Nutmeg votes to bounce Vinal Tech from league
MIDDLETOWN, Dec. 6 – Earlier this fall, the Nutmeg League voted to expel Vinal Tech/Coginchaug according to a report in the Middletown Press. But that move has been delayed and won’t occur unless Vinal’s program is accepted into the Pequot Conference, which will consider that application in December. But Vinal Tech was stunned that the league voted to throw them out, leaving the league with 10 schools, including NCCC member Enfield. The league is currently at 11 schools with Avon’s departure after the 2005 season.
MIDDLETOWN, Dec. 8 – Bob McNamara, the only coach in the history of the Vinal Tech/Coginchaug program, has stepped down as head coach.
Playoffs
New London 35, N.W. Catholic 15
WEST HARTFORD – New London (10-1) marched into the Class S finals after an impressive 35-15 win over previously undefeated Northwest Catholic. The Whalers won with speed and hard-hitting play. New London forced four Indian turnovers in the first half, including two fumbles after runs of 12 and 36 yards. “We work on stripping the ball in the open field but tonight was the first night we were conscious of it,” New London coach Jack Cochran said. “You only have a split second to do it.”
Northwest Catholic, who posted its first-ever undefeated regular season and captured its first league championship since 1978, only trailed 7-0 at halftime. But receiver David Reed (4-126, 2 TDs) got the Whalers going by taking a 10-yard pass from freshman QB Jordan Reed and breaking two tackles for a 75-yard scoring run with 5:49 left in the third quarter.
Northwest Catholic quickly marched 85 yards on seven plays, scoring on a 13-yard run by QB Mike Bourdon (15-102) to trim the lead to seven, 14-7. But New London responded three plays later when senior Dan Nurse broke a tackle inside, broke a tackle in the secondary and ran 50 yards for a touchdown. Reed also had a 59-yard TD pass from Jordan Reed while Nurse (27-272, 3 TDs) added a 55-yard touchdown run.
Bourdon completed 12 of 32 passes for 155 yards but seldom did Indian receivers gain yardage after the catch.
Week 9
N.W. Catholic 21, East Catholic/CT 12
MANCHESTER, Nov. 12 – The Indians (9-0) remained undefeated and clinched its first Nutmeg Football League championship. Rich Kevorkian rushed for 174 yards and 2 TDs, including a 5-yard run in the fourth quarter to give the Indians a 9-point lead. It is the first football title for NWC since 1987 when they won the three-team Hartford County Conference title. In 1978, the Indians finished in a three-way tie for the five-team HCC title.
ROCKY HILL, Nov. 11 – After St. Paul cut the lead to one early in the fourth quarter, Rocky Hill (8-1, 7-1 Nutmeg) responded with a championship-level drive, marching 74 yards on 10 plays to score with 4:57 left and outlast the Falcons, 19-12, keeping its Class S playoff hopes alive. Rocky Hill WR Sean Burgwardt made two outstanding catches in traffic, grabbing a key 23-yard reception from QB Doug Elliot (6-11-1, 75) on third-and-7 from their own 29-yard line. On fourth-and-6 from the Falcon 25, Elliott hit Burgwardt who held onto a 9-yard reception despite a hard hit from St. Paul’s Jamel Greenlee. Three plays later, Brendan Held swept around from the eight-yard line to score with 4:57 left.
"We were worried," admitted Burgwardt. "St. Paul was hammering it inside. We had to pump each other up. If we lost, the season was over." St. Paul forced two Terrier turnovers and blocked a punt, which set up St. Paul’s first touchdown. They held Rocky Hill to minus eight yards on three plays in the third quarter. St. Paul drove to the Rocky Hill 29 in the second quarter and had 4th-and-1 but the drive stalled due to a motion penalty. In the third quarter, St. Paul had 4th-and-1 on the Terrier 20 but a bad snap from center resulted in a turnover. Greg Lappen (25-167) had a 71-yard TD for the Terriers.
