Norwich — After all the turnovers on offense, after all the big stops on defense, Norwich Free Academy put together a touchdown drive to take a 1-point lead over Windsor with 1 minute, 18 seconds left in Friday’s game.

Surely, NFA had the game won.

But the Wildcats’ lead disappeared in a mere 21 seconds.

Gabriel Bryan, as he slipped and fell down in the end zone, caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Julian Jackson with 57.7 seconds remaining to send NFA to a 28-21 loss that was the equivalent of a few kicks in the throat.

NFA’s playoff chances may also be gone as it sits at 3-3 with four games left in the regular season.

Wildcats quarterback Elijah Parker led his team on a 72-yard drive that culminated in a 7-yard touchdown pass to Sean Preston to cut Windsor's lead to 20-19.

NFA went for a two-point conversion, and Parker just got across the plane of the end zone to give the Wildcats a 21-20 lead, their first of the game, with 1:18 remaining.

Windsor’s Jashaud Jenkins quickly ruined NFA's joy. He fielded the ensuing kickoff on one hop and took off down the NFA sideline to the Wildcats' 33-yard line.

“I take the blame for that,” NFA head coach Jason Bakoulis said. “I need to make sure my guys are fully aware that you want to kick the ball deep and you want to run into your lanes, but it’s a completely different situation because it’s the end of the game.

“All those variables that go into it, the emotions are high because we had just scored ... I take 100 percent blame because I didn’t simulate that for them in practice, and that’s the only way you’re going to be prepared for that. That’s on me.”

Jenkins said, “The first gap I saw, I just took off. I just saw straight green, and I’m like, ‘I’ve got to get to the end zone. I have to get somewhere for my team to score.’”

Bryan caught the go-ahead touchdown pass two plays later. It was the Warriors' only pass play longer than 14 yards all night.

Shaun Hunter ran in the two-point conversion to push the Warriors ahead, 28-21, with 57.7 remaining.

NFA got as far as the Warriors’ 48 before time expired.

The loss all but mathematically ruins any chance that the Wildcats have at qualifying for the CIAC Class LL playoffs.

Just two three-loss teams have qualified for the LL playoffs in any of the six 10-game seasons since the CIAC expanded to eight, four-team divisions in 2010.

Windsor turned an interception into a 2-yard touchdown run by Hunter to take a 7-0 lead with 8:57 left in the first half.

Two offensive plays later, Windsor’s Kobe Foster intercepted a pass and returned it for a 45-yard touchdown to give his team a 14-0 lead with 8:13 remaining in the second quarter.

NFA fumbled the ball away on its next offensive play at its own 42. Its defense, however, kept the Warriors from scoring and turned them over on downs.

Jahiem Spruill took a screen pass from Parker on the Wildcats’ next play for a 68-yard touchdown.

Windsor had a first-and-goal at the NFA 8 on its next drive, but the Wildcats held again as time ran out.

“This week, being frustrated and everything that happened with the Newtown game (a 51-14 loss on Oct. 13), these guys came to work every day,” Bakoulis said. “At the end of (this) game, it was a simple message — we were proud of the way they sold out. They played relentless football until the very end.”

n.griffen@theday.com