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Sports

Fourth Quarter Dominance Secures Cheshire's Thanksgiving Day Win

Cheshire pulls ahead to overtake Southington in the 16th annual Apple Valley Classic.

Second half mistakes doomed the Blue Knights and allowed Cheshire to seal a victory in a back and forth game that saw both offenses thrive Thanksgiving morning.

The Rams found themselves down 24-18 in the third quarter before a safety helped shift momentum and led Cheshire to a 41-30 victory over rival Southington during the 16th Annual Apple Valley Classic at Thursday.

The football classic was the inaugural game on the school’s new turf field. Cheshire ends the season at 4-5 with Thursday’s victory, a win that Cheshire head coach Mark Ecke said was a good sendoff for the graduating class on senior day.

“This was a tremendous win,” said Cheshire head coach Mark Ecke. “I couldn’t be happier for the seniors.”

The teams both got off to a fast-paced fast, with Southington scoring on the second play from scrimmage behind the legs of running back Gary Corbin. Cheshire responded with a touchdown of their own behind the play of Rams’ quarterback Michael John Ecke and running back Sebastian Little.

As the quarter came to a close, the Blue Knights struck again after a big yardage play from Southington’s Matt O’Connor paved the way for another Corbin touchdown, taking the lead and control of momentum through halftime.

By the third quarter, however, Cheshire came storming back with a powerful offense that turned up the heat. A 40-yard Ecke touchdown tied things up and an extra point gave the Rams the lead, but Southington would respond again before a safety changed the momentum.

Cheshire would control the game en route to the 41-30 victory.

"It was a tough fought game,” said Southington head coach Mike Drury. “There were a few things that hurt us on both sides of the ball. You can't make mistakes in a game like that, but the guys fought hard and rallied back. It was just a tough game."

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