Top Games from 2018: No. 2

By rbrown
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Updated: January 17, 2019

TOP 10 GAMES FROM 2018
No. 2: Alvirne 22, St. Thomas 19

The assignment was clear: The Alvirne High School football team had no timeouts remaining and had to travel 53 yards in 62 seconds to extend its season. That’s exactly what the Broncos did.

Sophomore quarterback Kyle Gora capped the scoring drive when he found the end zone from the 6-yard line to give Alvirne a 22-19 lead with 23.9 seconds left. Not enough time for Shawn DeKorne, the top quarterback in Division II, to create some magic for the Saints.

Alvirne entered the 2018 season having never won a playoff game, but this upset earned the Broncos a spot opposite Plymouth in the Division II championship game.

Alvirne’s final scoring drive featured a 35-yard pass from Gora to Morgan Williams, Gora’s 9-yard run followed by a 2-yard quarterback sneak, which gave the Broncos a first down at the St. Thomas 6.

DeKorne and the Saints moved to the Alvirne 37-yard line on their final possession, but the possession ended when a Hail Mary pass fell incomplete. DeKorne completed 25 of 44 passes for 301 yards in the game.

St. Thomas led 6-0 at halftime, but Jamie Bertand’s 18-yard TD run and Gora’s run on the successful two-point possession handed the Broncos an 8-6 lead early in the third quarter. That lead grew to 16-6 after Gora’s 14-yard TD run plus the Alex Giuffrida conversion.

DeKorne rallied the Saints, however. He tossed a 10-yard TD pass to Hunter Lessard and then gave St. Thomas a 19-16 lead on a 1-yard sneak with 6:04 left to play.

It was a strong game for the St. Thomas defense, which limited Gora (6 of 17 for 101 yards) to 30 yards rushing on 21 attempts. The Saints outgained the Broncos 336-196, but Alvirne was able to move the football when it needed to the most.