FARMINGTON, Nov. 10 – Trailing by one with a minute left in the fourth quarter, a Plainville receiver dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone on fourth down as Farmington held on for the win. Farmington allowed Plainville just 54 yards in the first half and led 10-0. Farmington had only one offensive play in the third quarter but it still added to its lead. Domingo Astiasaran intercepted a pass after teammate Lionel Meda hit Plainville QB Todd Carroll as he threw and Astiasaran raced 61 yards for the TD and a 17-0 lead.
Plainville marched 75 yards on 11 plays and scored on Carroll’s 1-yard run and a conversion pass from Carroll. Plainville recovered an onside kick and added another TD on a 5-yard run by Kevin Czellecz. A two-point pass to Nick Barbagallo cut the lead to one.
MIDDLETOWN, Nov. 12 – The Redcoats (7-2) kept alive their Class M playoff hopes with a win over Middletown (6-3). Berlin is ranked fifth in Class M. Tom Liberda rushed for a team-high 121 yards and a 5-yard TD while Chris Shroeder caught a 59 yard TD pass from Mike Connelly. Middletown’s Korey Speller (31-174) had a great day, rushing for a touchdown and completing 7-of-18 passes for 135 yards and a TD.
Week 8
PLAINVILLE, Nov. 4 – It was a memorable night for Rocky Hill (7-1, 6-1) and Greg Lappen, who scored 3 TDs and rushed for a season-high 170 yards on 13 carries. He rushed for 2 TDs, outleaped a Plainville defender for a 37-yard TD pass, had an interception, a fumble recovery and five tackles. Teammate Mark Fritz (9-121) scored 2 TDs, including a 73-yard run (3rd longest in school history) while Eric Lecco blocked a punt. The Terriers are two wins away from a berth in the Class S playoffs. They host St. Paul/Goodwin Tech/Lewis Mills next Friday and winless Vinal Tech/Coginchaug on Thanksgiving. “The kids are having a ball,” Rocky Hill coach Dave Coyne said. “We have a lot of good athletes who have come together."
Plainville (5-3, 5-3) lost for the second straight week and for the third time in four weeks after an 4-0 start. The Blue Devils committed six penalties for 60 yards and turned the ball over four times. “We kept shooting ourselves in the foot with fumbles and penalties,” Plainville coach Mike Archangelo said. “Now, it’s a matter of pride. We can finish 5-5 or go get back to work.”
MIDDLETOWN, Nov. 4 – Big plays lifted Middletown past the winless Hawks. Andre Privott returned the opening kickoff 69 yards for TD and Korey Speller ran 50 yards on the Dragon’s first offensive play for another TD. "We played well in spots," Middletown coach Eric Marszalek told the Middletown Press. "While I can’t be happy with a defense that gives up 30 points, (Vinal) coach (Bob) McNamara did an excellent job scheming against our defense. They had success on offense; I give them credit." Vinal had 316 yards offense while Middletown had 306. A 67-yard TD bomb from Antiwone Carr to Michael Bradley put the Dragons up 28-16 at halftime.
East Catholic/CT 21, St. Paul/GT/LM 14
MANCHESTER, Nov. 5 – Jordan Evans 3 yard TD run in the fourth quarter snapped a tie to lift East Catholic/Cheney Tech (5-3) to a win over St. Paul (4-4) and snap the Falcons’ four-game winning streak. The Eagles took a 14-0 lead on a pair of first quarter TDs. But Jamel Greenlee caught his first TD pass of the season (9 yards) from Demytruk Usher to trim the lead to eight. Usher scored his team-leading 8th TD of the season on a 68-yard run. T.J. Peloquin ran the first successful two-point conversion of the year to tie the game at 14-14. Evans finished with 112 yards on 35 carries for East Catholic/CT.
