READING – There was no doubt in Reading head coach John Fiore’s mind.

He was going for two.

With 1:43 remaining in a back-and-forth game against Winchester on Friday night, quarterback Jack Murphy had just hit Robert Morris for a 71-yard touchdown three plays after the Red and Black had reclaimed a 28-21 lead on a four yard TD run by Gianni DePrimeo.

Instead of kicking the PAT to tie the game at 28, Fiore decided to go for the win right there. Murphy rolled right and seemingly ran out of real estate, but he awkwardly flipped the ball to running back D’Von Burcy who had stopped blocking and simply made himself an option, giving the Rockets a 29-28 lead.

Winchester quarterback Ronan O’Connell calmly led his team back down the field. A massive diving catch from Ryan Martin at the Reading 20 with eight seconds left set the Red and Black up for a game-winning field goal, but Will Bolognese pushed it just wide left and the Rockets held on for the pulse pounding one-point win.

Reading remained unbeaten at 6-0 while Winchester fell to 4-2.

“I wanted to go for two right off the bat,” explained Fiore. “We kind of talked it over on the headsets and then just went right back to it. We had a couple of different plays dialed up (after a timeout)…we were able to execute it at the end there. And that was with our center cramping up and not being able to play on that one…that was Brendan Boutiette in for Reily Learned who played one heck of a two-way football game for us tonight.”

“We go with a little rollout play. We’ve got a couple guys running pivot routs, a little flood concept in the back,” Murphy said of the two-point play. “My man D’Von – stud – he’s blocking for me and he just decided you know what, I’m done blocking I’m going to go run in the end zone and get open. I dished it to him. He wasn’t even supposed to run a rout, but we make plays, we have fun. That’s what we’re all about right now.”

As for the touchdown to get to that point, that was a broken play too.

“That was another improve play,” Murphy added. “We’re running left, nothing’s there. I didn’t see what I wanted and Bobby Morris just making a play helping me out. I under threw him even though I let it rip. I under threw him a little bit, he came back, made a play, scored a touchdown. I don’t know how he scored, I’ve gotta go watch that again.”

Both teams established a ground game early and often (this one was over in under two hours) and were locked up at 14-14 heading into halftime.

Winchester needed just six plays to open up the game with a 7-0 lead as DePrimeo rumbled in from six yards out and Bolognese added the extra point. Reading had to punt on its first possession, but the defense forced a turnover on downs at its own 33 when Brandon LaMontagne and Reilly Learned combined for a sack on fourth down.

Just 46 seconds into the second quarter Reading got a seven yard touchdown run from Burcy and a two-point run from Murphy to go up 8-7. The Red and Black responded with a 10-play drive that ended with a 29-yard touchdown run from Nicky Rotondi and another Bolognese kick made it 14-8.

For the next five minutes, the Rockets went on an 11-play march covering 65 yards until a one yard keeper from Murphy tied the game at 14 with 17 seconds left in the half. The PAT was blocked and the teams headed to the locker room deadlocked.

“I knew it was going to be a battle, I knew it,” said Murphy.

Reading opened the third quarter with a 3rd-&-14 conversion early on its drive and a huge run by Murphy from the Rockets’ 47 down to the Winchester eight. Moments later, Burcy trotted in from six yards out to make it 21-14 after Owen Ravens’ PAT.

On the Red and Black’s ensuing possession, O’Connell converted a 3rd-&-8 to the Reading 47 on a designed run. One play later he hit Connor Pandolph with a deep ball down the right side to the Rockets’ five. DePrimeo punched it in from the two a couple snaps later and we were tied at 21 once again late in the third.

Winchester forced a turnover on downs early in the fourth at its own 21 with Joe Guida making a huge play in the backfield. The Red and Black embarked on a 15-play drive that lasted almost eight minutes and included several fourth and third down conversions to keep the chains moving until DePrimeo put his team in front with 2:27 left, setting up the wild finish.

“This was a big step forward for us tonight,” Fiore added. “We’re really happy getting a W against a really good team.”