The St. Albans football team finished off its historic run to the program’s first-ever DCSAA State Championship in dramatic fashion with a 40-34 overtime win over the Bell Griffins Saturday at Georgetown University’s Cooper Field. The game followed a familiar script for the Bulldogs. Nine of the team’s 13 games this season were decided by one score or less including a dramatic overtime win over Maret in the DCSAA semifinal. In Saturday’s championship game, the Bulldogs’ defense made a key fourth quarter stop and the offense, led by sophomore quarterback Brett Paukstis '27 and senior wide receiver Lacy Rice '25, delivered a late game-tying touchdown to send the game into overtime. After stopping Bell on their first overtime possession from the ten-yard line, Paukstis needed only one play to find Rice on a back shoulder throw for the winning score that set off a wild celebration among STA players and coaches on the field and among a large throng of Bulldog faithful in the stands.

 

The game was a tale of two halves as the teams combined for 49 first-half points on seven touchdowns. After falling behind 22-7 in the first quarter STA came storming back to take a 27-22 lead into halftime. The Griffins opened the scoring with a 55-yard touchdown pass with 7:08 left in the first quarter. The Bulldogs turned the ball over at their own 32 on the next possession and Bell found the end zone six plays later on a throw from the 5-yard line for a 14-0 lead after a successful two-point conversion. STA Junior receiver Ed Samuel returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to the STA 42. After a first down run lost two yards Paukstis hit Rice on a slant at the 48 and the elusive senior outran the Bell secondary to the end zone. Senior Peter Prince’s kick cut the lead to 14-7. On the next possession, facing a fourth and three from their own 29-yard line, the Griffins went deep for a 71-yard touchdown and a 22-7 lead. On the fourth play of the second quarter, Paukstis hit Sam for an 18-yard touchdown pass in the left corner of the end zone. The extra point attempt was wide, leaving Bell with a 22-13 lead. Rice, playing cornerback, intercepted a Bell third down pass on the next possession and returned it 25 yards to the Griffin 21. Paukstis hit Rice on a post pattern at the five and then found Cobb in the end zone on the next play to draw the Bulldogs to 22-19. Rice grabbed a Paukstis throw for the two-point conversion and a Bell 22-21 lead with 7:30 left in the half. Each team exchanged possessions without touchdowns before Bell took over on their own twenty with 1:22 left. The Bulldogs forced a punt with just under a minute left in the half and Rice caught a third down pass at the Bell 35 with 18 seconds on the clock. STA used their final timeout of the half to set up the go-ahead play. Paukstis hit Rice on a post pattern with 12 seconds left in the half to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game, 27-22.

 

Bell opened the third quarter with a 55-yard touchdown drive to take back the lead 28-27. On the next series Bell intercepted a pass at their own 45 and returned it to the STA 5. The Griffins converted a fourth down from the 10-yard line to extend their lead to 34-27 after the STA defense thwarted a two-point attempt with 5:21 left in the third.

 

A Bell interception inside their own one-yard line at the end of the third quarter set the stage for the Bulldogs’ late-game heroics. Holding on to a 34-27 lead, the Griffins turned to their star running back, junior Antonio Washington to try to ice the game. Washington ran the ball on fourteen out of fifteen plays on an 85-yard drive that chewed up 8:50 on the clock. But the resilient STA defense stiffened inside its own 20. Senior linebacker Kenny Dilanian stopped Washington at the Bulldog 11-yard line on a second down run, leading to a third and three for the Giffins. On a sweep to the left, Rice knifed through the line from his cornerback position to stop Washington for a three-yard loss. On the sixteenth play of the drive, Bell again turned to Washington but this time as a thrower. His pass attempt into the end zone was just out of reach of the receiver, giving St. Albans one last chance to tie the game.

 

The drive that will live in St. Albans lore started from the Bulldog 14 with 3:17 on the clock and STA holding one timeout. Paukstis found Cobb three times to move the ball to the Bulldog 40-yard line and an offsides penalty advanced the ball to the 45. Cobb caught his fourth pass of the drive at the Bell 35, then escaped three Griffin defenders to run down the right sideline to the 13 with 2:20 on the clock. A first-down pass to Cobb at the right end zone pylon was incomplete. A second-down run by junior Will Martin gained a yard. On third and nine from the 12-yard line Rice, split out wide left, beat his man off the line with a double move and made a leaping catch as he fell backwards in the left corner of the end zone. Prince nailed the extra point to tie the game with 1:38 left, more than enough time for the explosive Bell offense to score. Prince placed the ensuing kickoff perfectly and the Bell returner was swarmed by seven Bulldogs at the Giffins’ 20-yard line. A first-down pass picked up seven yards. With no timeouts remaining, Bell threw deep on second down and Samuel knocked the ball down at the Bulldog 40. On third down with less than 30 seconds on the clock Washington ran for six yards and a first down but was injured on a devastating hit by Dilanian. Rice intercepted a desperation pass on the last play of regulation to send the game into overtime.

 

This was the first DCSAA championship for the football program and the Bulldogs’ first football title since winning the IAC championship in 2010. The team finished the season with a 9-4 record, the most wins for the program since 2010. Rice was named MVP of the game with 9 catches for 193 yards, four touchdowns, and a two-point conversion. He added two interceptions on defense and several tackles including the key third down play in the fourth quarter. Cobb also caught 9 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. Paukstis was 22-35 for 412 yards and six touchdowns.