Holy Cross football ends 16-year drought against Ansonia behind Nate Craft’s four touchdowns

WATERBURY — The Holy Cross football team finally broke through against one of its biggest rivals, defeating Ansonia 48-37 on Friday night at Municipal Stadium’s Ray Snyder Sr. Field. The victory was the Crusaders’ first against the Chargers since 2009, snapping a streak of close losses that had haunted the program for more than a decade and a half.

Senior running back Nate Craft delivered a career performance, scoring four touchdowns and setting the tone on the game’s very first play from scrimmage with a 65-yard run to the end zone. Craft also added rushing scores of 27 and 8 yards in the third quarter and caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Brady Lombardo.

Both teams entered the matchup at 4-0. Holy Cross improved to 4-1, while Ansonia suffered its first loss of the season and also sits at 4-1 heading into the Naugatuck Valley League’s bye week.

“It feels great. We worked hard all week, and we’ve been preparing for this moment,” Craft said. “All year, since last year when we lost to them, we’ve been thinking about this game.”

Key facts

How Holy Cross built and held the lead

After Craft’s opening touchdown, Ansonia answered with a 4-yard run from junior running back Tymir Taylor and a two-point conversion to take an 8-7 lead. The teams traded scores through the first half, with Lombardo throwing touchdown passes of 34 yards to Craft, 64 yards to Tyler Smith, and 47 yards to Michael Stradford.

Ansonia responded each time. Antonio Pinto scored from 2 yards out, and Jacob Branch added a 14-yard touchdown run. The Chargers trailed 28-22 at halftime after a failed two-point conversion.

Taylor opened the second half with an electric 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and Pinto’s extra point gave Ansonia a 29-28 lead just 14 seconds into the third quarter. It was the Chargers’ last lead of the night.

Craft answered immediately. On the ensuing possession, he caught a 23-yard pass from Lombardo, then ran 27 yards for the go-ahead score. Later in the quarter, he punched in an 8-yard run to extend the lead to 42-29.

“We have a lot of talent,” Craft said. “When our receivers are getting covered, it’s going to open up the run game, and like I said, I can’t do it without my O-line.”

Lombardo threw his fourth touchdown pass of the night, a 1-yarder to Dae’Sean Graves, to make it 48-29. Ansonia added a late 5-yard touchdown run from Taylor and a two-point conversion, but the Crusaders held on for the win.

Lombardo played through two plays that knocked the wind out of him but remained in the game. He credited the offensive line — left tackle Terrell Inabinett, left guard Kyler Booker, center Nolan Corriveau, right guard Johan Hernandez, and right tackle Caleb Corriveau — for the team’s success.

“It all starts there, that’s where our success starts,” Lombardo said.

What the win means for Holy Cross

For Crusader coach Mike Giampetruzzi, the win was the culmination of years of near-misses. Ansonia won last year’s meeting 28-26 at Nolan Field, and in 2022 the Chargers escaped with a 31-28 victory after seven lead changes at Municipal Stadium.

“It’s been a long time, and we’ve had a lot of battles in the past couple years,” Giampetruzzi said. “For these guys to finally get a win, and these seniors, they’ve been through the two-point or the three-point losses and those things, but I’m really happy for that group.”

Ansonia coach Shane Kingsley acknowledged Holy Cross’ physicality as the difference.

“I thought they were more physical than us at the line of scrimmage at times, especially on defense, and they deserved to win,” Kingsley said.

Both teams enter the NVL bye week at 4-1, setting up a potential rematch later in the season or in the postseason. For Holy Cross, the win ends a 16-year drought against a program that has long been one of Connecticut’s most successful.

The Crusaders will look to build on the momentum when they return to action after the bye. Ansonia will aim to regroup and keep its championship hopes alive.

Source: Yahoo Sports — Holy Cross football beats Ansonia for 1st time since 2009 on Nate Craft’s 4-touchdown night