Miracle finish gives Western New England football trip to Division III national tournament

111211 wneu football bryce brown.JPGView full sizeWestern New England University quarterback Bryce Brown tries to elude Framingham State University's Keric Kelly Jr. in the first half of Saturday's New England Football Conference championship.

SPRINGFIELD - The annoying winds that had blown Western New England’s passing game away appeared to had inflicted its final damage with 5:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, and Framingham State taking over first and 10 on the Golden Bear 26-yard line.

The Rams had just intercepted WNE quarterback Bryce Brown for the second straight series, and were ready to take more time off the clock, and maybe score again. Anyone at this game who was not a member of the WNE team, the coaching staff, or a parent had given up, the somber silence in the packed stands said so. It had been a good run, but it was about to end in the New England Football Conference championship game.

Oh yeah?

The Golden Bear defense refused to quit and got the ball back a minute later on downs. And then the winds of fate turned direction. WNE scored on a 65-yard touchdown passing play, recovered the subsequent onside quick, went down and scored the tying touchdown, but then missed the potential game-winning extra point.

And then the Golden Bears won the game in overtime 20-13.

The bizarre ending sent the home fans pouring on the field, and the Golden Bears (10-1) to their first ever NEFC title, and a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.

“I’m still in amazement,” WNE coach Keith Emery said when asked where his emotions were at game end.

With 3:47 remaining in the game, Brown went deep over the middle to Brendon Thompson for a 65-yard touchdown.

And while that was certainly exciting, time was not on the Golden Bears’ side. Would they try an onside kick, or with only one timeout left, and the wind at their back, boot the ball to the other end of the field and hope the defense could get a quick three and out?

It was the onside kick. And Phil Tsopanides pounced on the ball for WNE with the Rams appearing to be spread out for a regular kick.

“We work on the onside kick each week in practice,” Tsopanides said. “I was so filled with emotions and energized, I can’t tell you how it happened. I just saw the ball and dove on it.”

And then Brown went to work at the Framingham 47. It started with an 8-yard pass to J.J. Jachym, who later ran for 14. With 4th and 9 on the Framingham 11, and only 54 seconds left, Brown ran 10 yards for a first and goal on the Ram 1. Brown said after the game that it wasn’t a planned run. He had rolled out looking for receivers cutting back. It wasn’t there so he kept it himself, and made the first down. He then followed up with the TD plunge with only 26 seconds left.

Now all Nick Fox-Edele had to do was kick the extra point, and the Golden Bears had the game.

He missed wide left.

It had already been a tough game for Fox-Edele, who had one field-goal attempt go off the right upright, and missed another kicking into the wind.

But his teammates took him off the hook in the OT. WNE started with the rotating turns from the Framingham 25. In four plays, they scored, capped off by Brown’s 12-yard run.

The stunned Rams went down easily on their turn.with three incompletions and a huge second-down tackle by Mark Devlin to throw Melikke Van Alstyne for a six-yard loss.

The Golden Bears learn of their opponent in the national tournament when the NCAA announces the pairings Sunday night at 6. It will likely be on the road.

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