MILTON — When the pressure has been at its highest, the St. Sebastian’s football program has found ways to rebound.
This was evident again Saturday.
Senior quarterback Ty Ciongoli finished 22-for-30, racking up 284 passing yards with two touchdown tosses to Kaelan Chudzinski, and senior captain Justin Bourque scampered for the game-clinching score with 40 seconds left, as St. Sebastian’s rallied from a 14–point deficit for a thrilling victory over ISL rival Milton Academy, 24-21.
“We’ve been a really strong, tight team all preseason,” said St. Sebastian’s coach Dan Burke. “Even in that first game (against Belmont Hill). We’ve stayed resilient, true to who we are to be our best, and execute our game plan.”
In the early stages on the road, the Arrows (2-1) appeared shaky, as Milton Academy junior quarterback Q. McNeill found chemistry with wideout Kash Kelly. The duo connected for a pair of touchdowns in the opening quarter, and St. Sebastian’s immediately found itself chasing another daunting foe.
Then the Arrows discovered their own rhythm, with Ciongoli and Chudzinski playing a dual-role.
As the second quarter progressed, the quarterback hit the Princeton commit for touchdown completions of 32 and 23 yards, respectively, as the Arrows drew even at 14-all by intermission.
“I felt like we were going to win,” said Chudzinski with a chuckle. “Still had that feeling. Just have to go out there and have fun. Can’t get too uptight. This sport is the best sport in the world. You can’t be too tight. Just go out there, and ball.”
After sustaining a massive hit in the late stages of the first half, McNeill was forced to exit the game for Milton Academy as the third quarter began with an apparent elbow injury. Even with the development, the Arrows methodically drove down the field slowly in the frame, usurping nearly the entirety of the clock in doing so. With 2:25 to play in the quarter, Cooper Bolton connected on a 32-yard field goal to cap a 16-play drive as St. Sebastian’s took a 17-14 advantage into the fourth.
Even without its star quarterback, Milton Academy (1-2) had one final surge. After backup Axel Portnoy guided his team into scoring position, junior Gio Joseph punched in a four-yard touchdown rush to put the Mustangs ahead 21-17 with 7:52 remaining.
Later, Ciongoli and his teammates took to the turf with 3:12 left in regulation, needing to drive 76 yards for a go-ahead score.
“We just had to take what (the defense) gave us,” Ciongoli said. “Not pressure, not rush. Then, we just had to play within ourselves, and not get caught up (with the drama).”
The Arrows drove down to the opposing four-yard line, and drew up a play for Bourque. The bruising back ran over a tackler, and tumbled into the end zone for what proved to be the game-sealing score with less than a minute remaining. Brendan McHugh put the finishing touches on the victory with an interception for St. Sebastian’s moments later.
“We’re a brotherhood,” said Bourque. “We’re a brotherhood at St. Seb’s. We believed in one another, and there was never a doubt. We knew that we were going to drive down the field, and win that game.”
