Pequot Football Conference 2009

Four teams join Pequot in 2010

AVON, February 11, 2010 -- Granby, Lewis Mills and Coginchaug will make their varsity debuts in 2010 as three new varsity teams join the Pequot Conference this fall. With the addition of Sports Science Medicine Academy from Hartford, the Pequot will have 21 teams in 2010 with 10 teams each in the Uncas and Sassacus Divisions. Each team will play nine games in their division and one game against a Sassacus Division team.

Sports Science will play as an associate member with six of its 10 games against Pequot Conference opponents. Enfield, which played as an associate member in 2009, becomes a full member of the league this fall.

Here is the 2010 lineup:

Uncas Division – Avon, Ellington/Somers, Coventry/Windham Tech, Gilbert/Northwestern, Enfield, Canton, Stafford/East Windsor, Housatonic/Wamogo, Windsor Locks/Suffield and Granby

Sassacus Division – Hyde, Cromwell, Coginchaug, Valley Regional/Old Lyme, North Branford; Haddam-Killingworth; Morgan, Wolcott Tech, Old Saybrook/Westbrook, Lewis Mills

Independent – Sports Science Medicine Academy.

Not in the league this year will be Vinal Tech, whose co-op with Coginchaug ended because of growing enrollment at Coginchaug, and Nonnewaug, which folded two games into the 2009 season due to a lack of players. Vinal Tech will field a junior varsity team in 2010 in a new co-op with East Hampton. Nonnewaug will also field a junior varsity team.

Vinal Tech to join with East Hampton: Vinal Tech and East Hampton will join together in the fall to form a co-op team in 2010 but the team will play one season of junior varsity ball before going varsity in 2011. East Hampton will be the host school but games will be played at Vinal Tech in Middletown. The team will play varsity games at Palmer Field.

Middletown Press, Jan. 7: East Hampton to co-op with Vinal Tech this fall

CIAC playoffs

Saturday, Dec. 5

Class S championship

Hyde 21, Northwest Catholic 0: With a swarming defense that caused five turnovers, Hyde won its fourth state championship this decade with a dominating 21-0 win over Northwest Catholic in the Class S championship at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury before an estimated 1,500 fans sitting in a mix of snow, sleet and rain. The Howling Wolves (11-1) recovered four NWC fumbles and intercepted QB Jack Murphy once. Hyde’s DeShawn Murphy had three sacks, including two sacks on back-to-back plays late in the first half when Northwest (10-2) had its best scoring opportunity of the game.

“The defense has been very strong all year along,” Hyde coach Melvin Wells said. “A lot of folks take the Pequot League for granted. There are some rough outfits in the Pequot League and a lot of running going on. We train our kids from the beginning to work and hit as hard as they can."

More on this game

Bad break for Vinal? Middletown Press columnist Jim Bransfield thinks it's too bad that Vinal Tech/Coginchaug was in Class MM instead of Class S since 21 of the 22 starters on the team were from Coginchaug. A reader adds additional detail about the 2009 Vinal Tech/Coginchaug team in this response to a blog entry.

Tuesday, Dec. 1

Berlin 35, Avon 28: Berlin’s Max DeLorenzo rushed for a game-high 265 yards on 36 carries and scored 3 TDs to lead Berlin in a Class M semifinal at Muzzy Field in Bristol. Berlin took advantage of two turnovers by the Falcons in the second quarter to help build a 35-7 lead. Zach Parsons scored on a 50-yard fumble recovery and on Avon's next play, QB Andrew Livingstone was stripped of the ball. Berlin scored 10 plays later for a 28-0 lead.

Avon cut the lead to seven on Ross McDonald's 4th TD with 3:52 remaining. Avon stopped Berlin on a fourth-and-two play on the Redcoats 44-yard line with 1:50 remaining. But Berlin’s Sean Roche intercepted a Livingstone pass with 1:17 remaining to seal the victory.

East Lyme 39, Vinal Tech/Coginchaug 0: Jacob Grills returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, giving East Lyme the only points it would need. Grills also a 66-yard touchdown pass to Will Calkins and a 34-yard scoring pass to Brendan McDermott. Jordan McCoy added touchdown runs of 54 and 53 yards for the Vikings (10-1), who broke the game open in the second half by scoring 27 points.

Hyde 40, Bloomfield 26: Senior RB Juston Wilson rushed 24 times for 151 yards and one touchdown to spark Hyde to a Class S semifinal victory at Strong Stadium in West Haven. Senior Joe Lambert added 111 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries and senior Myles Morrison rushed 14 times for 83 yards and three touchdowns for the Howling Wolves (10-1). The Howling Wolves rushed 56 times for 370 and six touchdowns. Hyde, which led 26-0 at halftime, did not complete a pass in the game, and made just one attempt.

Bloomfield (9-2) senior quarterback Denzel Jones completed 14 of 20 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Parris Woods made seven catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns for the Warhawks.

Final days for Vinal Tech/Coginchaug team: A great lead from Sunday’s Hartford Courant – “In less than a week, the apparel will be just about all that's left of the co-op team of Vinal Tech-Middletown and Coginchaug-Durham. The two schools, which have combined to form a program since 2000, will no longer play together as Coginchaug is set to have its own team next year. Vinal Tech will merge with East Hampton to form another co-op.”

