Todd hired at Lewis Mills
BURLINGTON, March 11 – Greg Todd, a former assistant coach at Wolcott High, Naugatuck, Woodland Regional and New Fairfield, has been selected to be the new head coach at Lewis Mills. Todd, 49, takes over for Peter Flammia, who resigned after a 1-9 season. He was the unanimous selection of the hiring committee, Mills athletic director Dave Tanner told the Republican American.
Cromwell goes with Eckert
CROMWELL, March 12 – Former Wilby High coach Chris Eckert has been hired as the new football coach at Cromwell High. He replaces Lou Bronk, who took the job on an interim basis last summer after the resignation of Sal Morello. Eckert, 29, has been the coach at Wilby for the past three years, posting a record of 8-23. He played three years of football at Southern Connecticut State.
All-Pequot selections made
Coaches in the Pequot Conference determined their All-Pequot Conference selections in a recent coaches meeting. The following are All-Pequot selections from Uncas Division teams.
Uncas Division Offense
QB: Bobby Lippincott, Gilbert/NWR
RB: Ross McDonald, Avon; Andrew Buanno, Enfield; Tanner Bissett, Housatonic
WR: Tyler D’Onofrio, Avon; Drew McCarthy, Gilbert/NWR; Nick Quattro, Canton
TE: Sean Fitzgerald, Gilbert/NWR
OT: Anthony Francini, Coventry/WT; Jason Hoffman, Ellington/Somers; Jon Landry, Enfield; Marc Wildman, Housatonic/Wamogo
OG: Ken Vollaro, Ellington/Somers; Tomas Cruz, Canton; Nick Vanoudenhove, Enfield
C: Jim Schmitz, Gilbert/NWR: Jon Casado, Coventry/WT
K: Kevin Deming, Avon
Utility: Kyle Mullins, Canton; Colin Pavano, Avon; David Bray, Windsor Locks/Suffield; Justin Vamvillis, Ellington/Somers; Devon Molway, Gilbert/NWR
Uncas Division Defense
DB: Brennan Wesley, Ellington/Somers; Ryan Jordan, Avon; Devin Ryan, Enfield; Nick Grabowski, Canton
LB: Tucker Fontanella, Stafford/EW; Kyle Jones, Gilbert/NWR; Nate Scott, Canton; Nick Follansbee, Coventry/WT;
DE: Tyler Arnott, Avon; Jake Schneider, Ellington/Somers; Josh DeJesus, Coventry/WT
DL: Zack Paquette, Ellington/Somers; Charlie Shea, Gilbert/NWR; Mark Boisvert, Stafford/EW
Punter: Tom Meyers, Coventry/WT
Utility: Angelo Burgos, Granby; Jake Foley, Houstatonic/Wamogo; Jack Reed, Enfield
Canton has too many players to form co-op team with Wolcott Tech
CANTON, Dec. 16 – Canton and Wolcott Tech were investigating the possibility of fielding a co-op football team next fall. But that won't happen because Canton will have more players than the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) allows. CIAC rules allow schools in co-op football programs to have a maximum of 32 athletes. At this time, Canton expects 40 athletes to participate with 14 players coming from youth football programs in Canton, Simsbury and Farmington.
CIAC playoffs
Saturday, Dec. 4
Class M semifinal
Hillhouse 42, Gilbert 14: The No. 8 Academics wore down Gilbert with 22 unanswered points in the second half to earn a spot in the Class M championship game. Gilbert erased a 12-point deficit to take a 14-12 lead in the second quarter but Hillhouse scored with 7 seconds left in the second quarter to lead by six at halftime. Five Gilbert starters left the game with injuries. Game story.
Class S semifinal
St. Joseph 44, Valley Regional 7: St. Joseph-Trumbull returned to the Class S championship with a 44-7 rout of top-ranked Valley Regional/Old Lyme. The Cadets exploded for 30 points in the third quarter to break open a seven-point contest. Senior QB Joe DellaVecchia completed 9-of-15 passes for 194 yards and 2 TDs for St. Joseph (9-3). Senior teammate Tyler Matakevich (12-87) ran for 2 TDs.