WEST HARTFORD, Nov. 5 – Northwest Catholic (8-0) tied a school record for most wins in a season allowing Farmington only 29 yards on the ground. Farmington QB Steve Harrington (16-30-2) threw for 172 yards. "They are a well-rounded football team," Farmington coach Jeff Bemis told The Herald Press. "They seem to have everything going. They’ve got a great running game, they’ve got a great passing game. They’ve a very good defense. They’re doing what it takes to get the job done. They do have the total package." NWC captain Peter Andruszkiewicz was 5-126 rushing and 4-74 receiving. He scored on runs of 35, 5, and 66 and had a 19 yard TD reception. NWC QB Mike Bourdon completed 10 of 18 passes for 167 yards. Teammate Rich Kevorkian (16-103) and Cullen Bonner (10 tackles) also played well. Farmington turned the ball over 4 times (2 fumbles, 2 interceptions). Farmington’s Marc Wilson caught 9 passes for 90 yards while R.J. Simeone caught 5 for 48.
Week 7
Berlin 50, Farmington 20
BERLIN, Oct. 28 -- A week ago, the big plays burned the Berlin High football team in a 14-point loss to Northwest Catholic. This week, it was the Redcoats making the big plays as Berlin (5-2) kept themselves in contention for a potential Class M playoff berth with a dominating 50-20 victory.
"This week, we wanted to get a little more pressure on them and we worked with our defensive backs in practice," said Berlin coach John Capodice, who had a big ice pack wrapped around his right knee after two players crashed into him on the sideline in the third quarter. Berlin created four turnovers and sacked Farmington quarterback Steve Harrington twice. Hard-hitting Berlin linebacker Tom Liberda had an interception and recovered a fumble. He sacked Harrington to snuff out a Farmington scoring opportunity in the waning seconds of the second quarter and scored two touchdowns.
BRISTOL, Nov. 3 -- After winning their fourth straight game with a win over Enfield, St. Paul is looking for just its fourth winning season since 1992. Head coach Jude Kelly, his staff and players were ecstatic over the victory. Things are different. In 17 years at Southington, Kelly was 115-62-2 with a state title. At St. Paul, he is mixing in players from 3 different schools (Goodwin Tech, Lewis Mills). He has the Falcons using the single-wing, a formation more popular 50 years ago. It’s an unbalanced formation with no quarterback under center. The ball in snapped to one of two backs who just take off and go behind a flurry of blockers.
After starting 0-3, the Falcons are 4-3. “It’s a happy experience,” Kelly told the Meriden Record Journal after the Enfield game. “It’s people who care, people who are concerned. They don’t tell you that you can’t do this, you can’t do that. All they want to know is ‘what can we do to help?’ Whatever you do, whatever you do for the kids, they’re grateful. Even in the beginning, when we weren’t playing as well, all they did was complement us on how the kids played and how proud they were. That just grows.”
BRISTOL, Oct. 29 – Demytruk Usher scored 2 TDs and rushed for 142 yards on 26 carries as the Falcons (4-3) won for the fourth straight time with a 14-7 win over Enfield on Senior Night at Muzzy Field. "I’m happy for the kids on the team (because) they didn’t quit believing,” St. Paul coach Jude Kelly told The Herald Press. “There were a lot of times (the kids) could have put their heads down...but these kids have turned a corner."
T.J. Peloquin replaced the injured Brent Seaver at QB. Peloquin ran for 90 yards on 26 carries. “He didn’t make any great plays, but when you talk about consistency and toughness, he’s one tough son of a gun. But that’s what (St. Paul football) is all about,” Kelly said of Peloquin, who also played linebacker.
ROCKY HILL, Oct. 30 – Mark Fritz (11-57) and Greg Lappen (19-124) each ran for 2 TDs as the Terriers (6-1) continued its historic season with a 31-7 win over RHAM. With no rushing plays over 16 years, Rocky Hill simply wore down the Sachems. "Whatever works is what we go with," Rocky Hill coach Brian Coyne told the Herald Press. "We don’t pay much attention to who’s getting the ball." QB Doug Elliott was 12-of-14 for 166 yards. Sean Burgwardt caught five passes for 82 yards.