Vinal Tech/Coginchaug went 9-1 and shared the Pequot Sassacus championship with Cromwell and Hyde with a 7-1 mark. It’s been a big leap for the Hawks. Vinal had one win each in 2006 and 2007 and improved to 6-5 a year ago. "My 13 seniors built this program," coach John Bozzi told the Hartford Courant. "These kids came in four years ago and there were more of them that summer in the weight room than any other classes combined. And they've been in that weight room for four years. They've really worked for four years to get us here." Only seven players and one starter on the team are from Vinal Tech, the rest are from Coginchaug.

Gilbert's first winning season in 16 years: In his second season, Gilbert coach Scott Saluis led the Yellowjackets (7-3) to their first winning season in 16 years. The last winning campaign was in 1993 when the Jackets were 6-4. It’s the best record since 1991 when Gilbert went 8-3. The big difference was hard work. “We brought them to a UConn spring practice to show them how intense it is there,” Saluis said. “We try to show them it’s not always about talent, but how hard you work.”

What will the Pequot Conference look like in 2010? The 19-team Pequot Football Conference may look different in 2010. Coginchaug will form its own team in 2010 and leave behind its co-op affiliation with Vinal Tech. Vinal Tech will form a co-op team with East Hampton. Enfield will become a full member in 2010 after spending an year as an affiliate member. Lewis Mills is looking to field a varsity team after playing junior varsity ball for two years. Is Granby ready to join the league and will they be admitted? Will Nonnewaug field a varsity team in 2010?

There will be plenty of questions to be answered in the upcoming league meeting in December and January.

Week 11

Wednesday, Nov. 25

Cromwell 24, Vinal Tech/Coginchaug 20: The Panthers ruined Vinal Tech’s bid for a perfect regular season when Josiah Simons scored his third TD of the game on a 3-yard run with 1:29 left. The win gave Cromwell a piece of its fourth straight Sassacus Division championship. Cromwell (8-2) led 17-0 at halftime but Vinal (9-1) answered with 20 unanswered points to take a four-point lead with 5:16 left. Vinal QB Conor Finley threw 2 TD passes including a 72-yard TD pass to Jeff Tiedemann with 5:16 left in the fourth quarter. Tyler Doherty caught an 11-yard TD pass for Vinal while Nick D’Aquila rushed for an 11-yard TD. Simons also scored on runs of 3 and 70 yards.

Stafford/East Windsor 44, Windsor Locks/Suffield 0: Stafford/EW earned its third win of the season with a shutout victory. Stafford won two of its final three games.

Valley Regional/Old Lyme 33, Haddam-Killingworth 27: The Warriors earned their sixth win by beating the Cougars.

Hyde 42, North Branford 14: Hyde earned a share of the Sassacus Division championship and clinched a spot in the Class S semifinals with the victory on Wednesday night.

Thursday, Nov. 26

Morgan 27, Old Saybrook/Westbrook 12: Jeremy FInkeldey ran for 169 yards and 2 TDs, including a clinching TD with 16 seconds remaining to lift the Huskies.

Ellington/Somers 7, Coventry/Windham Tech 0: Bryan Rider's 5-yard TD pass from Justin Vamvillis was the different for Ellington.

Gilbert/NWR 21, Housatonic/Wamogo 6: Devin Morgan’s 20-yard fumble return in the fourth quarter was the decisive score as Gilbert (7-3) completed its first winning season in 15 years with a win in the 25th annual Berkshire Bowl. Gilbert QB Bobby Lippincott threw for 133 yards and ran for 86. Delaney Morgan and Devin Murphy also scored for Gilbert. Housatonic turned the ball over four times on fumbles.

Enfield 28, Fermi 8: Andrew Buanno scored 3 TDs and ran for a game-high 191 yards as Enfield prevailed against cross-town rival Fermi. Jake Lavender ran for 126 yards for Fermi. It was the last game in the rivalry in the near future since Enfield will become a full member of the Pequot Conference next fall and the league doesn't allow non-league games.

Wolcott Tech 1, Nonnewaug 0: The Wildcats picked up their first win of the season by forfeit.

Tuesday, Nov. 24

Wolcott Tech 34, Lewis Mills JV 14: Isiah Harrington ran for 222 yards on 22 carries as Tech completed its season with a 34-14 exhibition win over the Lewis Mills junior varsity at Muzzy Field. Lewis Mills hopes to move to the varsity level next year after two years as a junior varsity team. Tech QB Tom Notchick ran for 100 yards and 2 TDs on nine carries, including a 63-yard TD run.

Despite a story in the Bristol Press, the game was not a varsity game for Mills, according to the CIAC. According to a CIAC official, teams cannot add a game after the first game of the season and to be a varsity game, it would have had to be listed on the varsity schedules of both schools on the first date of the season. Wolcott Tech added the game after Nonnewaug suspended its season. Even though the Nonnewaug game was a forfeit, it remained on Tech’s schedule and if Tech had played two varsity games in a week, it would have been a violation of the season limitations. A year ago, Tech beat Mills JV, 20-18 with a TD and 2-point conversion in the final minute.

