Waterford — One win closer to the postseason.

Waterford held off Griswold/Wheeler 14-7 on Friday night, putting the Lancers in good position to qualify for the CIAC football playoffs for the first time since 2011.

Waterford (6-1) entered play sixth in Class M and has games left with Ledyard (Nov. 8), Woodstock Academy (Nov. 16) and East Lyme on Thanksgiving Day. Waterford lost to Ledyard 26-0 in the 2011 M quarterfinals.

But the win came at a cost. Senior wide receiver Payton Sutman suffered a lower leg injury with 6:03 left in the first half. He was taken from the field by ambulance and Waterford coach John Strecker was waiting for an update on his condition.

The game wasn't over until Waterford's Sam Menders picked up a first down on a 4-yard run with 1:05 left to play. With Griswold out of timeouts, the Lancers only had to take a knee twice to wrap up the win.

"The guys hung in there and played hard all the way,'' said Strecker. "(Griswold) is a good football team.'' 

Waterford opened the scoring on the second play of the second quarter when Ryan Bakken threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Sutman. Menders kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

The Lancers lost Sutman after he caught a 23-yard pass from Bakken to bring the ball down to the Griswold 7. Three plays later the drive ended when Griswold's Colby Vantine recovered a Bakken fumble on the 11-yard line.

"It was a significant blow to us,'' said Strecker of Sutman's injury. "He's been a leader for us since the day he showed up. These guys love him and it affected them.''

The Lancers made it 14-0 on their first possession of the second half. Michael Vincent caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Bakken and Menders added the extra point.

Both teams struggled to move the ball in the second half, but Griswold (4-2) put the pressure on by scoring with 4:24 left in the game.

Jaiden Curtin-Quinn threw a screen pass to speedy Anthony Franklin, who took it 15 yards for a touchdown. Lucas Bartret added the extra point to make it 14-7. Bartret's onside kick was unsuccessful, but Waterford wasn't able to do anything on its next possession.

Griswold had one last chance, taking over on Waterford's 35 with 3:12 left. But Waterford linebacker Jackson Harshberger knocked down Curtin-Quinn's pass on fourth down.

Losing Sutman put a somber mood over the team, but Waterford is getting closer to its goal.

"They started talking about (the playoffs) before we started the season,'' said Strecker. "It's been a goal all along. This will help us in the rankings. The bonus points from the teams (Griswold) beat ... it's great.''

d.davis@theday.com