Tuesday, Nov. 30
Class M quarterfinal
Gilbert/NWR 41, Plainville 6: Gilbert QB Bob Lippincott threw three TD passes in the first half, two to Sean Fitzgerald of 41 and 66 yards as the Yellowjackets rolled at Torrington High. Lippincott finished the evening completing 4-of-4 passes for 124 yards and 3 TDs. Through three quarters, Gilbert (9-2) allowed Plainville 10 yards of offense, had five tackles for losses and intercepted a pair of passes. Gilbert coach Scott Salius said, “We pride ourselves on our defense. We have three defensive linemen who have to do the job of five. We don’t have a lot of size but we try to make up for it with speed and getting into the backfield.” Game story.
Class S quarterfinals
Valley Regional/Old Lyme 37, Sacred Heart 24: The undefeated Warriors (11-0) won their first-ever CIAC tournament game with a win over Sacred Heart (6-5).
Montville 55, Cromwell 28: No. 2 Montville (10-1) scored 55 points to eliminate Cromwell (7-4).
Ansonia 47, Hyde 26: Ansonia (10-1) rebounded from a loss in the NVL championship game to hand Hyde (7-4) its fourth straight loss.
Week 11
Tuesday, Nov. 23
SMSA/University 44, Bulkeley 28: QB Johnny Mojica threw 5 TD passes on 13-of-16 passing for 163 yards to lead Sports Science (4-6) to a victory. Rashod Cauley (7-130) caught all 5 TD passes.
Wednesday, Nov. 24
Lewis Mills 37, Wolcott Tech 14: Mills QB Zach Milbourn threw 4 TD passes and the Spartans forced six Tech turnovers (4 fumbles, 2 interceptions) to win their second game of the year. Jeremy Dunn caught five passes 38 yards and 2 TDs.
Cromwell 30, Coginchaug 0: Cromwell clinched a spot in the CIAC Class S tournament with a win over Coginchaug. Cromwell took advantage of six Coginchaug turnovers to establish a 21-0 lead and was never threatened. After a 46-yard interception return from Brett Director, Cromwell took a 7-0 lead on a 14-yard TD pass from QB Anthony Morales to Director. Cromwell made it 14-0 with an 84-yard TD pass from Morales (7-17, 175 yards) to Mike Antonio with 7:48 left in the second quarter. On Coginchaug’s next possession, Cromwell’s Josiah Simmons picked up a loose ball for a 36-yard fumble recovery and touchdown.
North Branford 14, Hyde 6: Despite handing Hyde its third straight loss, North Branford was eliminated from tournament contention. Hyde clinched a spot in the tournament.
Old Saybrook/Westbrook 15, Morgan 12
Valley Regional/Old Lyme 33, Haddam-Killingworth 7: QB Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn ran for 5 TDs and rushed for 137 yards as Valley Regional/Old Lyme (10-0) completed the first perfect regular season since the program began in 1968. "It's been unbelievable," Valley coach Tim King told the New London Day. "It's been a great ride and now we're looking to keep it going. It's a cliche I've said a billion times, but we've been taking it one game at a time." Fairfield-Sonn completed 7-of-15 passes for 115 yards, five to Taylor Rioux for 79 yards. John Finkeldey ran for 103 yards on 11 carries.
Stafford/East Windsor 45, Windsor Locks/Suffield/EG 12: Stafford ends its season with a dominating win while Pat Szela coached his final game at Locks after beginning the program in 1972
Thursday, Nov. 25
Enfield 40, Granby 8: Andrew Buanno scored 4 TDs and ran for 243 yards in the first half as the Raiders dominated winless Granby. Sean Waterbury scored on a 6-yard TD run for Granby, which was held to just 58 yards of offense.
Ellington/Somers 7, Coventry/Windham Tech 0: For the second straight year, Ellington kept Coventry out of the CIAC playoffs with a victory in the season finale. A two-yard run from Justin Vamvillis in the second quarter was enough for the Knights. Matt Janiga ran for 104 yards on 14 carries for Ellington while Vamvillis completed 5-of-9 passes for 113 yards. Ellington allowed Coventry into its own territory just twice in the entire game and never any closer than the 45-yard line.