Week 6
MIDDLETOWN, Oct. 22 – Rocky Hill (5-1) ran over the Dragons, rushing for 266 yards and scoring 6 TDs in a 42-14 victory. The Terrrers also forced four turnovers (3 interceptions, 1 fumble). "We made mistakes we can’t afford to make against anyone, let alone a good team like Rocky Hill," Middletown coach Eric Marszalek told The Herald Press. "They do things we can’t stop -- like running the ball right at us. We did what we could, we put everybody in the box, and we still couldn’t stop them.” Mark Fritz (15-139) and Greg Lappen (17-112) led Rocky Hill.
Week 5
WEST HARTFORD, Oct. 15 – Playing on a field saturated with nine straight days of rain, the undefeated Indians (5-0, 5-0) handed the Terriers their first loss on a muddy field. NW Catholic forced five Rocky Hill turnovers (3 fumbles, 2 interceptions). "We’re not going to make excuses," Rocky Hill coach Dave Coyne told The Herald Press. "They beat us. We’re a fast team and it’s hard to be fast when you’re playing in three inches of mud, They’re a good football team and they won. Take your hats off to them." NWC scored on its opening drive with an 11-yard TD pass to Cullen Bonner from Mike Bourdon. Rob Dornfield added a 35 FG in the fourth quarter. NWC back Rich Kevorkian (22-91) led the way with for the Indians. Rocky Hill is 4-1, 4-1.
BERLIN, Oct. 14 – Using its speed, Berlin (4-1, 3-1) knocked Plainville (4-1, 4-1) from the ranks of the unbeaten in a steady, hard rain on the FieldTurf at William Scalise Field. Tom Liberda (18-123) scored 2 TDs in the first quarter and had a dominant night on the defensive side as well. Plainville didn’t record a first down in the first half. "They were much quicker than us inside," Plainville coach Mike Archangelo told the New Britain Herald. "We’re bigger than them but with big comes slow and they used their speed to their advantage. ... They were disrupting things in our backfield. Our line wasn’t picking up the blitzes and they were able to take advantage of it."
East Catholic 56, Enfield 7
ENFIELD, Oct. 17 – Jordan Evans (16-147) scored 2 TDs to lead the Eagles. QB Nico DeNovelli threw 2 TD passes (7,8) to Mike McCormack.
MIDDLETOWN, Oct. 17 – Korey Speller scored 4 TDs, including an 80-yard kickoff return to open the game as the Dragons rolled. Andre Privott returned RHAM’s first punt 98 yards for another TD. “Running the opening kickoff back and following that up with a punt return set the tone of the game,” Middletown coach Eric Marszalek told The Middletown Press. “I was very pleased how hard we played today.” Speller ran for 157 yards on 25 carries. RHAM’s Ben Schadtle rushed for 133 yards on 19 carries.
FARMINGTON, Oct. 18 – St. Paul ate up time moving the ball on the ground and won its second straight game with a 21-15 win over Farmington. Three of the four TD drives were at least 4:00. "They just control the ball," Farmington coach Jeff Bemis told the New Britain Herald. "They held on to it at points for six, seven minutes. They had the ball on our 40, did not score, and held onto it for seven minutes. As far as I’m concerned, that’s successful even if they don’t score because it keeps the ball out of our hands."
St. Paul ate up 7:20 with its initial drive of the second half, converting twice on fourth down to keep the drive alive. J.P. Jacobsen threw his first TD pass of the year, a 20-yard pass to Demytruk Usher to build a 21-3 lead. Two quick TDs enabled Farmington trim the lead to 21-15 but its final two drives ended with a punt and turnover on downs.
Week 4
FARMINGTON, Oct. 7 – After three straight losses, Farmington spent each and every day in full pads hitting and hitting each other hard. It paid off in the second half of Friday’s game in the rain as FHS Vinal Tech/Coginchaug to just two first downs and outscored the Hawks by 28 points to earn its first victory .“We just stepped up,” said Farmington senior co-captain Peter Belandy. “We suffered through those three losses and we needed a win. We hit all week. We went full pads and we didn’t mess around.” Berlandy grabbed one of three fumbles that Farmington recovered on this wet night.