Week 10

Friday, Nov. 20

North Branford 49, Housatonic/Wamogo 18: North Branford won its fourth game of the year.

Cromwell 45, Ellington/Somers 14: Playing without injured starting QB Bobby Morgan, Cromwell backup QB Anthony Morales completed 16-of-26 passes for 181 yards and 4 TDs to lead the Panthers to a win in the first-ever night game in Cromwell. Morales also ran for 109 yards and a TD. Matt Colangelo led Cromwell with 116 yards on 10 carries.

Saturday, Nov. 21

Avon 47, Canton 20: Ross McDonald ran for 3 TDs and Vince Savarese caught 3 TD passes as Avon finished the regular season undefeated for just the second time in school history. Avon was undefeated (8-0) in 1967.

Coventry/Windham Tech 38, Old Saybrook/Westbrook 10: The Patriots kept their Class M playoff hopes alive with a win over the Rams. Christian Clarke ran for 3 TDs and 97 yards on just 10 carries to lead Coventry. Alex Amarante led the Pats with 176 yards rushing on 20 carries while teammate Josh DeJesus had two sacks and a blocked field goal.

Morgan 34, Gilbert/Northwestern 6: Morgan may have ended Gilbert's hopes to qualify for the Class M playoffs with a victory. Using its running game, the Huskies scored 22 points in the fourth quarter to pull away. “They were bigger, faster and stronger,” Gilbert head coach Scott Salius told the Republican American. “Their line players controlled ours and they completely shut down our offense."

Expanded playoffs begin in 2010

CHESHIRE, Nov. 19 – The CIAC’s Board of Control voted unanimously to accept the proposal of the CIAC Football Committee to adopt a new division and playoff structure for the sport of football beginning in the 2010 season. There will be just four classes (LL, L, M and S) but eight teams will qualify in each division. The quarterfinal round will be the Tuesday after Thanksgiving followed by semifinals on Saturday. The four championship games will be played the following Saturday. Today, 24 teams play in six divisions with four teams qualifying in class.

“Under the new system eight additional teams will have the opportunity to participate in the CIAC football playoffs each year. Our organization is about providing opportunities for student-athletes and this plan accomplishes that goal, “ said Berlin High Principal George Synnott, chair of the CIAC board. In 2010 those dates will be Nov. 30 (16 quarterfinals at sites of the higher ranked team), Dec. 4 (eight semifinals at neutral sites if possible) and Dec. 11 (four championship games at one or two sites).

CIAC news release, Nov. 19

Week 9

Friday, Nov. 13

Vinal Tech/Coginchaug 24, Valley Regional/OL 19: Successful two-point conversions made the difference as Vinal Tech/Coginchaug remained undefeated. Nick D’Aquila successfully had a pair of two-point conversion runs while teammate Alex Corazzini had a two-point conversion run as well. Valley Regional was 0-for-2 on two-point conversion attempts. D’Aquila rushed for 129 yards and a a TD while Corazzini ran for a pair of 1-yard TDs. Valley led 19-16 in the third quarter after a 70-yard kickoff return from Kyle Cunningham but Vinal added its final TD and conversion to pull ahead.

Haddam Killingworth 33, Enfield 6: The Cougars scored 33 unanswered points to top Enfield. Mike DiGregerio ran for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Saturday, Nov. 14

Morgan 1, Nonnewaug 0: Forfeit

Avon 21, Ellington 0: The undefeated Falcons (9-0) won their ninth straight game and clinched a spot in the Class M playoffs for the second year in a row with the victory. Avon last won nine straight in 2007. The school record is 11 in a row from 1966-67.

Gilbert/NW Regional 41, Windsor Locks/Suffield 0:

Gilbert rolled up 292 yards rushing led by Devin Morgan with 136 yards and a TD on 13 carries. Delaney Morgan (10-60) and Geoff Cersoli (3-63) each scored a TD. The Yellowjackets had six sacks.

Sunday, Nov. 15

Canton 34, Wolcott Tech 7: Canton (6-4) clinches 1st winning season since 1958 with 34-7 win over Wolcott Tech. It was the fifth straight win for Canton.

Hyde 6, Cromwell 0: Senior WR Myles Morrison caught a 21-yard TD pass from QB Kendell Groom with 9:09 left in the game as Hyde (8-1) virtually eliminated defending Class S champion Cromwell (7-2) from CIAC playoff contention with a 6-0 win . “This means the world to us,” Morrison told the New Haven Register, “especially the seniors and the (offensive) line and the coaches. This is going to give us a spot for the state championship. I can’t be more proud of everybody. This is unbelievable.” Hyde sophomore LB Robert Fairweather had 1.5 sacks. Nose guard Justin Wilson had one. Cromwell can still win a share of the Sassacus Division title if they beat Vinal Tech/Coginchaug on Thanksgiving.

