The Barrington Pop Warner football teams treated the Victory Field fans to two exciting games recently. 

The Eagles’ 13U team led Dighton Rehoboth 26-20 with two minutes remaining, but the Falcons scored late and escaped with the win. In the 12U game, Barrington took a 20-19 lead with less than two minutes remaining but Dighton Rehoboth managed a late touchdown.

13U

It took until the final minute for the Dighton-Rehoboth Falcons to defeat the 13U Barrington Eagles. The undefeated Falcons had outscored opponents 86-12 so far this season but it took everything they had to defeat the Eagles 32-26.

The Eagles came out firing from the first snap. They put up the first 14 points supported by great offensive line play by Ryan Marszalek, Hunter Acciardo, Otis Miner, Jackson Saltzman and Will DiSalvo. On the opening drive the Eagles marched down the field on a 12-play drive before quarterback Sebastian Hyams called his own number scampering 27 yards to pay dirt. For the point-after attempt he completed a slant pass to Xavier Maddox. 

After a solid defensive stops for the Eagles, the Eagles again put points on the board when Hyams rolled out and connected on a 30-yard pass to Maddox who took it another 30 yards for a 60 passing score. Hyams took the designed run on the point after attempt to take a 14-0 lead.

The Falcons answered with their own touchdown, closing the gap to 14-6. Before the end of the first half as the Eagles were trying to run out the clock they fumbled the ball on a bad exchange in their own half the field. The Falcons closed the gap to 14-12 as the half expired.

In the second half Barrington and DR traded touchdowns. Hyams connected with Chace Corcoran for a second passing touchdown, hitting him in stride on a 25 yard pass that Concoran took another 40 yards to pay dirt. Eagles taking a 20-18 lead going into the fourth quarter.

The Eagles defenders had a great next series with Cooper Buteau having a sack and a tackle for a loss, and Marszalek adding his own impressive tackle for a loss. The Eagles offense couldn’t sustain a drive to kill the clock though. On the Falcon’s next series it only took them a few plays and a breakaway touchdown to retake the lead 24-20.

Trialing by four points with only two minutes left to play, Hyams and Maddox again connected for a long touchdown pass. On third down, Maddox raised above a Falcons’ defender and pluck the Hyams’ pass out of the air turn and raise to the end-zone. It appeared that the Eagles would lock up the win, taking a 26-24 lead with less than two minutes to play.

After stopping the Falcons for two plays for loss, the Eagles were in position to take home a victory. DR’s running back though had a different end to the game in mind. After it seemed the Eagles had him pinned in the backfield, he broke free from two defenders and scrambled to the other side of the line and broke off a 70-yard run for the game-winning score.

12U

The 12U Eagles came out firing from the opening whistle, with quarterback Gabe Landry connecting with Lochlan Greene for a 20-yard completion on the very first play of the game. The Eagles continued to move the ball effectively on their opening drive, but several penalties ultimately led to a turnover on downs after the offense had marched deep into Dighton Rehoboth territory.

The Eagles’ offense continued to find success throughout the first half, with Landry connecting with Greene, JJ Eaton and Taj Paup on several passing plays. Eaton made his presence felt, hauling in several big catches, including a 40-yard swing pass that was unfortunately called back because of a penalty. Eaton made up for it on the ground, leading both team in rushing with more than 100 yards. Landry and Rowan Perry also contributed several big runs to keep the offense moving.

Defensively, the Eagles played a strong first half, holding Dighton Rehoboth to just one touchdown.

Before halftime, the Eagles’ defense provided a huge momentum swing when Eaton intercepted a pass and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown, giving the Eagles. Paup then added the extra point on a pass from Landry.

The second half turned into a back-and-forth battle. The Eagles’ defense continued to make big plays, with Mason Stone, Luca Brucata and Rehan Patel coming up with several key tackles. Matthew DiOrio also came up with a fumble recovery at a critical moment that had the potential to change the momentum of the game. Entering the fourth quarter, the Eagles held a narrow 14-13 lead.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Falcons regained the lead, scoring with just three minutes remaining to make it 19-14. Facing a potential game-ending drive, the Eagles refused to back down. After driving down the field, Landry and Greene connected once again on an impressive 17-yard pass on fourth-and-10 to keep the Eagles’ drive alive. On the very next play, Eaton broke free for a 30-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes remaining, putting the Eagles back on top, 20-19.

In heartbreaking fashion, the Falcons answered with a late scoring drive of their own, taking a 25-20 lead. With only 30 seconds remaining, the Eagles fought to the final whistle but ultimately ran out of time.