N.W. Catholic 28, RHAM 0
HEBRON, Oct. 8. – The Indians took advantage of 4 RHAM turnovers (2 interceptions, 2 fumbles) to roll to a 28-0 victory despite heavy rain. Undefeated Northwest Catholic (4-0) also blocked a punt. Rich Kevorkian scored a pair of TDs (8, 12) for the winners.
ROCKY HILL, Oct. 7 – Defensive pressure helped the undefeated Terriers remain undefeated as Rocky Hill beat Berlin for the first time ever. Sean Burgwardt intercepted a pass on the third play of the game and returned it to the Berlin 25, which led to a Chris Tyler 7-yard TD pass from Doug Elliot. Dan Carducci recovered a Berlin fumble on the kickoff and Elliot took advantage with a 28-yard TD pass to Mark Fritz for a 14-0 lead. Greg Lappen added two TDs for Rocky Hill (4-0, 3-0), including a 75-yard run.
PLAINVILLE, Oct. 7 – Five different players scored TDs while six players combined to rush for 255 yards as the Blue Devils (4-0, 4-0) remained undefeated. T.C. Scott led the way for Plainville with 101 yards on 9 carries. "We’re lucky this year to have that depth," Plainville coach Mike Archangelo told the New Britain Herald. "If T.C. goes down for a play, or if our fullback goes down for a play, I think we have somebody just as good to step into that door."
MIDDLETOWN, Oct. 10 – St. Paul coach Jude Kelly believed. Now, this team does, too. The Falcons won for the first time in nearly two years with a stunning 12-6 victory. “I don’t think words can describe how important a win this is for the kids and for the school," Kelly told the Bristol Press. "We stayed with our plan and every week the kids practiced hard. They stayed with it and today, the kids came to play. I keep telling the kids that if you believe and if you’re patient, good things will happen. Today, it happened."
On the first play of the game, Middletown QB Antiwone Carr lofted a soft pass that was intercepted by St. Paul’s Derek Chard at the MHS 49 and he returned it to the Blue Dragon 10-yard line. On 4th-and-1, Tom Peloquin scored for a 6-0 lead. The Falcons held Middletown to 16 yards of offense and one first down in the first half. The Falcons took a 12-0 lead with 7:44 left in the first half on a 28-yard run up the middle from Brent Seaver (18-152).
Week 3
FARMINGTON, Sept. 30 – Playing a strained hamstring didn’t slow down Ben Schadtle, who rushed for 2 TDs and a game-high 83 yards to lead the Sahems, who hit hard and never stopped running. “Our whole theme this week was to establish physicality on both sides of the ball,” said RHAM coach Pete Calin. “They worked hard in the weight room.” Midway through the second quarter, Farmington’s Orlando Ortiz ripped off a 20-yard run but RHAM defender Tyler Ware wasn’t satisfied just to make a tackle. He stood Ortiz up and stripped the ball from him and RHAM recovered on its own 19. On the next play, Ware pitched a 64-yard pass to teammate Tyler Hopson to the Farmington 17. Two plays later, Schadtle high stepped through the heart of the Indian defense for a 10-yard TD and a 6-0 lead.
Late in the second quarter, Farmington had the ball on the RHAM 1-yard line with 1.8 seconds left but a blitzing Joe Kearns hit Indian QB Steve Harrington to force a fumble and end the threat. Farmington (0-3) had its chances but hurt themselves repeatedly with penalties, being flagged nine times for 90 yards. It’s the first 0-3 start since 1994 for the Indians.
PLAINVILLE, Sept. 30 – The Blue Devils (3-0) remained undefeated as T.J. Scott rushed for 203 yards and 2 TDs. Scott scored on runs of 58 and 33 yards. "I think Plainville’s the best team we’ve played so far," Vinal Tech coach Bob McNamara told the Middletown Press. Vinal previously lost to Northwest Catholic and Berlin. "They’re a big, physical team and we really had trouble handling them. With that fullback [Kevin Czellecz] and the halfback [T.C. Scott], they have backs who are tough to tackle. They wear you down." Plainville rushed 296 yards while Vinal was held to just 69 yards offense, 39 on the ground.
