Burr and Burton football staves off miraculous Hartford comeback, claims Division I crown

RUTLAND – Burr and Burton and Jack McCoy were in cruise control.

The Manchester legacy family had Hartford, the legacy program, in check for nearly 40 minutes.

But the Hurricanes were fighting for their 13th all-time championship, a would-be state record. And waited to showcase four quarters of highlights for a heart-racing 10 minutes of regulation.

Hartford rallied from a 22-point deficit to knot the title contest, but handed possession back to McCoy with time to spare. And the senior quarterback did the rest.

McCoy hit Zak Chani, who out-muscled the Hartford defender for possession, on a 51-yard gain. The third-down completion set the Bulldogs on the Hartford 10, and after a McCoy attempt, the signal caller faked the run as Hartford sold out to stop the Manchester star, and he lofted a pass over the line for a 6-yard game-winning touchdown to Carter Cave.

Second-seeded Burr and Burton’s defense held on Saturday at Rutland High School as Thomas Sheldon’s interception sealed a 35-28 triumph four years after another McCoy steered the Bulldogs to the peak of Vermont High School football.

“It has nothing to do with me, it's my kids,” BBA (10-1) coach Tom McCoy, who’s son Joey won a state title in 2019, said. “And it's all the players that rally around them and these coaches … it's all that makes Burr and Burton football work.

“It just so happens that Joey’s senior year and now Jack’s senior year (BBA won), it's pretty special.”

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McCoy compiled 32 carries for 134 yards and was 7-of-12 for 178 yards and five total touchdowns.

“I think it’s just the cherry on top and a well-written end to their book,” Chani, a senior receiver said of the McCoy family. “Everyone expected it, everyone knew that Jack McCoy needed that ring. It’s great to be a part of it and witness it all in front of your eyes.”

Trailing 28-6 after McCoy found Chani for a 9-yard touchdown off a corner route with 9:35 left in regulation, Hartford used five plays to score when Brayden Trombly hit Evan Lynds on a 48-yard touchdown on third-and-10. The senior quarterback found Lynds in stride and the receiver out-raced BBA for the score. Trombly, the coach’s son, then tallied the 2-point conversion for a 28-14 deficit.

No. 1 Hartford’s onside kick attempt by Trombly toed the 10-yard distance perfectly as Brody Tyburski recovered the bouncing possession at midfield. The Hurricanes’ duo connected on the very next play for a 50-yard touchdown as Hartford clawed out 14 points in just 12 seconds.

“It would have been nice to get the win, but the way they play it is something to be said,” Hartford coach Matt Trombly said of his senior-heavy group.

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The Hurricanes (10-1) forced the Bulldogs into a three-and-out as Seb Dostal’s punt was downed at the Hartford 1-yard line. Trailing by eight, the Hurricanes needed to traverse the length of the field with 6:40 to play.

Hartford couldn’t manage to move off its own goal-line, so Trombly, on fourth-and-sixth, lined up deep in his own end zone and found a streaking Tyburski, who weaved his way for a 95-yard score. Trombly then rolled right on the ensuing 2-point conversion, finding Nick Daniels in the flat for a 28-all tie.

“We knew we were gonna play our best game because we were certain were going to get theirs,” Matt Trombly said. “And it just came down to they made some bigger plays than we did at some critical times and we just kind of ran out of time there at the end.”

After the score, BBA gained four yards on two plays before McCoy linked with Chani on the game-breaking deep post route.

“I just had faith in my quarterback,” Chani said about his third-down catch. “I know where he puts it, and he really knows how to connect with his players. When coach called that play, I knew it was over.”

Said Jack McCoy of the play: “Zak is one of my best friends, and I have a lot of trust in him. I knew they had a new, young cornerback out there guarding him, and I thought he had a better chance at the ball.”

McCoy forced and recovered a Hartford fumble on the first play after the winning score to stop the potential go-ahead drive with about two minutes left in regulation. The Bulldogs missed a 47-yard field goal three plays later that gave Hartford one last chance before Sheldon’s interception.

Burr and Burton, which lost to Hartford 43-7 in Week 4, seized a 21-6 lead after three quarters as McCoy connected on a 21-yard score to Dostal to cap a 12-play drive to open the game. He then added a 10-yard strike to Kaleb Gabert in the second frame and pushed through a 1-yard touchdown rush in the third.

“It's always important to get off to a good start,” Tom McCoy said. “Especially in high school because, I think kids feed off of that type of momentum. That first drive and that first touchdown was very helpful to keep our energy up high.”

Daniels’s 5-yard touchdown rush on the first drive of the second half opened the scoring for Hartford. Brayden Trombly finished with 20 carries for 82 yards and was 6-of-15 for 224 yards.

“I’m just proud of our kids, you couldn't have asked anything more than this,” Matt Trombly said. “Certainly, this game doesn't define them or their season. The way they played all year long and the way they played tonight was special.”

In 2019, Joey McCoy and BBA downed St. Johnsbury 47-20 for the program’s first D-I title.

“I dreamed of this moment for so long,” Jack McCoy said. “To be out here on the field and play under the lights for a chance at a ring is just unbelievable. To carry on the family legacy just means so much to me.”

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Contact Jacob Rousseau at JRousseau@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter: @ByJacobRousseau.