The Coginchaug football team's season ended on Thanksgiving with a 36-22 loss to Cromwell.
The Blue Devils held a 14-0 lead in the first quarter against the Panthers, and were ahead 22-21 with just 7:37 remaining in the game, but Cromwell running back Derrick Villard rushed for two late touchdowns to give his team the victory.
Villard finished the day with 346 yards on 29 carries.
The Blue Devils took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when backup freshman quarterback Wes Benjunas threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Devin Rodrique.
Jack Granger found the endzone twice, first on a 55-yard run to give the Blue Devils a 14-0 lead and again in the fourth quarter when his one-yard run and a two-point conversion put Coginchaug ahead 22-21.
Villard scored two more touchdowns (he had four on the day) for the Panthers (8-2) to put the Blue Devils away.
Coginchaug finishes the season 3-7.
Thursday's game was the final game for seniors Sean Harper (co-captain), Ian Augur (co-captain), Jeff Grumm, Conner Thrall, John Crandall, David Melcchione and Jake Nickel.
The season finale also served as senior day for three Blue Devils cheerleaders: Heather Poturnicki, Jessica Williams and Dominique Coppola.
Photos submitted by Amy Poturnicki.
Editor's Note: In our original article, Coginchaug seniors Conner Thrall and Jeff Grumm were unintentionally excluded from the story. We apologize for the error.
