BEACON FALLS >> Woodland’s Sean McAllen scored four touchdowns, but none was more important than his interception return right before halftime.
The Hawks were tied with rival Seymour late in the second quarter when the Woodland junior picked off quarterback Jaylen Kelley and raced 86 yards down the sideline for a touchdown to give Woodland the lead for good with 8.9 seconds left before intermission.
McAllen’s performance helped Woodland earn a 41-14 victory on Tuesday.
“Huge,” first-year Woodland coach Tim Phipps said about McAllen’s interception return. “That was huge, for Sean to be as heady as he was. Sean is a very cerebral ballplayer. He thinks constantly. He got himself in the right position and he jumped it, and that was it. He was not going to be kept out of that end zone. That was huge for us. It was very, very big for what we needed to do in this game.”
The Hawks have now won six straight over the Wildcats and took a 7-6 advantage in the overall series.
Woodland, which snapped a three-game losing streak, finishes 4-7. The Hawks suffered several heartbreaking losses, including an overtime defeat to Torrington. Woodland later surrendered a 12-point lead with two minutes remaining in a 30-28 loss to Ansonia on Nov. 7.
“Our season, we had a bunch of close games; a lot of heartbreak,” McAllen said. “But this game — winning Thanksgiving — means a lot. It means a lot to our seniors.”
McAllen scored on a 3-yard pass from senior quarterback Mike Kenney for the game’s first score. Seymour’s Chris Abate returned the ensuing kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7. The score remained that way until McAllen’s interception return.
“Obviously that’s a huge momentum swing,” Seymour coach Tom Lennon said. “We knew points were going to be at a premium. We (thought) we could come away with at least three down there, and go into halftime with a lead. To give that up, it was a huge momentum swing, especially with them getting the ball coming out of halftime.”
McAllen scored on a 34-yard run in the third quarter and junior Coby Vaccarelli returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown to give Woodland a 27-7 lead after three quarters.
“It feels great,” Vaccarelli said. “It feels good giving the seniors what they deserve. We worked hard all season — got our butts kicked all season during practice — so it’s just good to go out this way.”
Seymour senior Joey Salemme (14 carries, 88 yards) scored the Wildcats’ lone touchdown from scrimmage on a 56-yard run in the fourth quarter. Seymour finishes 7-4.
McAllen (20 carries, 125 yards) added an 11-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter while junior Dave Bobbie scored on a 19-yard run. Bobbie also recovered a fumble.
Woodland’s defensive line, led by seniors Max McSperrin, Alex Varhol and Dylan Abarzua, suffocated Kelley all evening. Kelley completed 10 of 16 passes for 141 yards, but he was pressured on every attempt.
“This means everything for the 13 seniors who gave it so much time,” Phipps said. “Initially, we didn’t get the results we wanted. To get this here, tonight, now, was great for them.”
Woodland 41, Seymour 14
(at Beacon Falls)
Seymour 7 0 0 7 0 — 14
Woodland 7 6 14 14 0 — 41
First quarter
W—Sean McAllen 3 pass from Mike Kenney (Lauren Charette kick)
S—Chris Abate 77 kickoff ret (Chase Desautels kick)
Second quarter
W—Sean McAllen 86 int ret (kick failed)
Third quarter
W—Sean McAllen 34 run (Charette kick)
W—Coby Vaccarelli 85 int ret (Charette kick)
Fourth quarter
W—Sean McAllen 11 run (Charette kick)
S—Joey Salemme 56 run (Desautels kick)
W—Dave Bobbie 19 run (Charette kick)
Team records: Woodland 4-7; Seymour 7-4