Gilbert/NWR 37, Housatonic/Wamogo 18: The Yellowjackets rallied from an early 12-6 deficit to win the 26th annual Berkshire Bowl and clinch its first-ever trip to the CIAC playoffs. Gilbert QB Bobby Lippincott ran for a touchdown and completed 6-of-10 passes for 174 yards and 2 TDs. Drew McCarthy caught three passes for 104 yards and 2 TDs while rushing for a 12-yard touchdown.
Final season for Scelza at Locks
WINDSOR LOCKS, Nov. 22 -- It is the final season for the only head football coach ever at Windsor Locks High. Pat Scelza will step down at the end of the season after 28 years at the helm with the Raiders. He began the Locks program in 1972. "I would have liked to coach one more year but the powers-that-be have told me that this is it," he told the Manchester Journal Inquirer. He led Windsor Locks/Suffield to a pair of Pequot Uncas Division titles in 2003 and 2004 and Pequot Conference championships in 1982 and 1986. Windsor Locks/Suffield qualified for the 2004 Class L semifinals, losing to East Lyme. With one game remaining this fall, Scelza is 124-228-3.
Two teams have clinched playoff berths
CHESHIRE, Nov. 22 -- With just the Thanksgiving Day games remaining, Valley Regional/Old Lyme and Hyde have qualified for CIAC tournament contests in Class S. Coginchaug is ranked eighth in Class S with Cromwell at No. 9. The two teams play each other on Thanksgiving. In Class M, Gilbert/NWR is trying to secure its first-ever playoff berth. The Yellowjackets, who race rival Housatonic in the annual Berkshire Bowl, is seeded sixth. Avon is seeded 10th in Class L and will need plenty of help if they are going to return to the playoffs for the third straight year.
Week 10
Friday, Nov. 19
North Branford 36, Coginchaug 26: Trailing by 12 points with 8:30 remaining in the game, North Branford (5-4, 4-3 Pequot Sassacus) stunned Coginchaug (7-2, 6-2) with 3 TDs in 6:18 to rally for the victory. The Thunderbirds intercepted two passes in the pivotal fourth quarter.
Valley Regional/OL 35, Hyde 8: The Warriors (9-0, 8-0 Pequot Sassacus) clinched their first Pequot Conference championship since 1988 by beating defending Class S champion Hyde. QB Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn ran for 189 yards and 4 TDs, threw a TD pass and had two interceptions on the defensive side of the ball to lead Valley in a game at East Haven High.
Enfield 15, Coventry/WT 6: Enfield outlasted Coventy to win its seventh game of the season.
Saturday, Nov. 20
Morgan 39, Wolcott Tech 8: Morgan QB Erich Berzinskas completed 17-of-25 passes for 264 yards and 3 TDs -- all to receiver Nainy Bah (6-87) as the Huskies (4-5, 2-5 Sassacus) beat winless Wolcott Tech.
Old Saybrook/Westbrook 56, Lewis Mills 14: Mills QB Zane Milbourn threw two touchdown passes to Devin Pease (30 yards) and Mike Duba (7 yards) in a loss to Old Saybrook.
Gilbert/NWR 7, Avon 0: Gilbert beat Avon for the first time since 1996 with a shutout victory, limiting the Falcons to just 131 yards of total offense.
Ellington/Somers 24, Canton 6: Matt Janiga scored a pair of touchdowns for Ellington/Somers to lead the Purple Knights to a 24-6 win over Canton in the final game of the season for the Warriors.
Housatonic/Wamogo 42, Granby 20: Will Perotti threw 2 TD passes while Tanner Brissett ran for 298 yards and 2 TDs on 33 carries to lead Housatonic to the win. Granby's Chris Brown had 2 long TD of 69 and 72 yards.
Haddam-Killingworth 29, Cromwell 28, OT: The Cougars rallied from a 21-7 deficit in the third quarter, forced a pair of Cromwell turnovers on special teams in the fourth quarter and scored on a two-yard conversion run in OT by Nate Cruz to stun Cromwell. Dan Milardo led HK (4-5, 4-4 Pequot Sassacus) with 87 yards and 3 TDs. For Cromwell (6-3, 5-3 Sassacus), QB Anthony Morales completed 15 of 26 passes for 224 yards, 3 TDs and one interception.