Monday, Nov. 16

North Branford 7, Old Saybrook/Westbrook 0

Stafford/East Windsor 30, Housatonic/Wamogo 12

Week 8

Friday, Nov. 6

Valley Regional 38, North Branford 0: QB Logan Whaley (9-12, 187 yards) threw 3 TD passes to lead the Warriors (5-3). Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn had four catches for 131 yards and 2 TDs.

Vinal Tech/Coginchaug 35, Old Saybrook 21: Undefeated Vinal erased a 14-0 deficit to beat Old Saybrook. Alec Corrazini ran for 3 TDs and 78 yards on 14 carries. Addison Moran rushed for 95 yards and a TD on 9 carries.

Saturday, Nov. 7

Haddam-Killingworth 1, Nonnewaug 0: Forfeit

Hyde 32, Morgan 13: Hyde kept pace with Cromwell and kept their playoffs hopes alive with a victory.

Avon 51, Enfield 12: Avon RB Ross McDonald tied three single game school records as Avon (8-0) remained undefeated.

Windsor Locks 22, Wolcott Tech 16, OT: The Raiders marched 85 yards in the final minutes to tie the score and then won with a 10-yard TD run from Tristan Cauley on the first play of OT. In the fourth quarter, Windsor Locks (2-6, 2-4 Pequot Uncas) took over with about eight minutes left and marched down the field, converting twice on fourth down to keep the drive alive. Nick Bean scored on an 18-yard run with 1:31 remaining and Colin McGhee’s two-point conversion tied the game at 16-16.

Ellington/Somers 28, Housatonic 6: Nate Tembi ran for 253 yards and 3 TDs on 11 carries to lead the Purple Knights to the win in Falls Village. Tembi has 18 TDs on the year. Ellington (5-2, 5-1) rushed for 450 yards on the ground. Ellington led 7-0 at the half and extended it to 14-0 on a 48-yard run by Tembi. Housatonic (1-6) came right back when QB Tanner Brissett found Zach Williams for a 35-yard TD reception. But Tembi added another 2 TDs to ice the contest. Housatonic coughed up the ball three times.

Canton 19, Stafford 18: Mike Frazer had a fourth quarter TD and the Warrriors ate up the final six minutes of the game after Stafford pulled to within a point to win its fifth straight game. Ian Learned (8-19-0, 140) threw three 3 TD passes for Stafford (1-7, 1-5) but the Bulldogs missed on all three conversion attempts.

Gilbert/NWR 33, Coventry/WT 7: Devin Morgan had three TDs in the first half to help the Yellowjackets race out to a 33-0 lead and stun Coventry/Windham Tech. The Patriots (6-2, 5-2), who had their six-game winning streak snapped, gained just 21 yards in the first half. “Our game plan was to stop (Coventry RB Justin) Gillette,” Gilbert coach Scott Salius told The Register Citizen. “We had scouted them so well that our defense could tell what play they were running before they ran it.” Gillette gained just six yards on 12 carries before he and Gilbert QB Bobby Lippincott were ejected for fighting near the end of the first half. Both will have to miss their team’s next games. Gillette was playing defense and the two scuffled after an incomplete pass.

Week 7

Friday, Oct. 30

Vinal Tech/Coginchaug 29, North Branford 19: NIck D'Aquilla scored 3 TDs and rushed for 200 yards on 29 carries to lead undefeated Vinal Tech/Coginchaug (7-0). Mark Flannery (10-108) played well along with David Wheeler (10 tackles, 3 sacks) for Vinal. North Branford scored 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Coventry/WT 33, Housatonic/Wamogo 12: Justin Gillette scored 4 TDs and rushed for 159 yards to lead the Patriots. Steve Trottier added 84 yards on the ground while Nick Follansbee rushed for 82 for the Patriots.

Stafford/EW 27, Wolcott Tech 6: Stafford earned its first win of the season as Matt Dugan rushed for 2 TDs and had 2 interceptions. Taylor Fontanella rushed for 105 yards.

Hyde 42, Haddam-Killingworth 12: Hyde won its sixth game.

Valley Regional/OL 42, Enfield 18: Five different players scored TDs to lead Valley. QB Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn ran for a TD and threw a TD pass.

Saturday, Oct. 31

Canton 22, Ellington 8: Canton won its fourth straight and beat a team with a winning record for the first time since the program was reinstated in 2007. Nick Grabowski led all rushers with 113 yards. Greg Cole had a 80 interception return for Canton (4-3).

Avon 47, Windsor Locks/Suffield 6: Ross McDonald rushed for Ross McDonald ran for 100 yards and four TDs on eight carries to lead the undefeated Falcons (7-0). After suspending seven starters, Locks played with only 16 players.

Cromwell 42, Morgan 12

Old Saybrook/Westbrook 6, Nonnewaug 0, forfeit

Week 6

Friday, Oct. 23

Hyde 39, Enfield 12: Joe Lambert ran for 4 TDs for Hyde, including a 77-yard run in the first quarter to lead the Wolves. Andrew Buanno rushed for 113 yards on 16 carries and caught a TD pass from Eric Gernux but the Raiders fell to Hyde.

Haddam-Killingworth 12, Old Saybrook/Westbrook 0: Tyler Scovill ran for 115 yards and a TD for the Cougars, who rushed for 241 yards as a team.

