| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillips | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
| Kent School | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
KENT, Conn. — Facing a four-plus hour bus ride home from deep into Connecticut, something would make the journey quite a bit more palatable for Phillips Academy.
A victory.
The Big Blue made that trip well worth it, as Matt Lialio scored with 8:42 left in the game and the Phillips defense made it stand for a 20-13 victory over Kent.
"Imagine if we had lost," said Blue Blue coach Leon Modeste. "It would have been like a morgue for four hours. Instead it was just very happy, sleepy kids."
The win made Phillips 2-0 for the season, matching its win total from a season ago.
The Big Blue took the lead in the first when Lialio caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from fellow postgrad Ian Maag.
Kent tied the game early in the second, but a Ryder Strong's 1-yard touchdown made it 14-7 PA at the half. Kent cut the lead to one, but Lialio scored his rushing TD to secure the win.
Lialio was also a force on defense with 11 tackles, eight solo, and an interception while Michael Moore added 14 tackles and Brandon Michel returned to kicks for 111 yards.
"It was a hard fought game," said Modeste. "But in crunch time we turned them away."
First Quarter
PA — Matt Lialio 8 pass from Ian Maag (Tom Mullen kick)
K — Matt LaPorta 12 pass from Alvaro Roux-Garica (Felipe Michalk kick)
Second Quarter
PA — Ryder Stone 1 run (Mullen kick)
Third Quarter
K — Alex Fontana fumble recovery in end zone (kick failed)
Fourth Quarter
PA — Lialio 10 run (rush failed)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: PA — Ryder Stone 18-84, Michael Moore 3-10, Matt Lialio 7-62, Ian Maag 6-23
PASSING: PA — Maag 12-17-1, 141
RECEIVING: PA — Brandon Michel 2-54, Matt Rusk-Kosa 5-42, Jake Howell 4-39, Lialio 1-8
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