Week 9
Friday, Nov. 12
Morgan 32, SMSA/University 6: QB Erich Berzinskas was 14-of-26 for 186 yards and 2 TDs to lead Morgan (3-5) at Dillon Stadium.
Housatonic/Wamogo 22, Stafford/East Windsor 8: The Mountaineers (4-4, 3-4 Uncas) moved to .500 with a win on Friday night.
Enfield 47, Windsor Locks/Suffield/EG 28: Andrew Buanno scored 4 TDs and ran for 173 yards to lead the Raiders (6-2, 6-1 Uncas)
Saturday, Nov. 13
Coginchaug 18, Hyde 6: The Blue Devils (7-1, 6-1 Pequot Sassacus) stunned defending Class S champion Hyde (7-1, 6-1 Sassacus) with their first loss of the season. Coginchaug's E.J. Luther recovered a fumble in the end zone for one TD and scored on a 10-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Cromwell 62, Lewis Mills 21: Panther QB Anthony Morales completed 12-of-16 passes for 256 yards and 5 TDs to lead Cromwell (6-2, 5-2 Pequot Sassacus). Brett Director caught two TD passes and finished with six receptions for 103 yards. He also ran for a 78-yard TD.
Avon 38, Coventry/Windham Tech 13: The Falcons clinched a share of its fourth straight Uncas Division championship and won its 34th straight Uncas Division contest dating back to 2006.
Gilbert 44, Canton 14: QB Bobby Lippincott threw 3 TD passes including two to Sean Fitzgerald while Devon Molway scored on an 85-yard touchdown run to lead the Yellowjackets (6-2, 5-2 Uncas). Nick Quattro caught 10 passes for 158 yards and 2 TDs for Canton (3-6, 3-5 Uncas).
Ellington/Somers 38, Granby 6: The Knights (4-4, 4-3 Uncas) earned their fourth win over Granby.
NCCC votes to admit SMSA next fall
HARTFORD, Nov. 9 – Sports & Medical Sciences Academy in Hartford, who will become a full member of the Pequot Conference next fall, will become a full member of the North Central Connecticut Conference in the fall of 2011. Jason Beaudin, principal at Avon High and president of the league, confirmed to the Hartford Courant the unanimous decision by the league’s 13 principals to admit SMSA into the league. There are seven NCCC schools that are currently in the Pequot Conference playing football.
Week 8
Friday, Nov. 5
Avon 36, Enfield 20: With 22 unanswered points and 2 TDs in 90 seconds, the Falcons solidified their hold on first place in the Uncas Division.
Coginchaug 20, Morgan 12: Coginchaug (6-1, 5-1) won its sixth game as Tyler Doherty ran for 74 yards and 2 TDs. Morgan QB Eric Berzinskas completed 26 of 52 passes for 262 yards and 1 TD.
Valley Regional/OL 48, Old Saybrook/WB 0: The undefeated Warriors (8-0, 7-0) rolled behind Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn who ran for 117 yards and 3 TDs. He also threw a pair of TD passes.
Coventry/WT 7, Stafford 0: The Patriots scored a TD to hold off the upset bid by the Bulldogs.
Haddam-Killingworth 6, Lewis Mills 0: Due to the double forfeit after a brawl with North Branford a week earlier, Mills forfeited the game because they didn't have enough players eligible to field a team. The players were suspended for leaving the bench during a fight.
Saturday, Nov. 6
Ellington/Somers 36, Windsor Locks/Suffield 0: Ellington won its third game with a shutout. Matt Janiga ran for 182 yards and 3 TDs on 16 carries for the Knights (3-4, 3-3).
Canton 24, Granby 6: Nate Scott ran for a 2-yard TD, caught a 13-yard TD pass, kicked 3 PAT and hit a 24 yard field goal to lead Canton (3-5, 3-4) to its third win in the last four games.
