Sports

Berlin Able To Wear Down Cheney To Move On With 28-14 Victory.

First round playoff win no walk in the park for Redcoats.

 

Cheney Tech had all the momentum.

Michael Majewski had just picked off a Mitch Williams pass and Cheney took a knee to go to halftime trailing by just a slim 13-7 margin in the first round of the CIAC playoffs against Berlin at Scalise Field. The Beavers also knew they would be getting the kick-off to start the second half.

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That kick-off to start the second half turned out to be the turning point in the game. Cheney's returner was hit by Kevin Main and then slammed by Kevin Young and fumbled to give the Redcoats the ball at the Cheney 24-yard line.

Three Tommy Undercuffler runs later, Berlin took a 20-7 lead.

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Berlin held onto a slim margin the rest of the game and got three touchdowns from Yale-bound Tommy Undercuffler to beat Cheney, 28-14 to advance to a semifinal date against top seed Ansonia Saturday.

"That fumble was a huge play," Cheney coach Roger Pulito said. "We knew we were getting the ball to start the half and then to lose it and they scored quickly kind of took the wind out of our sails a little bit. But the kids never stopped playing."

Berlin hoped to use its bigger line to dominate up front but Cheney had the better of the play in the first half.

Berlin scored on the fifth play of the game when Scott McLeod rambled around the right side for a 57-yard touchdown run. Devin Silverman added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

Berlin quarterback and punter Dejahn Dawkins's punt pinned Berlin back on its second series. After a three-and-out, Cheney took over at Berlin's 33-yard line. Led by the running of Dawkins, and Desean Higgins, the Beavers marched down the field. Dawkins punched it in from a yard out on the first play of the second quarter to make the score 7-7.

Berlin responded with a 65-yard drive. While quarterback Mitch Williams had a tough night going 3-for-12 for just 32 yards for the game, his 17-yard strike to Undercuffler kept the drive alive on a fourth and seven play. Undercuffler, who was admitted to Yale last week and will play there next year, covered the last 16 yards on two carries to put Berlin up 13-7 with 8:27 left in the half. An attempted fake extra point pass was picked off.

Neither team's offense did much for the rest of the half, setting up the big play on the second half kick-off.

Leading 20-7, Berlin hoped to put the game away but Williams was sacked and fumbled on its next possession. On the very next play, however, Cheney fumbled it right back to Berlin.

Cheney's Jeffrey Skipper scored on a 51-yard reverse on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 20-14.

The Redcoats then did what they do best to salt the game away. Starting with 11:45 left in the fourth, Berlin drove from their own 30-yard line on 14 plays, using seven minutes to score the clincher. Undercuffler scored from six yards out and Justin Gombotz added the conversion run for the final margin. On the conversion Cheney quarterback Dawkins was injured.

His back-up, sophomore James Dale threw a 51-yard completion to Majewski down to the Berlin 11-yard line with 3:30 left. But on the next play Berlin's Kyle Young jumped in front of a Dale pass to end the threat. Berlin was able to run out the clock for the last three minutes.

Over the final several minutes, Berlin coach John Capodice looked over his shoulder at the ticking clock on the scoreboard constantly.

"You know our routine has been to get the lead and then run out the clock with the ground game and today was no different," Capodice said. "We were able to take some time off the clock but they never stopped."

When asked about how big an upset it would have been if Cheney could have won the game, Capodice answered," That's why you play the games. You look back at all the upsets in history in sports and you never assume they are going to happen but that's why you play. I knew they were a good team with some good athletes and good speed. We're dealing with 16, 17 and 18-year olds kids here. They have a lot on their plate. You never really know what you are going to get. You try not to assume anything."

Berlin had two runners go over 100 yards. McLeod led the way with 114 yards on 12 carries. Undercuffler was the workhorse out of the wildcat formation with 101 yards on 19 carries.

"I'm really proud of the kids and how hard they played," Pulito said. "That is a good team over there and I think we earned their respect and earned some respect for our league."

Capodice said his Redcoats continue to amaze him.

"Tommy started as a freshman, played on a state championship team as a sophomore, played both ways last year on a playoff team and plays both ways this year as a senior," Capodice said of Undercuffler. "We wanted to make sure he enjoyed his senior season and all the seniors got the most out of their final year. If you told me we'd have 10 wins, win a league title and a playoff game, I don't think I would have believed it. We just want to keep it going."

Berlin will play Ansonia, a 35-6 winner over Bethel, in the Class M semifinals this Saturday. The site and time will be announced.

 


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