clock. Ireton mounted one final drive that ended when Flint Hill’s Bruce Briglia intercepted Latrash at the Husky 10-yard line.
Bishop Ireton got a slow start out of the gate while Flint Hill capitalized on their first possession, a 14-play drive covering 70 yards. The Huskies’ Cameron Vaughn scored the first of his two touchdowns from a yard out to give the hosts a 7-0 advantage.  Flint Hill extended their lead to 14-0 when Vaughn dashed 18-yards up the middle to paydirt on the first play of the second quarter.
The visitors began their comeback when Duke scrambled 6 yards for a touchdown capped a 13-play drive at 7:58 to pull Ireton to within 14-7. After the defense forced a three-and-out, Latrash ran and passed the Cardinals to the end zone and 14-14 tie when he connected on a 1- yard pass to junior Josh Ammon with 2:55 remaining in the first half.
Once again the defense shut down Flint Hill, going three-and-out. A short punt had Ireton in good field position on the Flint Hill 46.  Enter Jonny Howard.  As a Latrash pass went off the fingertips of junior Jairdan Walker, Howard closed on a dead run to the ball, never breaking stride as he collected the pigskin and raced untouched down the Ireton sideline 60-yards for Flint Hill’s third touchdown of the half with :23.3 left in the period. Moments later Howard would gather in another Ireton toss as the half ended.
The second half was dominated by Bishop Ireton’s defense which gave the home team little until the game’s final, fateful drive. That stubborn play by the Cardinal defense was critical as the Huskies showed a “bend but don’t break” defense that stopped Ireton inside the Flint Hill 5 on consecutive possessions, and three times total inside the 20 in the second half.
Ireton’s first drive of the third quarter came up one yard short of the end zone, but the Cardinals then forced a Flint Hill punt. Alex Duke lugged a Latrash pass to the Flint Hill 30, a personal foul put the Cardinals in business at the 15. The drive would stall again inside the 5 yard line and Ireton came up empty again.
The Cardinal defenders smothered the Huskies once more and the blue-jerseyed home team’s punt rolled out of bounds on their own 24 in the final period. Armed with great field possession the visitors pressed ahead only to come up short yet again inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.  Time was turning against the redbirds, but once again, the Ireton defense rose to the occasion.
This time, following a Flint Hill punt, the white shirts found a way. Drew Smith caught a pass for 8 yards, Duke hauled in another. Junior Brenden Peifer lumbered 26 yards with a Latrash pass down to the Flint Hill 8 before Duke scored on a short 2 yard toss with 1:11 remaining to tie the game when Matt Bocchi calmly drilled his third PAT. Overtime loomed before Jonnie Howard made his final big play.
Bishop Ireton falls to 2-4 on the season with its third road game ahead following four home contests. It’s homecoming for Cadets of Benedictine, who are fresh off a win over Paul VI on Friday night. The visiting team has spoiled homecoming each of the past two years in this series with the all-boys Catholic military school in Richmond. Kickoff is set for 1pm at the Abbey.
Bishop Ireton (2-4) Â Â Â 0Â 14Â 0 Â 7 –Â 21
Flint Hill (2-3)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7Â 14Â 0Â 7 –Â 28
Scoring:
Flint Hill –Â Vaughn 1 yard run (Shumway kick)
Flint Hill – Vaughn 18 yard run (Shumway kick)
Bishop Ireton – Duke 5 yard pass from Latrash (Bocchi kick)
Bishop Ireton – Ammon 1 yard pass from Latrash (Bocchi kick)
Flint Hill – Howard 59 yard pass interception (Shumway kick)
Bishop Ireton – Duke 2 yard pass from Latrash (Bocchi kick)
Flint Hill – Howard 60 yard pass from Saleh (Sumway kick)
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The match started out 10-3 in game one in favor of the Falcons, who swept Bishop Ireton in three games earlier in Olney, but the gritty Cardinals refused to fold.  The girls rallied in the opener for a 25-23 win, then fought back in games 4 and 5 to upset Good Counsel in Alexandria Friday.