Cromwell 42, North Branford 0: Josiah Simmons scored 4 TDs and rushed for 121 yards on 12 carries to lead the Panthers. QB Bobby Jordan scored on a 60-yard TD run for Cromwell and threw a 30-yard TD pass to Brett Director.

Vinal Tech/Coginchaug 28, Morgan 19: Vinal remained undefeated with a big win over host Morgan. Alex Corrazini ran for 2 TDs while Mark Flannery rushed for 84 yards and a TD. For Morgan, Jeremy Finkeldey ran for 106 yards and 3 TDs.

Coventry/Windham Tech 21, Stafford/East Windsor 6: Justin Gillette scored 3 TDs for the Patriots, including a 55-yard scamper in the fourth quarter to snap a one-point contest.

Valley Regional/OL 6, Nonnewaug 0: Forfeit

Other games of interest

New Britain 40, Simsbury 25: QB Rafal Garcarz softened up undefeated Simsbury. And then New Britain teammate Kaiuway Boima broke them down. Garcarz carved up the Trojans, completing 19 of 26 passes for 244 yards and a TD. But it was Boima who scored 2 TDs and rushed for 75 of his game-high 122 yards in the fourth quarter as the emotional Hurricanes snapped a two-game losing streak by handing Simsbury its first loss of the season, 40-25.

Saturday, Oct. 24

Avon 49, Housatonic/Wamogo 0

Canton 36, Windsor Locks/Suffield 14

Haddam-Killingworth 12, Old Saybrook/Westbrook 0

Sunday, Oct. 25

Gilbert/NW Regional 20, Wolcott Tech 7

Two Cromwell players dismissed

Jim Bransfield of the Middletown Press is reporting that Cromwell coach Sal Morello has dismissed two players from the Panthers for violations of team rules. RB Carlton Forbes and lineman Jaden Davis were dismissed, Bransfield reported. Morello told Bransfield he was disappointed in his team's performance in the loss to Avon. “We didn’t block and tackle well last week and that really bothered me,” said Morello. “We need to get our own stuff together.”

Week 5

Saturday, Oct. 17

Canton 54, Housatonic/Wamogo 23: Nick Grabowski ran for three TDs and 68 yards on nine carries and threw a pair of touchdown passes to Sam Hartzell as Canton set a new school record for most points scored in a single game, breaking a record that had stood since 1935. Greg Cole ran for a career-high 140 yards and a TD on 15 carries.

Coventry/WT 42, Windsor Locks/Suffield 0: Nick Follansbee had a 40-yard TD run and a 23-yard TD reception as the Patriots won their fourth game. Coventry scored 28 second-half points.

Ellington/Somers 47, Wolcott Tech 6: Nate Tembi scored 4 TDs and rushed for 67 yards to lead Ellington (4-1). Tembi scored on runs of 21, 14 and 6 yards and on a 61-yard punt return.

Enfield 25, Stafford/EW 8: Andrew Buanno scored 2 TDs and 203 yards on 23 carries to lead Enfield. QB Eric Gernux was 12-of-19 for 155 yards and a TD.

Hyde 6, Nonnewaug 0, forfeit

Friday, Oct. 16

Avon 27, Gilbert/Northwestern 7: Ross McDonald scored 2 TDs and ran for 109 yards as Avon prevailed under the lights at Van Why Field. QB Andrew Livingstone threw a pair of TD passes. Receiver Tyler D’Onofrio had 6 catches for 43 yards.

Cromwell 28, Valley Regional/Old Lyme 0: QB Bobby Jordan completed 10 of 17 passes for 152 yards and 2 TDs as visiting Cromwell (4-1) got back on the winning track. Josiah Simmons (12-58 rushing) ran for 1 TD and caught another.

Morgan 48, North Branford 25: The Huskies won their third game by outlasting the Thunderbirds.

Vinal Tech/Coginchaug 43, Haddam-Killingworth 26: QB Conor Finley rushed for 2 TDs and was 5-of-7 for 77 yards and a TD to lead undefeated Vinal Tech/Coginchaug (5-0) to the victory. Tyler Doherty added 107 hards on 13 carries.

Other games of interest

Simsbury 28, Berlin 7: Using its veer option offense, the Simsbury erased an early seven-point deficit to score 28 unanswered points and remain undefeated.

Week 4 results

Saturday, Oct. 10

Avon 37, Cromwell 31: Avon scored 2 TDs in the final 1:15 including the game-winning score, a 57-yard run from Ross McDonald with no time left in regulation. The Falcons (4-0) never led until the final gun but they tied the game four times, including on a 64-yard TD pass to Vince Savarese from QB Andrew Livingstone with 56 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Vinal Tech/Coginchaug 45, Wolcott Tech 14: Tyler Doherty ran for 2 TDs as Vinal Tech (4-0) won its fifth straight game. For Tech, Tom Notchick ran for a touchdown and threw a 50-yard TD pass to Nick Schibi. Luke Belletti booted two PATs.

