WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — In the opening week of the regular season, top-seeded and undefeated Hartford shut out defending Division II state champion Fair Haven, 33-0.
But scores can be deceiving. Fair Haven lost its starting quarterback and top playmaker early in that game, when the score was just 6-0.
For Friday’s DII semifinal game, a fully healthy Slaters squad came ready. On a rainy night, Fair Haven avenged its week one loss and edged Hartford 14-13, to advance to the state title game.
Neither team recorded a run longer than 20 yards, as the game was defined by long, grinding drives and tough defense. The Hurricanes were stopped on fourth down at the Fair Haven 25 yard line on their final drive late in the fourth quarter.
“I’m proud of our kids,” Hartford head coach Matt Trombley said. “We knew coming into this it wasn’t going to be easy. It was going to be a battle. To the end, they did everything we asked them to do. We were just outplayed tonight.”
Neither team scored in the first quarter, though Hartford drove to the Slaters’ 4-yard line before being intercepted in the end zone on fourth and goal.
In the second quarter, Fair Haven put together a 16-play drive that chewed up most of the clock, relying on short, steady gains before connecting on a 19-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead.
After forcing a fumble on Hartford’s next possession, the Slaters regained control. But six plays later, senior defensive lineman Otis Davis intercepted a deflected screen pass, giving the Hurricanes a spark before halftime.
Four plays later, aided by a pass interference call, Hartford had the ball at the Fair Haven 29-yard line. Junior backup quarterback Joey Gardner was sacked for a 5-yard loss but managed to spike the ball with 0.4 seconds left in the half.
That was just enough time. On the next play, senior quarterback Owen Mock rolled left and launched a Hail Mary toward junior running back Rex Banning, who made the catch in double coverage, tying the game at 7-7 heading into halftime.
Neither team scored in the third quarter. On the first play of the fourth, Davis came up big again with his second interception of the night — his fourth of the season.
Hartford took advantage of the opportunity to take the lead. On fourth and goal from the 1 yard line, senior running back Matt Nubin punched it in to give Hartford a 13-7 lead. The ensuing extra point was missed.
Fair Haven answered immediately. Starting from its own 45-yard line, the Slaters needed just four plays to reach the end zone, and with the extra point, they took a 14-13 lead.
Nubin’s strong kickoff return set up Hartford near midfield for its final drive.
The Hurricanes mounted an 11-play drive to the Fair Haven 25-yard line. But on fourth-and-2, the Slaters’ defense held, sealing the win and ending Hartford’s season.
Senior running back Noah Danieli led the Hurricanes’ offense with 15 carries for 88 yards.
Hartford will graduate 14 seniors, but Trombley said the program’s future looks promising. The Hurricanes return 36 players, including 20 freshmen eager to chase the school’s first state title since 2016.
“We’ve got a lot of great athletes without a lot of experience, so it’s going to be a learning process for a lot of them,” Trombley said. “I don’t want to say it’s a rebuild, because they’ve all played before — just not necessarily on a Friday night. They’ll have to get used to the speed of the game and step up. They’ve got some big shoes to fill.”