The Coventry Cassidy Jets snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as the Bristol Aztecs edged a 40-33 thriller with a last minute touchdown from Mike Adams. MVP Stuart Franklin looked like he'd done enough to lead his team back from a 13 point fourth quarter deficit when he found Jeremy Simms for a 2 point conversion with just over one minute remaining, however, on the very next play from scrimmage Adams won it with a 69 yard run off the left side.
Franklin and his offence didn't lose heart, big completions to Simms and Mark Cohen got the Jets down to the 23 yard line before time expired sending the Aztecs' sideline wild. After 4 years of defeats Bristol finally got the better of their biggest rivals for the first time in 7 attempts. The two will now likely meet in the playoffs where the Jets have defeated the Aztecs for three straight years.
Bristol took the ball from the opening kick off and signalled their intention by running on every play except one, moving the ball 54 yards in nine plays culminating in a 25 yard touchdown from Adams. Jon Wyse booted the conversion for an early 7-0 home lead. There would be no more scoring in the first quarter as both teams traded punts in a frenetic opening period.
Gary Clark put Coventry on the board with a 3 yard blast early in the second quarter, Clark's first Jets score came after he was deployed at fullback, his position from his days at Lakeland College. Coventry's conversion woes continued apace as Franklin missed Perkins to leave the Jets trailing by one. Bristol responded and padded their lead behind Wyse's 31 yard field goal.
An eleven play drive saw Coventry move the ball 69 yards eating up the remainder of the half as Tony Perkins put the Jets ahead for the first time with a 3 yard touchdown. A quick strike from Franklin to Simms from 28 yards out had the Jets two scores up within a few minutes of the restart and Cohen slotted through the extra point to break the Jets conversion hoodoo for a 19-10 advantage.
With the Jets defence beginning to tire against the Aztecs' relentless ground game, Bristol mounted a 19 play 62 yard drive but needed a controversial pass interference call to convert on third and long. Nick Proctor darted in from 8 yards to put his side back within one score at 19-17. The Jets had a chance to reply but an interception from Jon Wyse placed the Aztecs at Coventry's 34 setting up Adams for his second score of the day as Bristol regained the lead at 25-19.
Coventry went four and out as they struggled to get their offence going again, Bristol however, were having no such problems. Dominic Westwood hit a deep ball to Nick Smith for 52 yards as the leggy receiver got tangled up with Adam Biggs sending the Jets' defensive back to the turf as he sprinted to the endzone for a 13 point advantage. Franklin found his stride again making consecutive completions to Simms and Courtney Pope before a 2 yard touchdown to Cohen dragged the Jets back into the game at 32-25.
Buoyed by the Jets offence, the defence held firm offering Franklin the chance to pull off a miraculous fourth quarter comeback once again. The former Valencia Firebat didn't disappoint, moving 63 yards in just over two minutes, including a clutch fourth down conversion to Pope. Simms looked to have won the game with his 16 yard touchdown grab and subsequent conversion to give the Jets what looked like an unlikely victory.
What all seemed too good to be true turned out to be so as Adams galloped untouched for 69 yards on the very next play. The back-breaking touchdown was converted by Proctor for a 7 point advantage. Coventry moved 49 yards with the minute they had but it wouldn't be enough as time expired with the Jets knocking on the door. Coventry now wait five weeks before a trip to face the London Blitz at Finsbury Park.