Rome Free Academy football rallies late to end Utica Proctor’s streak in longtime rivalry: ‘It’s that monkey off your back’ (26 photos)

Source Scout · Syracuse.com reports: Utica, N.Y. — The Rome Free Academy and Utica Proctor football teams’ rivalry has been one-sided for more than a decade. The Raiders had defeated the Black Knights eight straight times dating back to 2014. Saturday afternoon’s contest at Utica Proctor’s D’Alessandro Stadium looked to be heading down that same path for 47 minutes and 40 seconds, but RFA flipped the script in the closing moments to escape with a thrilling 27-26 victory. “It’s that monkey off your back,” RFA coach Jake DerCola said. “It’s a rivalry where you throw out all records and everything.” The win is DerCola’s first over Proctor in his nine-year tenure at RFA.

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