Stepinac Football Falls Just Short In Playoff Upset Bid

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – The Stepinac High School football team was just a two-point conversion away from tying St. Joseph by-the-Sea in the CHSFL Class AAA quarterfinals Saturday.

The Stepinac High School football team nearly upset St. Joseph by-the-Sea on Saturday for the second time this season.
Photo Credit: *Andrew Meola*

by Andrew Meola

11/19/2012 4:00 p.m.

But running back Ryan Burnett came up short of the goal line, and the Crusaders lost, 22-20, in overtime.

The fifth-seeded Crusaders were just 3-5 this season, but they beat St. Joseph, 17-14, to hand the Vikings their lone loss of the season. Stepinac nearly pulled off the upset again Saturday.

Stepinac had a 14-0 halftime lead and a chance to squeak out the win with the score tied at 14 in regulation. But the Crusaders missed a 38-yard field goal attempt with 37 seconds left.

The Crusaders would have beaten the Vikings by the exact same score in nearly the exact same fashion had the kick been good. Stepinac earned a win on the road in week six on a last-second field goal.

St. Joseph scored first in overtime, and Stepinac answered with a touchdown of its own. But the Crusaders could not convert the game-tying two-point try.

Stepinac’s season will end with the traditional game against White Plains on Thanksgiving Day at 10:30 a.m.

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