GC Thunder 7 took on a very athletic Baldwin Bomber team at home this past Sunday. All week, the Thunder team practiced to perfect their strategy, and also to rally around the idea of playing hard every minute of every game. After watching the boys play Baldwin, it is clear that the Thunder team is committed to taking that message with them out on the field. After the Bombers scored on their opening drive, the Thunder answered right back with a touchdown. Pierce Archer cutting his way through the defense, with great blocking by Griffin Minuto, Thomas McAuley, Timmy O’Hanlon, and Enzo Cupani. The Bombers then engineered another scoring drive, with the hope that it would stifle the heart of the Thunder defense, but Luke Concannon, Joseph Donovan, and Jack Greene, showed otherwise, denying the Baldwin offense the extra point. The first half proved to both teams that this was going to be a battle, and as is the case of any great game, neither side would be giving away points easy.
The tension was building at the start of the second half with GC marching down the field, looking to take the lead. Aiden Magnotta dragged three Bombers and the ball into the end zone to tie the game, with huge blocks by Willie Blair, Michael Tully, and Jack Greene. After Grant Molloy added the extra point, running behind a line of Thunder blocking by Matt Mohen, Jack Dowd, James Burke, and Aiden Byrne, we were all tied. Baldwin struck next and pulled back into the lead by 6, but were again denied the extra point with some great tackling from Michael Haas, and Pierce Archer. It was simple, time was running out and the GC Thunder needed points. So, up the field the boys charged, fighting for every yard. Played as a team with big runs, big blocks, and with the cheers from both sides of the field drowning out Tommy Bolands’ play call, Aiden Magnotta broke through with a touchdown that added 6, bringing the score tied, with 40 seconds left on the clock. The game of football is a game of inches, and in the end, when time expired, Pierce Archer was just that much short for a GC victory, having been stopped on the goal line by all of the Bomber defense.
The GC Thunder 7 show tons of heart in a tie game with Baldwin, final score 19-19. The boys will follow up this great game with a match up with Long Beach this Sunday, 10:30 a.m. at Stewart field. Come out and cheer these incredible boys on. GO THUNDER!
