Gryphons hang on against Watchmen
The Gryphons came away with a 34-31 win over the Watchmen on the road. Rhett Ramsdell picked the Watchmen apart, and the Gryphons finished with 328 passing yards. It came down to the final minutes, and the Gryphons made the last big play.
The Gryphons opened the scoring as I.Petrakis burst through the line for a 6-yard score. The Watchmen closed the gap when V.Yardley converted from 32 yards. The Gryphons pushed the margin out as Oyelaran found the end zone from 2 yards, but the extra point was no good. The Watchmen stayed in touch after Hargrove capped the drive with a 2-yard run.
The lead changed hands when Fairweather got behind the coverage for a 6-yard score from O.Thistlewood. The Gryphons moved ahead: Ramsdell capped the drive with a 13-yard strike to Sandoval. The Gryphons kept pulling away: Ramsdell lofted a 27-yard touchdown to G.Harrowgate. The Watchmen answered when Boateng finished an 8-yard catch in the end zone.
The Watchmen took the lead as O.Thistlewood found Fairweather for a 20-yard touchdown. With 0:27 showing in the fourth quarter, Ramsdell lofted a 7-yard touchdown to I.Petrakis, and the lead held. There was one more shot for the Watchmen from their own 27, and O.Thistlewood's pass fell incomplete. The pivotal moment arrived in the third quarter: Jaramillo forced a fumble that F.Gallardo recovered.
Theo Saltonstall ripped off 54 yards on one catch.
Among the Gryphons, Rhett Ramsdell completed 27 of 36 passes for 340 yards; three went for touchdowns. Griffin Oyelaran gave the offense 54 hard yards, scoring once. Rowan Sandoval kept getting open, finishing with 119 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Landon Birchall stood out with 11 tackles and 1 sack. For the beaten Watchmen, Omar Thistlewood went 25 of 34 for 266 yards, crossing the goal line three times. Omar Thistlewood found running room all day, 54 yards in all. Theo Saltonstall had 3 receptions for 90 yards. Defensively, Corbin Kettering stood out with 8 tackles. No one moved the needle more than Ivan Petrakis, who added +10% to the Gryphons' chances.