Haddam-Killingworth 49, Housatonic/Wamogo 6: Tyler Scoville ran for 2 TDs and 91 yards on 10 carries to lead the Cougars, who allowed the Mountaineers just 54 yards of offense in the first half (46 rushing). Housatonic lost four fumbles in the game, three in the first half as H-K built a 36-0 halftime lead.

Gilbert/NW Regional 32, Old Saybrook/Westbrook 16: Junior QB/DB Bobby Lippincott had a 51-yard interception return for a touchdown to help lift the Yellowjackets to a Homecoming Day victory. Gilbert took a 14-0 lead on a pair of TDs from Devin Morgan but Old Saybrook looked sharp in cutting the lead to six at 14-8 before Lippincott (9-84 rushing) extended the lead to 20-8 with his interception return. After another interception by Gilbert’s Geoff Cersoli, the Yellowjackets scored again on a 37-yard TD pass from Lippincott to Ross Lopardo.

Hyde 26, Ellington/Somers 7: DeShawn Murphy caught TD passes of 35 and 20 yards from QB Kendall Groom in Hyde’s victory. Ellington QB Nate Tembi scored on a 14-yard TD run and rushed for 92 yards on 18 carries.

Morgan 40, Windsor Locks/Suffield 6: Nainy Bah scored 4 TDs and rushed for a game-high 213 yards on 14 carries to lead the Huskies. Bah had TD runs of 67 and 47 yards in the first quarter.

Canton 6, Nonnewaug 0, forfeit

Friday, Oct. 9

Coventry/Windham Tech 44, Enfield 38: Coventry scored two TDs in the fourth quarter to slip past the Raiders under the lights in Enfield. Christian Clark recovered an onside kick with four minutes left for Coventry and Justin Gillette (27-193) scored on a 14-yard run to lift Coventry to its third straight win. Gillette scored 3 TDs. Coventry. Andrew Buanno (17-178) scored a pair of TDs for Enfield.

Valley Regional/Old Lyme 30, Stafford/East Windsor 0: Logan Whaley threw a pair of TD passes and ran for one as well to lead Valley under the lights in Stafford.

Other games of interest

Coach Jude Kelly wins his 200th career game as St. Paul/Goodwin Tech/Lewis Mills move to 3-1 in the NVL with a 28-18 win over Naugatuck in the 2nd-ever night game at St. Paul.

Week 3 results

Friday, Oct. 2

Cromwell 35, Old Saybrook/Westbrook 7: Carlton Forbes rushed for 81 yards and 3 TDs on eight carries to lead the defending Class S champion Panthers. QB Bobby Jordan completed 4-of-9 passes for 93 yards and a TD.

Hyde 49, Valley Regional/Old Lyme 7: Joe Lambert scored 3 TDs to lead Hyde. He had a 68-yard TD run, a 37-yard fumble returns and a 78-yard kickoff return. QB Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn rushed for 82 yards and had 1 TD pass.

Haddam-Killingworth 26, North Branford 13: The Cougars earned their first win of the season.

Saturday, Oct. 3

Vinal Tech/Coginchaug 6, Nonnewaug 0, forfeit

Ellington/Somers 13, Gilbert/NWR 6, OT: Ellington’s Nate Tembi (20-85 rushing) caught 2 TD passes including a 10-yard pass from Justin Vamvilis in OT to lift the Knights. He caught a 41-yard TD pass in the second quarter. Gilbert tied the score with 4 minutes left in regulation on Devon Morgan’s 35-yard TD run. The Yellowjackets nearly won at the end of the fourth quarter but Morgan (22-188 rushing) was tackled at the goal line by Tembi and Ray Chouinard with 40 seconds left. QB Bobby Lippincott playing despite a sore knee that he hurt in the season opening win over Canton, completed two passes to Ross Lopardo (52 yards) and Delaney Morgan (22).

Enfield 26, Canton 14: Enfield scored 26 unanswered points to beat the Warriors in Canton and earn their first win of the season. Enfield QB Eric Gernux completed 13 of 18 passes for 247 yards and 3 TDs and ran for a touchdown. Receiver Andrew Buanno caught a pair of TD passes (40, 75) for the Raiders. Mike Frazier led Canton (0-3) with 108 yards rushing and 1 TD.

Windsor Locks/Suffield 29, Housatonic/Wamogo 12: Tanner Brissett threw 2 TD passes but Windsor Locks snapped a 13-game losing streak with a victory. Locks RB Andre Mason gained 163 yards on 25 carries. Housatonic gained just 152 yards in the game. Locks had switched from the option to a traditional, power running game to get its offense moving.

Coventry/WT 56, Wolcott Tech 22: Coventry's Steve Trottier ran for 2 TDs and caught 2 TD passes to lead the Patriots. Mike Fahey threw 3 TD passes for Coventry. Isaiah Harrington rushed for 2 TDs and 136 yards but Wolcott Tech lost its third straight game.

Sunday, Oct. 4

Avon 40, Stafford/East Windsor 6

Week 2 results

Friday, Sept. 25

North Branford 14, Enfield 13: Tyler Watts ran for 77 yards and 2 TDs but the Thunderbirds nipped visiting Enfield.

