Tabor Academy Varsity Football emerged victorious in a duel against St. George’s School on Friday night to secure a New England Championship at home. After four, hard-fought quarters of play and much back-and-forth between the teams, the Seawolves edged out a 49-42 win over the Dragons in the Hugh Caldera Bowl.
This matchup was one of seven New England Championship Bowl games played between New England prep schools on Friday. The Hugh Caldera Bowl was the first “Friday Night Lights” game played on Tabor Academy’s turf field complex. To make this possible, Tabor rented a temporary lighting system for the fields.
This Bowl game was the first for Tabor since 2001, and the first win since their 12-7 victory against St. Sebastian’s School in the NEPSAC Class B Bowl in 1999. Current Head Coach Bill Hrasky had just been on the team for two years. At the time, Hrasky was special teams and defensive coordinator for the Seawolves.
On Friday night, much of the Tabor community had already departed for Thanksgiving break, leaving the campus feeling very deserted. At the game, however, you wouldn’t know this was the case. The bleachers on the hillside were filled with students, and the sidelines were thick with alumni, faculty, parents, community members, and St. George’s families who were excited to watch some high-stakes football under the lights. In addition, nearly two thousand people watched the live-stream of the game online.
Tabor began the game with a 14-0 lead after a pair of touchdowns from sophomores Angel Santiago and Pete Lombardi. St. George’s quickly responded with two touchdowns of their own and followed them up with a fumble return that gave them a 20-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Seawolves responded to the Dragons with an 8-yard run by senior Captain Adam Billard, setting them ahead 21-20. The close back-and-forth continued, with another touchdown by St. George’s setting the score back in favor of the Dragons, 26-21. Before the half, Lombardi got his second touchdown of the night off a pass from Billard, sending the Seawolves into halftime with a two-point lead.
In the beginning of the second half, Santiago also scored his second touchdown of the night, extending the lead to 35-26. Not to be outdone, the Dragons responded immediately with a special teams touchdown off the kickoff. The Seawolves stayed determined and, for the third time of the night, Lombardi marched passed the St. George’s defense into the end zone.
Billard got his second touchdown of the night off a 6-yard run in the fourth quarter, capping off the scoring for the Seawolves with 49 points. St. George’s stayed tough however, and scored another touchdown with only a few minutes left in the game to make it a one-possession game at 49-42. With the ball in their hands, the Seawolves maintained possession for the final few minutes, taking a knee with seconds to go to secure the victory amid the passionate chants of the student section. As the game clock struck zero, Tabor fans rushed the field to congratulate the players.
This New England Championship was the second for Tabor this fall season, with the football team following in the footsteps of the Boys’ Cross Country team, which earned a commanding victory over their opponents in the Division 2 New England Cross Country Championship on November 12 at Washburn Park. In his first season as Athletic Director, Conan Leary already has two New England Championships under the belt.
Tabor athletes and coaches are looking at many of this year’s matchups differently than in the past, looking at the contests from the viewpoint of a school soon to join the Independent School League (ISL). St. George’s is a member of this league, and the football team can expect to face off against the Dragons many times in the years to come. In Cross Country (who remained undefeated against ISL teams this season) and the other fall sports teams, this season’s matchups have acted as previews of the next few seasons.
As Tabor students transition to winter sports, the goal of adding more championships to the list in sports such as hockey, wrestling, and basketball remains on the minds of all the athletes.
By Jack Gordon