BRISTOL, Oct. 1 – The Falcons (0-3) are beginning to move the ball. But they are still struggling to stop the opposition as Berlin (3-0) rolled to a 34-6 win at Muzzy Field. RB Tom Liberda scored 3 TDs and rushed for 129 yards. Berlin QB Jon Connelly also threw a pair of TD passes. St. Paul received a season-high 165 yards of total offense, led by T.J. Peloquin (26-103) and QB Dwight Hacker (16-40). Four lost fumbles hurt St. Paul. "(St. Paul) is a real physical team," said Berlin coach John Capodice. "They’re well coached, I knew we’d be in for a battle. I think our kids answered the call and played hard and fortunately, we had a few more scores than (St. Paul)."
MANCHESTER, Oct. 1 – Rocky Hill is 3-0 for the first time in the program’s history after scoring a TD on each of its first five drives. “Both the offense and defense are working hard and starting to believe in themselves. I think today will compound [that]. They’ll realize they are a pretty good football team,” Rocky Hill coach Dave Coyne told The Herald Press. Senior Mark Fritch scored 3 TDs and ran for 89 yards while teammate Bobby Abate scored a TD and ran for 149 yards. The Terrier offensive line, known as the Earth Pigs, played well. “To beat East Catholic you gotta play good football," Coyne said.
N.W. Catholic 47, Enfield 7
WEST HARTFORD, Oct. 1 – Rick Kevorkian (20-154, 3 TDs) led the way for the Indians (3-0). Northwest Catholic QB Mike Bourdon completed 11-of-18 passes for 132 yards and 2 TDs. Inside linebacker Peter Andruzkiewicz made 11 tackles and recovered three fumbles.
Week 2
MIDDLETOWN, Sept. 24 – In his first varsity start, Middletown QB Antiwone Carr was spectacular completing 16-of-26 passes for 317 yards and 2 TDs to lead Middletown (2-0). Carr also gained 60 yards on 12 carries and scored a TD. Middletown had 484 yards of offense. SE Mike Bradley caught 8 passes for 184 yards. "Sunshine [Carr’s nickname] is a young quarterback who is just beginning to understand how to play the position," Middletown coach Eric Marszalek told the Herald Press. “He has a load of talent and he’s going to help us be successful."
Middletown led 21-6 at halftime but Farmington trimmed the lead to 21-13 when QB Steve Harrington scored on a 1-yard run. But Middletown added a safety with 6:53 left and added a final TD with 33 seconds left. "I thought we played well enough to win," said Farmington coach Jeff Bemis. "When you’re on the two-yard line [first quarter] you should score and we didn’t. I’m also happy I’m not in a league where you get fined for criticizing the officials, but I would like to know how it can be offensive pass interference for one team and not for another?"
MANCHESTER, Sept. 23 – Sophomore QB David Soltis sprinted 12 yards with 39 seconds left to lift Plainville to a stunning victory over two-time league champion East Catholic at Mt. Nebo Field. “I told David there was an (end zone) pylon with his name on it," Plainville coach Mike Archangelo told the New Britain Herald. "He is one of the toughest kids on the team, and he might have been running with a mission there."
Plainville took a 6-0 lead when Aaron Benson scored a 32-yard TD the first time he touched the ball. East Catholic took a 7-6 lead before East Catholic responded with a 57-yard run from Jordan Evans (15-126) with 8:24 left in the third quarter. T.J. Scott led Plainville (23-100).
BERLIN, Sept. 23 – A week ago, Berlin High senior Tom Liberda was ineligible to play after being thrown out of last December’s Class L semifinal loss to Hand. On Friday night, you couldn’t get him off the field. Liberda scored 3 TDs and rushed for a game-high and career-high 156 yards on 11 carries. He also ran back three punts for a total of 68 yard, put 2 of his 3 kickoffs go into the end zone for touchbacks and had a 46-yard punt. He also played safety, never leaving the field for a play in the first half.