SMSA/University 22, North Branford 6: Sports Science (3-5) had no intention of letting a squad full of freshmen, sophomores and first-game players prevail. SMSA scored three times in the first half to seize control.
Week 7
Friday, Oct. 29
Coventry/WT 28, Gilbert/NWR 20: Justin Lindinger ran for a 8-yard TD with 1:27 remaining as the Patriots erased a 20-7 second quarter deficit. Alex Amarante (21-100, 3 TDs) scored three times in the second quarter to rally Coventry. The Patriots led 21-20 at halftime. Gilbert's Devon Molway (22-242, 3 TDs) led the Yellowjackets and scored from 70 and 53 yards away in the first quarter.
Haddam-Killingworth 47, Wolcott Tech 0: Dan Milardo ran for 2 TDs and 159 yards on 13 carries to lead the Cougars. Greg Duval and Ben Belliveau also scored 2 TDs for HK. Isiah Harrington led Tech with 72 yards on 26 carries.
Valley Regional/OL 21, Coginchaug 6: QB Jimmy Fairfield Sonn threw 3 TD passes on offense and made 20 tackles and intercepted three Coginchaug passes on defense to lead the undefeated Warriors (7-0, 6-0 Pequot Sassacus). Valley held a 7-6 lead at halftime but Sonn threw 27 yard TD pass fro Kyle Connors in the third quarter and a 16 pass TD pass to Taylor RIoux in the fourth quarter. It was the first-ever loss for the Blue Devils (5-1, 4-1).
Saturday, Oct. 30
Avon 48, Housatonic 12: QB Colin Pavano threw for a school record 280 yards as the Falcons won their sixth straight. WR Tyler D'Onofrio set new school records with 12 receptions and 263 yards receiving. Sophomore Colin Moore scored 4 TDs.
Hyde Leadership 20, Old Saybrook/Westbrook 18
Ellington/Somers 7, Stafford/East Windsor 6: Bryan Rider's 29-yard run in the second quarter was the gamewinner for Ellington. Justin Vamvilis had the key PAT.
Cromwell 35, Morgan 12: QB Anthony Morales completed 19-of-36 passes for 244 yards and ran for a pair of touchdowns to lead the Panthers. Brett Director (4-120) scored a touchdown for Cromwell and had an interception. Erich Berzinskas ran for 102 yards on 22 carries for Morgan.
Capital Prep/Classical Magnet 34, SMSA/University 12: Sports Science fell to its crosstown rival on Saturday.
North Branford at Lewis Mills: North Branford and Lewis Mills’ game on Saturday night at Muzzy Field in Bristol was halted after three plays in the third quarter after a brawl broke out. North Branford was leading 42-7, having scored 35 points in the first quarter. Initial game story
The game has been ruled a double forfeit with each team being charged a loss. The ruling came after consultation with the game officials at the contest, the state football rules interpreter and staff/football committee members from the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS). The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, the governing body for high school sports in the state, follows NFHS rules in the sport of football.
The game was ended because each player who participated in the brawl was disqualified. Neither team had enough players to continue. Each player was also disqualified from playing next week. “I don’t really have a comment other than to say we think the ruling is a correct one,” Lewis Mills athletic director Dan Tanner told the New Haven Register. “They applied the rules in a manner that it should be.”
Lewis Mills will forfeit Friday’s game at Haddam Killingworth because they don’t have enough players to field a team.
Monday, Nov. 1
Canton 20, Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby 18: Canton's Nate Scott scored a TD, made 2 of 3 extra points and blocked an extra point attempt by Windsor Locks as the Warriors (2-5, 1-5) outlasted Windsor Locks.
Week 6
Friday, Oct. 22
Coginchaug 35, Old Saybrook/Westbrook 0: The first-year Blue Devils (5-0, 4-0) remained unbeaten as Alec Corazzini rushed for 56 yards and 2 TDs. Ethan Donecker caught three passes for 121 yards and 2 TDs for Coginchaug.
Valley Regional/OL 47, Wolcott Tech 0: Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn ran for 2 TDs and 102 yards on 2 carries as the undefeated Warriors (6-0, 5-0) dominated. Tech had just 79 yards of total offense.