Morgan 35, Haddam-Killingworth 14: Eric Bruzinskus was 12 for 16 for 137 yards and 2 TDs to lead the Huskies. Jeremy Finkeledey rushed for 115 yards and 2 TDs

Gilbert/NWR 40, Stafford/EW 13: Delaney Morgan rushed for 3 TDs and a game-high 154 yards to lead the Yellowjackets (2-0). Devin Morgan rushed for 90 yards and 2 TDs and had 8 tackles and a sack. Ross Lopardo blocked a punt.

Cromwell 6, Nonnewaug 0, forfeit: The Panthers earned the first forfeit win in their short history.

Saturday, Sept. 26

Vinal Tech/Coginchaug 28, Hyde 21: On fourth-and-20, Jeff Tiedmann caught a 28 yard TD pass from QB Connor Finley (9-13-0, 240, 2 TDs) with 3:19 left in the game to lift Vinal past Hyde. Nick D'Aquilla rushed for 86 yards on 27 carries and caught four passes for 88 yards.

Coventry/WT 27, Canton 7: Coventry/Windham Tech converted on 7 of 9 opportunities on fourth down to win its first game. The Patriots held the ball for 10:10 in the third quarter, ran 21 plays, gained 108 yards and scored 2 TDs to extend a seven-point lead to 20 points. Justin Gillette (28-101) and Steve Trottier (14-106) each scored 2 TDs for Coventry.

Ellington/Somers 44, Windsor Locks/Suffield 14: Nate Tembi scored 4 TDs and rushed for 121 yards as the Knights scored 29 straight points to earn the victory.

Old Saybrook/Westbrook 10, Valley Regional/Old Lyme 7 (2OT)

Avon 49, Wolcott Tech 6: In its first-ever contest with the Wildcats, Avon rolled to a victory.

Nonnewaug drops varsity program

WOODBURY, Sept. 22 – Nonnewaug has suspended its varsity football program after just one game, the Waterbury Republican American reported this afternoon. The Chiefs lost to North Branford on Friday, 53-7. Nonnewaug officials cited the number of players in the program (22) and concern for safety of the players.

“At some point, common sense and logic must prevail,” Nonnewaug principal Lori Ferreira said in a letter to parents. “Realistically, we are not prepared physically to compete against varsity competition at this time. This was the most viable way to preserve our program and move forward in the years to come.” The Chiefs will contnue to field a junior varsity team. Nonnewaug played two years at the junior varsity level in 2005-06 before moving to varsity in 2007.

The Chiefs were 0-10 in the SWC in 2007 and went 1-10 in the Pequot Conference in 2008, beating Wolcott Tech for its only victory. Nonnewaug is the second school to drop its varsity program this year. Wright Tech/Stamford Academy dropped its program when the state closed Wright Tech-Stamford in August as part of state budget reductions.

Waterbury Republican American, Sept. 22: Nonnewaug drops varsity football immediately

Week 1 results

Tuesday, Sept. 15

East Lyme 34, Enfield 7: In the first game of the season, the Raiders only managed seven points. Kevin Miao led East Lyme with 176 yards rushing and 2 TDs. Enfield's Tyler Cunningham (6-61 rec) caught an 8-yard TD pass from QB Eric Gernux (13-27, 130 yards, passing).

Thursday, Sept. 17

Vinal Tech/Coginchaug 47, Windsor Locks/Suffield 0: Nick Diquilla ran for 158 yards on nine carries and 1 TD while Alec Corrazini (7-67) scored 3 TDs for Vinal Tech. QB Connor Finley (3-6, 29 yards, 1 TD) threw an 8-yard TD pass to Ed Ruddy.

Hyde 47, Old Saybrook/Westbrook 9: DeShawn Murphy and Joe Lambert each scored 3 TDs to lead Hyde.

Friday, Sept. 18

Avon 44, Coventry/Windham Tech 29: RB Ross McDonald rushed for 3 TDs and a career-high 226 yards to lead Avon. The Falcons rallied from a 21-13 deficit with 31 unanswered points in the second half to earn its first opening day victory since 2004.

North Branford 53, Nonnewaug 7: Mark Simmons had a 35-yard TD run and Steve MacLean had an interception but it wasn't enough for Nonnewaug.

Ellington 31, Stafford/East Windsor 12: Nate Tembi rushed for 3 TDs (11, 49, 55) lead the Knights. Tim Artuc scored on a 60-yard interception return for Stafford.

Saturday, Sept. 19

Gilbert 12, Canton 7: The Yellowjackets held Canton to 86 yards of offense and 47 yards rushing in the first home game at Canton's campus in 45 years. Devin Morgan (18-87) led Gilbert while Delany Morgan ran for 50 yards.

Cromwell 30, Haddam-Killingworth 0: QB Bobby Jordan threw for 268 yards and a pair of TD passes while Matt Colanegelo (8-68) ran for two TDs as the defending Class S champion Panthers open the season with a win.

Valley Regional/Old Lyme 35, Morgan 14: QB Logan Whaley ran for two TDs and threw two TD passes to lead the Warriors to a road win over Morgan.

