EAST HARTFORD -- Two of the best receivers in the FCIAC and SWC got a chance to play alongside a future UConn quarterback Saturday in the inaugural Military Bowl all-star football game.
St. Joseph's Jake Pelletier and Newtown's Dan Hebert left the game impressed.
Very impressed.
Even better, they helped send Xavier's Tim Boyle to Storrs a winner in their last official high school football game.
Pelletier and Hebert both caught critical passes from Boyle to set up touchdowns as their National Guard team defeated Team Marines 15-14 in front of over 3,000 at Rentschler Field. Boyle, who struggled to connect early, eventually found his groove and rallied National Guard from behind twice.
Boyle tossed a 24-yard touchdown pass to New London's Sam Miranda at the end of the first half to give National Guard an 8-7 lead.
Later, down 14-8, Boyle capped a long drive with a 14-yard touchdown run on a naked bootleg with over three minutes remaining in the third quarter.
That run, coupled with Shelton kicker Ed Groth's extra point, proved to be the winning scores.
Boyle finished 13 of 25 for 131 yards and two interceptions.
"Tim is excellent. I've never seen a quarterback like that before," said Pelletier, who converted two critical third downs on screen passes from Boyle during the eventual game-winning drive. "He was the best quarterback I've ever played with and it was great working with him."
Hebert, meanwhile, set up National Guard's first touchdown with a nifty catch-and-run.
"Some of these guys are going to be great football players," said Hebert, who will play at Central Connecticut State. "And playing with Tim was amazing. He's probably the best quarterback I've ever played with."
This was Hebert's first football game since breaking his arm and missing the final month of Newtown's season.
"It stunk that I had to miss the last few games of our season," he said.
"But coming back to play here was a chance of a lifetime."
New Fairfield's stellar tailback Joe Pacheco also played well, given his shot at redemption.
Pacheco, who was suspended for New Fairfield's Thanksgiving Day game for a violation of team rules, carried the ball 10 times and led Team Marines with 61 yards.
"It felt good. It felt good," he said. "I just wish I touched the ball a little more. Every time I touched the ball I felt like I got something going. I know we had four running backs, but..."
Down 2-0 early after a first-quarter safety, Oxford's Brennen Diaz helped rally Team Marines back with a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs.
The Marines' last, best chance to win the game came when Greenwich's Jesse Adelberg attempted a 32-yard field goal with over five minutes left. It went wide left.
"Before he went to kick he gave me a look and we exchanged a smile," Groth said of Adelberg. "But it's always tough when you miss it in a pressure situation."
Wolcott quarterback Mike Nicol's 62 rushing yards helped waste all but a few ticks of the remaining time on the clock.
Masuk's Bryan Monaco led National Guard's defense with three sacks.
"It was a lot different than playing with Masuk," Monaco said. "It was different, but a good different."
Middletown's Isiah Swain had a pair of interceptions for Team Marines.
Northwest Catholic's Nick Gaynor and Hillhouse's Je'Vaughn Moore made interceptions for Team National Guard.
NATIONAL GUARD 2 6 7 0--15
MARINES 0 7 7 0--14
NG--Safety, intentional grounding in end zone
M--Brennen Diaz 1 run (Jesse Adelberg kick)
NG--Sam Miranda 24 pass Tim Boyle (run failed)
M--Diaz 1 run (Adeleberg kick)
NG--Boyle 14 run (Ed Groth kick)
National Guard leads series 1-0
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