EAST HARTFORD – A 48-14 victory over #5-ranked Norwich Free Academy gave the Xavier Falcons (12-1) their third-straight Class LL State Football Championship title and fourth overall on Friday night before 4,576 fans at Rentschler Field. It wasn't a bad way for seniors Tim Boyle and DeAngelo Berry to end their scholastic careers, fueling the Falcons' potent offense, which rolled to 517 yards of total offense, including 408 on the ground.
Boyle got the defending champions on the scoreboard seven minutes into the game on a four-yard keeper. He finished the game 2-for-5, for 109 yards, including a 94-yard scoring pass to James Sullivan with 2:13 left in the first quarter, which gave Xavier a 14-0 advantage.
Berry notched 260 yards on 30 carries along with a touchdown hat trick on runs of three, four and 25 yards. Kris Luster and Andrew Meoli added scoring jaunts for Xavier, while Andrew Verre and Ricky Verre chipped in a pair of conversion kicks each.
#3 Xavier is now 4-2 in championship games, including LL wins over Staples in 2011 and Trumbull in 2010. NFA (12-1), which knocked off #1-seeded Staples in the semi-finals, came away with its first loss of the season and stands at 0-2 in championship game play.
NFA tallied twice late in the second quarter on passes of 49 and six yards from Joey Paparelli to John Caruso, cutting the Xavier lead to 20-14. Elisa Formiglio made history with her first of two PATS, 1:56 left before the break, becoming the first female to score a point in a Connecticut State Championship Football Game.
