Why Panic? Nazareth Wins District 11 Championship in Overtime Thriller

After Parkland drove down the field in their first possession, and not seeing the offense on the field until there was 4:50 left in the first quarter, some Nazareth fans were ready to call it quits. Tom Falzone and his squad, however, were not. 

Early into the second quarter, Anthony Harris found Nate Stefanik for a 40-yard touchdown pass.. Nazareth’s defense found that keeping running back Isiah Rico in check would be a tall task, as he rushed for 211 yards and a touchdown. Their defense did end up coming in clutch with a huge interception late in the second half which led to a Blue Eagle touchdown to force overtime. 

In overtime, Nazareth won the toss and elected to defer, giving Parkland the ball first. Parkland executed on fourth down when they gave the ball to RB Angel Santos for a one-yard touchdown run. Nazareth relied on Anthony Harris for their score, as he scrambled nine yards to make it a one point ball game. 

Nazareth was left with the decision to either tie it up with an extra point, or go for the win with a two-point conversion. There seemed to be no doubt. Tom Falzone kept his offense out on the field to end the game on one final play. The newspapers are calling it the “Nazareth Special”, as Nate Stefanik found Jaiden Cabrera in the back of the end zone to clinch the district championship. 

This is Nazareth’s first District XI championship since 2011. The star-studded senior class includes Anthony Harris, Nate Stefanik, and Jake Wilson. This team will go down in Blue Eagle history.

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