The Cranston West football team dropped its second straight contest in a 14-13 heartbreaker against defending Division II champion St. Ray’s last Friday night.

The Falcons erased a late deficit to eventually set up a 24-yard field goal attempt with two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The Saints would crash the edges, get in the backfield to block the attempt and secure the win.

West trailed 14-7 in the fourth quarter but would piece together a drive that was capped off by a David Boscia touchdown. St. Ray’s blocked the point after attempt, though, to cling onto the lead.

Jack Majcher recovered a Saints fumble at the West 46 the ensuing possession and the Falcons would drive deep into St. Ray’s territory. West quarterback Kelan Cornell would connect with Charlie Cornell to pick up a pivotal fourth-and-5, while a Saints pass interference call also gave the Falcons a fresh set of downs.

Unfortunately for the Falcons, the struggles up front would hurt them in the final two possessions and would prove to be the difference.

“(St. Ray’s) made the play. We work on that in practice but St. Ray’s brought some guys off the edge and got in the backfield. We didn’t block well, we didn’t block anybody. We need to learn to make plays because big players make big plays. We didn’t make the big play down the stretch,” said West head coach Tom Milewski.

West’s defense had a solid outing, coming up with a goal line stand in the first quarter while Majcher hauled in an interception to go along with his fumble recovery.

“Coming up with that goal line stand in the first quarter was huge. Our guys did a good job, St. Ray’s has some players and started to run at us, we had a few breakdowns. But overall I was proud of the defense, they came up big,” said Milewski.

St. Ray’s held a 7-0 lead, but Kelan Cornell hit Majcher on a long pass which set the Falcons up at the 1-yard line with less than a minute remaining in the first half. Kelan Cornell finished the drive off when he rushed for the score just before the break.

Majcher enjoyed a career performance for the Falcons and was also a factor in both the running and passing attack on offense once again.

“Jack is the jack of all traits for us, we can place him anywhere we need to on the field. He makes plays for us and is a spark for us. He’s a good player for us. He’s great on defense and we know on offense we can insert him in the backfield, the slot. He goes up for the ball and comes down with it, he’s come into his own,” said Milewski.

Also making his presence felt was Charlie Cornell. The sophomore receiver came up with two big receptions in the fourth quarter to help keep the Falcon offense chugging along.

“Charlie has been getting better and has been getting more time in the offense. As a sophomore he is still learning, so I think in the future he is going to be a breakout player for us,” said Milewski.

The Falcons are 1-2 overall and 0-2 in league play after dropping a decision to Burrillville the week prior. West will hit the road to take on East Providence in a pivotal DII showdown this Friday night.

With a young roster, Milewski was happy with the team’s effort against the defending champs.

“I’m proud of the kids, they came back and they fought. They bounced back after the tough Burrillville loss,” Milewski said. “We have a lot of young guys, we’re inexperienced. We knew we’d have some trials and tribulations early on, so for them to bounce back and fight, I’m proud of them.”