If there is a kick to be made for Rush-Henrietta, Evan Mangone is the player the Royal Comets send out to make it.
Mangone had success in Week 7 of the Section V Football season, but had to disregard mistakes to come through in the end, just like the rest of the Rush-Henrietta Royal Comets.
The Royal Comets defeated Hilton 31-28 in double overtime Oct. 16, after Mangone kicked a 19-yard field goal at Rush-Henrietta. The kick delivered a win to Rush-Henrietta, a week after losing for the first time this season.
"Ecstatic, everybody was insanely happy," Mangone said after the Royal Comets' celebration. "Everybody had all energy. We were all selfless (during the game), and we did great."
Rush-Henrietta senior running back Imani Wagstaff deserved a gold
star, too. Wagstaff scored all four of the Rush-Henrietta touchdowns, including at the end of the team's first overtime possession.
Mangone made all four of his extra-point attempts, something that seemed to take on greater importance when you look back at the Monroe County Division I game. According to Royal Comets coach Bruce Johnson, Mangone also made himself a candidate for "a defensive player of the week" by getting in on 15 tackles.
The Royal Comets, whether they wanted to or not, were setting themselves up for a disappointing finish.
Victor, with its ability to run the football and strong defensive play, defeated Rush-Henrietta, 17-14 last week. And there were the Rush-Henrietta Royal Comets lining up against Hilton, another team willing to repeatedly use its running game.
The Cadets had the ball first, and needed just three plays - all runs - to move 69 yards and score. Rush-Henrietta evened the score on its first possession of the game, then went up 14-7 after a 49-yard run to the end zone by Wagstaff.
The Royal Comets were already taking steps forward and backward. They were moving the ball, gaining yards, only to be pushed back because of penalties. A first down-and-goal at the Hilton one-yard line turned into a turnover on downs. Rush-Henrietta faced third-and-30 on its next possession.
But the Royal Comets led 14-7 at halftime. They began the second half by driving from their own 18-yard line to the Hilton three-yard line. There, Wagstaff carried the ball into the end zone, but the touchdown was wiped out by a holding penalty. Mangone missed a 22-yard field goal attempt at the end of that drive.
"I did, I did," Mangone said. "That was all me, no one (else) was at fault for that one. I got back at it, though."
The Hilton Cadets got back into the end zone after that miss and evened the score, 14-14. Another turnover on downs near midfield by Rush-Henrietta turned into a one-yard touchdown run by Tyler Reger and a 21-14 lead for Hilton with 4:33 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Royal Comets then got it together, moving 57 yards to score on a two-yard run by Wagstaff with 25 seconds remaining and Mangone's third extra point. Rush-Henrietta scored first in overtime, when each team takes possession at the opponent's 20-yard line.
Hilton scored a touchdown on its first overtime possession and lined up to go for two points to win the game. An illegal procedure penalty led to the Cadets changing their minds. They kicked for the extra point, and evened the score, 28-28.
The Cadets had the first possession of the second overtime. They turned to their running game that was put back on track earlier in the second half, but ended up attempting and missing a short field goal.
Rush-Henrietta's offense prioritized holding on to the ball, and still pushed its way to the Hilton two-yard line. That's when Mangone came back out to kick. Mangone's strike sent the ball bouncing off the upright to his right and through to end the game.
"Double overtime win, definitely a gritty win," Rush-Henrietta's Johnson said. "It's something we've really been harping on since the loss to Victor.
"We have to come together in all phases of the game. We knew at times it was going to get tough, but it's all about resiliency. We couldn't stop the run last week. We stopped the run when we had to this week. We came together on offense. We haven't really been a more physical, pound-the-rock kind of a team, but we had to tonight. We put some big bodies out there, and were able to do it."
James Johnson, who grew up in the city of Rochester, has worked as a full-time journalist covering high school sports for the Democrat and Chronicle since 1996. Follow him @jjDandC on X (Twitter) and Instagram. Please contact him at JAMESJ@Gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Four TDs and a clutch kick lift Rush-Henrietta in double overtime
