With five-and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter, the Wilton High football team looked to be positioning itself for a major upset on the final day of the regular season.
Then Jonmichael Bivona happened.
Bivona, Trinity Catholic's small but skilled running back/defensive back, scored three consecutive touchdowns to lead the Crusaders past Wilton, 41-14, in the teams' FCIAC Thanksgiving rivalry game Thursday morning at Fujitani Field.
The win clinched the fourth seed for Trinity Catholic (8-1) in the Class S state playoffs. Wilton, meanwhile, finished the season with a 3-6 record.
Trailing 12-7 at halftime, the Warriors began the third quarter with a 73-yard drive that culminated in RJ Romeo's 21-yard touchdown pass to Robbie Hermann. Will Sullivan's extra point gave Wilton a 14-12 led with 5:30 to play in the period.
But Bivona scored on runs of 52 and 43 yards as the Crusaders went ahead, 26-14, at the end of the third quarter. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Bivona picked off a Romeo pass and returned it 50 yards for another touchdown and a 34-14 lead, following a two-point conversion pass.
Trinity completed the scoring later in the quarter, courtesy of a five-yard TD pass from Anthony Lombardi to Johnny Somers.
The Crusaders began the game by getting the opening kickoff and taking a 6-0 lead on Izaiah Sanders' 22-yard run. But Will Litton's six-yard touchdown run and Sullivan's extra point put Wilton in front, 7-6, with 5:52 remaining in the first quarter.
Trinity scored the only points of the second period, with Bivona capping a long drive on a three-yard touchdown run that gave the visitors a 12-7 halftime lead.