Saturday, Oct. 23
Cromwell 14, North Branford 7
Hyde Leadership 25, Haddam-Killingworth 6
Avon 47, Canton 12: Ross McDonald scored 5 TDs as the Falcons won their fifth straight game.
Enfield 27, Ellington/Somers 26
Stafford/East Windsor 18, Granby Memorial 6
Coventry/Windham Tech 41, Housatonic/Wamogo 0
Gilbert/NWR 45, Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby 0
SMSA/University 24, Lewis Mills 18 (OT)
Week 5
Friday, Oct. 15
Valley Regional/Old Lyme 20, North Branford 6
Canton 20, Stafford/East Windsor 14
Saturday, Oct. 16
Coginchaug 41, SMSA/University 18: Alex Corazzini scored 3 TDs and ran for 76 yards to lift undefeated Coginchaug. Tyler Doherty ran for 91 yards on six carries.
Old Saybrook/Westbrook 54, Wolcott Tech 12
Hyde Leadership 26, Lewis Mills 0: Gary Ormond scored a pair of TDs (12, 3) to lift undefeated Hyde.
Enfield 31, Gilbert/NW Regional 16: Andrew Buanno rushed for 169 yards and 2 TDs on 22 carries to lead Enfield. The Raiders forced six Gilbert turnovers (3 fumbles, 3 interceptions). The Yellowjackets also had a 60-yard TD run in the first quarter nullified with a holding penalty.
Avon 42, Granby Memorial 6
Housatonic/Wamogo 27, Windsor Locks/Suff/EG 13: Tanner Brissett scored 2 TDs and ran for 207 yards to lead the Mountaineers.
Cromwell 35, Ellington/Somers 0: Cromwell won its second straight with a shutout win over Ellington. Josiah Simmons scored on TDs runs of 41 and 1 yard while teammate Carlton Forbes also ran for 2 TDs.
Monday, Oct. 18
Morgan 14, Haddam-Killingworth 6
Week 4
Friday, Oct. 8
Valley Regional/Old Lyme 50, Morgan 7 : The Warriors (4-0, 3-0 Sassacus) remained undefeated with a win on Friday night. Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn scored 3 TDs and rushed for 152 yards on 14 carries for Valley. He completed 7-of-11 passes for 88 yards and threw 2 TD passes.
Gilbert/NWR 13, Stafford/EW 0: The Yelllowjackets (4-0, 3-0 Uncas) remained undefeated with a tough victory at Van Why Field. Sean Fitzgerald scored on a pair of TD passes from QB Bobby Lippincott. Fitzgerald (6-103) scored on a 15-yard pass on the opening series of the game and on a 28-yard pass with 7:05 left in the second quarter.
Plainfield 26, SMSA/University 12
Coginchaug 41, Lewis Mills 12: Hosting its first-ever night game, Lewis Mills QB Zane Milbourn completed 10-of-20 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns but it wasn’t enough at Muzzy Field. Alec Corazzini rushed for four TDs and 104 yards for the undefeated Blue Devils (3-0, 3-0 Sassacus) while QB Ryan Scherer completed 7-of-10 passes for 128 yards and 1 TD. For Mills, Devan Pease caught a 5-yard TD pass in the second quarter and teammate Nicholas Gnitzcavich caught a 65-yard scoring strike in the fourth quarter.
Enfield 47, Canton 13: Andrew Buanno scored three TDs in the first quarter for Enfield while Kevin Merker scored twice in the second quarter. Enfield (3-1, 3-0 Uncas) led 47-7 at halftime. Buanno rushed for 155 yards on 11 carries.
Saturday, Oct. 9
Cromwell 26, Old Saybrook/Westbrook 0: Cromwell won its first game of the season as QB Anthony Morales completed 8-of-15 passes for 102 yards and a TD to Carlton Forbes. Morales also returned a fumble 72 yards for a TD.
Hyde Leadership 27, Wolcott Tech 0: Hyde (4-0, 3-0 Pequot Sassacus) remained undefeated with the victory. Quinton Thompson scored on a 70 yard kickoff return for Hyde to open the game.