On Berlin’s second play from scrimmage, he cut inside for a 23-yard gain. Two plays later, he bounced off a Vinal Tech tackler and rambled 15 yards into the end zone with just 1:31 gone into the game. He added the extra point for a 7-0 lead. Berlin (2-0) scored on three of its first four possessions. Bryan Hackett scored from six yards out to lift the Redcoats to a 13-0 lead and Liberda capped off a eight-play drive with a eight-yard TD run. A Ryan Molloy conversion run made it 21-0.
N.W. Catholic 24, St. Paul 7
BRISTOL, Sept. 24 – The Falcons couldn’t slow down the Northwest Catholic attack as Rich Kevorkian (22-118) and one TD while QB Mike Bourdon completed 8-of-11 passes for 138 yards and rushed for two TDs to lead the Indians to a 24-7 victory at Muzzy Field.
Enfield 37, RHAM 20
HEBRON, Sept. 24 – Enfield scored 19 fourth quarter points to pull away from RHAM. Dominique Lindo caught a 44-yard TD pass for the Raiders and scored a 70 yard kickoff return. Peter Kelley ran for 2 TDs and had a TD pass as Enfield rallied from a 13-0 deficit.
Week 1
FARMINGTGON, Sept. 16 -- The visiting Falcons handed FHS its worst opening day loss ever. In the first 12 minutes, Fitch ran back a punt for 79 yards, intercepted two passes and recovered two fumbles. On Fitch’s first three possessions, they were stopped just once. They ran four plays and scored three touchdowns for a 28-0 lead after one quarter.
“They were much more intense,” Bemis said. “They were more willing to hit, hit and hit. It was the intensity and the fire they had in their eyes. You could see it on every single play. They came and came and came and never let up.” Only four other teams since 1930 have beaten Farmington by bigger scores.
BERLIN, Sept. 16 -- Ryan Molloy scored on TD runs of 2 and 3 yards as the Redcoats prevailed at Sage Park. Berlin scored 5 rushing TDs. Bryan Hackett led the way for Berlin with 133 yards on 16 carries, including an 88-yard scamper in the second half. Berlin coughed up the ball five times, three times in the first quarter.
ROCKY HILL, Sept. 16 -- The Terriers earned a shutout on opening night as Greg Lappen rushed for 2 TDs, including a 61-yard run in the second quarter. "We're more athletic than we've ever been before," Rocky Hill coach Dave Coyne told the New Britain Herald. "We've had big people before. We've had strong people before. But we've never had so many athletes. That's a big difference." Rocky Hill had 399 yards of total offense.
ENFIELD, Sept. 17 – Despite missing starting QB Antiwon Carr, Middletown handled Enfield. Running back Korey Speller took over for Carr, who was suspended for an in-school infraction. "I thought Korey was great," Middletown coach Eric Marszalek told The Herald Press. "It was just this week that he had taken any snaps. He made some mistakes that you’d expect from a kid who never played quarterback, but he did some great things, too." Speller was 8-of-9 for 89 yards while rushing for a team-high 83 yards on 17 carries.
BRISTOL, Sept. 17 – Plainville made the most of a pair of touchdown runs and a key defensive stop in the third quarter to spoil the coaching debut of Jude Kelly at St. Paul at Muzzy Field. Plainville’s Kevin Czellecz (15-101, 2 TDs) turned a quick hitting play up the middle into a 51-yard TD run in the second quarter while teammate Dane Zettegran scored on a 15-yard scamper in the fourth quarter. "Our program is taking baby steps right now,” Kelly told the The Herald Press. “We have to keep the big picture in mind." The contest was the debut of Lewis Mills-Burlington in high school football, joining St. Paul and Goodwin Tech in a tri-op program.
NW Catholic 42, Vinal Tech/Coginchaug 0
WEST HARTFORD, Sept. 17 -- NWC QB Mike Bourden completed 15-of-18 yards for 205 yards and 4 TDs passes to Cullen Bonner.
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