Housatonic/Wamogo 34, Wolcott Tech 20: Housatonic QB Tanner Brissett ran for a team-high 150 yards on 15 carries and threw 3 TD passes to lead the Mountaineers as Wolcott Tech hosted its first-ever home game at the school. Tech RB Isaish Harrington ran for a game-high 164 yards on 31 carries.

Cromwell is No. 7 in CWSA preseason poll

NEW BRITAIN, Sept. 14 – Defending Class S and Pequot Sassacus champion Cromwell is ranked No. 7 in the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance preseason state football poll. The Panthers (13-1), who won their first state title last season, are the top-ranked Pequot Conference team in the sportswriter poll. Defending Class MM champion New Canaan (13-0), who have won three straight state championship games, is ranked No. 1.

Hyde, Avon and Canton were the only other Pequot Conference teams to receive votes in the poll. The CSWA poll is the third football poll in the state. The New Haven Register has been conducting a sportswriters poll since 1961 and the New London Day has been conducting the state coaches poll since 2003. Click on the following link to view the poll.

CSWA top 10 football poll

Final junior varsity season for Mills

BURLINGTON, Aug. 24 -- Lewis Mills will play a third and final season of junior varsity football before fielding a varsity team in 2010. Two Mills seniors are completing their high school career with the St. Paul/Goodwin Tech co-op program. Mills will play as an independent in 2010. Mills has applied to join the Pequot Conference but the league hasn't made a decision yet. Waterbury's Peter Flammia is the head coach, succeeding Chris Machol, who left after one year to coach at Farmington.

Lippincott looks forward to season

WINSTED, Aug. 23 -- Gilbert's junior QB Bobby Lippincott is looking forward to the 2009 campaign. With two varsity seasons under his belt, Lippincott hopes to lead the Yellowjackets to a winning season. Last year we gave Bobby some time off on the offensive side of the ball so we could maximize his effect on defense,” Gilbert coach Scott Salius told The Register Citizen. “This year he will be our No. 1 quarterback, so we will be using him less at linebacker in order to keep him fresh.”

Register Citizen, Aug. 23: Lippincott ready for 2009

Sports Science to join league in 2010

HARTFORD, Aug. 3, 2009 -- The Hartford Courant reported today that Sports and Medical Sciences Academy (SMSA) will join the Pequot Conference in the 2010 season. They will play 2009 as an independent. SMSA joined the Northwest Conference last winter only to see it fall apart in the spring when most of the teams joined the Central Connecticut Conference.

Enfield joins Pequot Conference

ENFIELD, Feb. 14, 2009 -- The Enfield High football team has found a home. In a vote by league principals, the Raiders were approved as a new member of the Pequot Conference. Like Nonnewaug did in 2008 and Canton in 2007, Enfield will play as an independent within the league and won’t be eligible to win a league title in 2009. Realignment will likely occur for the 2010 season if Lewis Mills and Granby proceed on plans to field varsity teams and apply to join the league.

Enfield’s application to the league was rejected in January. Enfield then tried to join the Constitution State Conference, made up teams from the state’s technical schools, and that was rejected as well.

Enfield left out in the cold as an independent

ENFIELD, Jan. 8, 2009 – There is a casualty from the Central Connecticut Conference’s expansion spree this fall. The Enfield High football team will play as an independent in 2009. The Nutmeg League collapsed when Berlin, Middletown, RHAM, Northwest Catholic, Rocky Hill and Plainville applied and were accepted into the CCC. St. Paul’s application to the CCC was rejected but the Falcons have been accepted into the NVL.

Enfield had applied to the Pequot Conference but their application was rejected in January. Enfield, the only football team in the state playing as an independent, has a big challenge ahead of them. “It’s nearly impossible to get a schedule as an independent because most other teams in leagues have already figured out their schedules,” Enfield AD Barry Bernstein told the Manchester Journal Inquirer.

Brogna leaves Nonnewaug program

WOODBURY, Dec. 22 – Nonnewaug coach Rico Brogna has resigned after one season with the Chiefs to take a part-time coaching position with Wesleyan University in Middletown. Nonnewaug, which dropped its junior varsity program in the fall due to a lack of numbers, was 1-10 with a win over Wolcott Tech. The Chiefs are in their second year as a varsity program.

Final year for Vinal/Coginchaug team is 2009

MIDDLETOWN, Dec. 16 – Next year will be the final year for the Vinal Tech/Coginchaug co-op program. After 11 years together, it looks like Coginchaug will have enough players to form their own team in 2010. The growth in the number of players from Coginchaug is enough to form their own team. Vinal Tech faces the prospect of establishing a co-op program with another school, perhaps Portland or East Hampton, forming its own team or not having a team.

Despite interest in Pequot, St. Paul goes to NVL

WATERBURY, Dec. 16 – St. Paul will be playing in the Naugatuck Valley League next fall, the Waterbury Republican American reported. The Falcons and Derby were invited to play in the NVL beginning next fall. Derby’s Board of Education still has to approve the move but St. Paul has already accepted the application. St. Paul and Enfield reportedly had also applied to play in the Pequot Conference. On Dec. 22, Derby's BOE approved the move, 7-0.