The Ridgfield football team got a tougher-than-expected challenge from Bridgeport Central on Friday, rallying from a five-point deficit in the second half to defeat the upset-minded Hilltoppers 48-32 at Tiger Hollow.

Sam Gravitte rushed for four touchdowns for the Tigers, who improved to 7-2 to keeep their slim playoff hopes alive in Class LL.

Central, which dropped to 3-6, erased a 21-14 deficit to take a 26-21 lead in the third quarter.

But the Tigers responded as Gravitte scored on a 5-yard TD run to make it 28-26 after the third period.

Ridgefield began to pull away as Connor tossed a 40-yard TD strike to Matt Flanagan and Gravitte rambled in from six yards.

A 10-yard TD run by Rowe, who also threw a pair of TD passes, extended Ridgefield's margin to 48-26 before the Hilltoppers made the final a bit more respectable.

Ridgefield remained 12th in Class LL rankings with only one game remaining in the regular season (Danbury on Nov. 23).