Bellows Falls Cut Short by Hartford Hurricanes

By Bill Murphy
Eagle Times Correspondent
WHITE RIVER JCT., VT — Sirens blared over the PA system as the Hartford Hurricanes raced onto the field in their customary pre-game introduction. Little did anyone know that those sirens would be the backdrop of an incredible night filled with thunder and lighting galore.

The Hurricanes would cut short the Terriers 27-7 in the end, but there would be moments of doubt in the minds of the players and fans on both sides during a contest in which the atmosphere at Hartford’s Alumni Field was at times of state title game proportions.

Despite what the final score may suggest, Bellows Falls came to play. The Terriers wasted no time showing they belonged. Cole Moore fielded the opening kickoff at his 25 and returned it into Hurricane territory at the 46. The Purple and White put the Division I title contenders on their heels.

Walker James picked up 4 and 13 yards in his first two carries, making it first at 10 BF at the hosts 33-yard line. Blake Bertrand then carried the ball 6 yards, and James 3 before Allbee scooted to the 18 for a first down.

There were no Hurricane winds in sight on a third and 10 when James’ quickness allowed him to avoid tacklers in a carry to the 11. On a fourth and short, Allbee outraced all the Hartford defenders to the end zone. Colby Dearborn’s conversion kick made it 7-0 Bellows Falls with 7:12 on the scoreboard clock.

Hartford immediately showed they were to be reckoned with as Braden Trombly tore through the BF defense for 42 yards on the host’s first play from scrimmage, toting the ball to the Bellows Falls 17, except a false start brought the ball back to the Hartford 36. Trombly was dropped for a 6-yard loss on the next play, but four plays later, Trombly completed a 64-yard drive to paydirt, turning a broken play into a 29-yard scoring run. Graham Thompson added the conversion kick, tying the contest 7-7 with five minutes remaining in the opening stanza.

Bob Lockerby’s team could only muster one first down in their next two possessions, going three and out the first time, and a James 13-yard carry for a first down saved them from two three-and-outs in succession. Hartford took advantage of the Terriers lack of offense during the stretch to take command of the game with two scores.

Quarterback Trombly, Coach Matt Twombly’s son, turned another broken Hartford play into a touchdown from 24 yards away with some nifty instinctive running, completing a four-play, 64-yard trip to the end zone with 1:52 remaining in the first period, their second excursion of the same length in the contest. The extra point kick was unsuccessful.

What would turn out to be the biggest possession of the game for the Hurricanes was their next one early in quarter number two, when they put together the game’s fourth lightning-quick scoring drive. This time the home team took only four plays once again to cover 70 yards when Trombly completed his fourth pass in six tries to Austin St. Peter on a slant across the middle that saw St. Peter outrace the Falls defense 57 yards for the score, followed by Thompson’s conversion kick upping the count to 20-7 with 9:37 left before halftime.

Bellows Falls cried out ENOUGH at this stage and drove the ball just short of the Hartford end zone when the night’s theme of thunder and lightning took a cruel turn against the visitors.

Moore started the ball rolling with another kickoff return out to the 43. On second and 10, the speedy James beat Hartford to his right side and scurried all the way down the sideline to the Hartford 9. He had to leave the game following the play after being shook up.

The Falls threw an incomplete pass on first down, and with James still missing from the line-up, Allbee’s number was called on second and goal and he went student body left to the one. Allbee was injured on the play and did not to return, which seemingly was a second bolt of ill luck for the visitors in the drive. Backup QB Declan Lisai made it three injuries and two QB’s down moments later.

If all this wasn’t enough, BF shot themselves in the foot at the 1 when they took a delay of game because their called play didn’t get in on time with a yellow handkerchief pushing them back to the 6. They would only make up half that distance in three plays.

The BF defense has often shown to bend but not break, but they hadn’t faced these Hurricanes since 1999. They pushed Hartford into a third and ten and confidence was high. They still stood a chance until Trombley somehow escaped a heavy rush, scrambled right and found Brody Tyburski for a 31-yard gain, which turned into an official 46-yard play thanks to a Bellows Falls face mask penalty. Hartford only had a one-minute-and-something possession, but when Owen Mock ran the final 3 yards of the drive, there was only 8.5 seconds showing on the clock, but the 27-7 advantage was likely more than enough to decide the contest.

Then, as the second half commenced, there were real-life lightning bolts in the distance and safety protocols went into effect, extending a 30-minute delay each time another flash was seen. After a short delay, the two schools decided there would be no more football and the game was called.

Bellows Falls returns to the field next at 1 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 17, at Mount Mansfield.

“We knew they were going to be a tough team,” Trombly said. “We knew they liked to hit, and they could move the ball down the field much like we do. We knew they were not use to losing because they just win. It’s always tough to beat a team that has that mentality they are not going to lose. You know you will always get their best effort out of them.”

At the same time, Lockerby was still assessing what this thunder and lightning evening had meant for his team.

“I definitely think we will get better because of this game,” Lockerby said. “Obviously, my mind is thinking about the injuries we had and where that goes.. … I think we will have better days ahead.”