Killingly Defeats Sheehan In Wild CIAC Football Championship Game

Find out what's happening in Wallingfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Played under the lights on the near-frozen tundra of Rentschler Field (actually Pratt & Whitney Stadium), both sides ran up yards and points that made it hard for the statistician to keep up.

But Killingly was able to muster up just enough defense, along with multiple takeaways, to outscore the Titans.

Going into Friday’s title tilt, Killingly, coached by Chad Neal, had a 10-0 regular season and was the top seed in Class SS, looking for their fifth championship and first since 2021.

Sheehan, meanwhile, was 8-2 in the regular season and was seeking its third title. It was coached by John Ferrazzi and it last won a state championship in 2019.

The game started slowly, with Sheehan (a lost fumble) and KHS (an interception) exchanging turnovers on their first possessions.

But with less than 6 minutes left in the first quarter, Sheehan jumped on the board first with a 3-yard TD run by junior Joshua Durant, putting the Titans up 7-0 after the extra point.

Undeterred, Killingly ran the ball down the field on their next possession, grinding up yards, eventually resulting in a touchdown by junior running back Hayden Allard, who scored from 18 yards out.

A missed extra point kept Sheehan in the lead, 7-6, with about two and a half minutes left in the quarter.

Then it was Sheehan’s turn as they started on their own 35 and drove downfield methodically with a mix of passes and runs.

With Sheehan driving to the KHS 7-yard line, the first quarter ended at 7-6, Titans.

The Titans then extended their lead when junior quarterback Jake O’Brien pushed the ball over the goal line from the 1-yard line.

After the extra point, it was 14-6 Sheehan with 10:48 left in the half.

But as quickly as that happened, Killingly shot back when Allard took the ensuing kickoff 81 yards down the left sideline and into the end zone.

After the extra point, Sheehan’s lead was back to a point, 14-13.

Sheehan was forced to punt on their following possession, with Killingly in a position to take the lead.

That happened when Hayden Allard rumbled 57 yards up the middle for his third touchdown to give Killingly the lead 20-14 with 5:54 left in the first half.

But led by O’Brien’s arm and Durant’s legs, Sheehan carved up the Killingly defense, marching back down the field in a drive that ended when senior running back Jack Grant ran it in from 11 yards out.

With 3:31 left in the half, the score gave Sheehan the lead, 21-20.

Killingly, however, wasn’t demoralized and they marched downfield on a long drive of their own.

Following a long pass from KHS quarterback Quinn Sumner to junior tight end Hunter Allard (Hayden Allard’s twin brother), Killingly retook the lead when Hayden Allard plunged over the goal line from 2 yards out.

The extra point put KHS up 27-21 with about 30 seconds left in the half.

Not content, Sheehan moved back down the field as the half wound down on the arm of O’Brien.

The Titans got to the 20-yard line and, with 1 second left, O’Brien’s touchdown attempt fell incomplete, with Killingly concluding a thrilling first half with a 27-21 lead.

The thrills continued in the second half.

When it started, Killingly looked to extend their lead, which happened quickly after receiving the half’s opening kickoff.

KHS senior running back Everton Brown sprinted 40 yards into the end zone, giving Killingly a 34-21 lead with 11:06 left in the third quarter.

The Titans then got the ball back for their first possession of the half, with O’Brien mixing passes and runs well into KHS’ side of the field.

Then, from 9 yards out, a Sheehan runner rumbled into the end zone to start the Titans’ second-half scoring.

A missed extra point, however, had Killingly up 34-27 with 8:22 seconds left in the half.

Killingly took their next possession to the 28 of Sheehan, but their drive was stalled by a critical holding penalty that wiped out a first down run.

KHS then turned the ball over on downs when a Sumner pass fell incomplete.

Sheehan took over on their own 31 and looked to strike again, but a KHS interception by Hunter Allard, playing linebacker, off a Jake O’Brien pass gave Killingly the ball back on the Sheehan 49.

Killingly’s Hayden Allard, however, fumbled and Sheehan junior defensive lineman Richard Van Dyke picked up the ball and rumbled to the Killingly 9-yard line, giving great field position to the Titans.

It led to a 2-yard touchdown run by Sheehan’s Durant, but the extra point was missed, resulting in Killingly maintaining a 34-33 lead with 1:47 left in the third quarter.

Click Here:

On Killingly’s next possession, Sumner’s arm and Hayden Allard’s legs took KHS down the field, all the way to the Sheehan 21-yard-line when the third quarter ended with KHS up 34-33.

Driving toward Sheehan’s end zone as the fourth quarter started, Killingly padded their lead when Hayden Allard rumbled in for his fifth score from 14 yards out, the extra point giving Killingly a 41-33 lead with 11:07 left.

With the typical mix of passes and runs, Sheehan appeared as if they could not be stopped and they, as they did most of the game, marched downfield.

But a Sheehan fumble at the 5-yard-line was recovered by Killingly’s Payton Wallace with 7:46 left in the game, a game-turning point that seemingly deflated the Titans.

Starting at their own 6, KHS went back to work and looked to grind out the clock and win a championship.

Employing smashmouth tactics, Killingly’s linemen shoved Sheehan back and their runners dashed forward as the clock ticked and the Titans’ title hopes faded.

On fourth and 1 at midfield with 3:22 minutes left, Killingly called timeout with a big decision to make.

And, when KHS went for it, Hayden Allard, the game’s MVP, scampered to the 15 of Sheehan.

The clocking ticking, Killingly then clinched their championship when Sumner crossed the goal line on a quarterback sneak from the 1, with the extra point putting KHS up 48-33.

Sheehan was unable to respond on their next possession and the clock ran out on a wildly entertaining, championship contest.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.