North Branford 35, Haddam-Killingworth 0: QB Joe Perez completed 8-of 14 passes for 164 yards and two TDs to lead the Thunderbird (4-0, 3-0 Pequot Sassacus). Chris Caron scored 2 TDs on three carries.
Coventry/Windham Tech 41, Granby 14: Alex Amarante ran for 77 yards and 2 TDs to lead the Patriots (3-1, 3-0 Pequot Uncas). QB Austin West completed just three passes for 161 yards and 2 TDs.
Ellington/Somers 41, Housatonic/Wamogo 15: QB Justin Vamvilis threw for 120 yards and a pair of TD passes to lead the Knights to their first win of the season. Matt Janiga ran for 2 TDs and 66 yards on eight carries.
Four teams lead in Sassacus Division: Hyde, North Branford, Valley Regional and Coginchaug share the early lead in the Sassacus DIvision after three weeks. The four teams are each 2-0 in the division.
Week 3
Saturday, Oct. 2
Coginchaug 35, Haddam-Killingworth 12: QB Ryan Scherer ran for 2 TDs and threw for 2 TDs to lead the Blue Devils to a dominant victory. Alec Corazzini ran for one TD and 106 yards on 17 carries. Scherer completed 8-of-11 passes for 148 yards. Ethan Donecker caught 5 passes for 123 yuards and 1 TD.
North Branford 51, Old Saybrook/Westbrook 32
Hyde 14, Morgan 7
Coventry/Windham Tech 35, Canton 0: The Warriors remained winless with a loss at home.
Enfield 34, Housatonic/Wamogo 7: Andrew Buanno rushed for 253 yards and scored 5 TDs (4 rushing) on 27 carries to lead Enfield in Falls Village. Raider QBs Eric Gernux and Tony Romano completed 13 of 19 passes for 146 yards. Housatonic’s Tanner Brissett was limited to 81 yards on 15 carries.
Avon 26, Stafford 14: Senior Tyler D’Onofrio and Colin Pavano each scored two touchdowns as the Falcons beat Stafford/East Windsor, 26-14, before a Homecoming crowd under portable light at the high school. D’Onofrio scored on a 12-yard TD pass from Pavano and on an 80-yard interception return – the third longest such TD in school history.
Windsor Locks/Suffield/EG 29, Granby 28: Anthony Liquori’s eight-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion run from Trystan Cauley lifted Locks to a one-point win over first-year Granby. Cauley also ran for two TDs while Liquori threw a 29-yard TD pass.
Sports Science 36, Wolcott Tech 8: Kayron Macon ran for 127 yards and 2 TDs to lead SSMA to a victory in Torrington. Rasheed Cauley had a 67 yard punt return for a TD while Johnny Mojica caught a 63-yard TD pass.
Gilbert 33, Ellington/Somers 18: Gilbert’s Devon Molway scored a pair of TDs including one on a 70 yard run to lead the Yellowjackets to the victory in Winsted. QB Bobby Lippincott ran for one TD and threw for a second to Sean Fitzgerald. Gilbert intercepted three passes, recovered a fumble and had four sacks. Drew McCarthy had two interceptions. QB Justin Vamvilis threw for 3 TDs and 226 yards for the Purple Knights.
Valley Regional/Old Lyme 6, Cromwell 0: Despite a stout defensive effort, the Panthers (0-2) lost again. Cromwell QB Anthony Morales completed 17-of-28 passes for 132 yards but the Panthers struggled to run the ball with just 15 yards on 15 carries. "I think a lot our inability to score is that we just don't do things right, which is a function of our youth," coach Lou Bronk told the Middletown Press. "We're young and it's going to take time." Valley Regional (3-0) scored on the opening drive of the third quarter, moving 65 yards on 11 plays with John Finkelday (20-90) scoring from the 3. Valley QB Jimmy Fairfield ran for 174 yards on 31 carries.
Week 2
Friday, Sept. 24
Valley Regional/Old Lyme 40, Lewis Mills 0: Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn rushed for 168 yards and 3 TDs on 13 carries to lead Valley. He scored on runs of 74, 13 and 43 yards.
Haddam Killingworth 36, Old Saybrook/Westbrook 3: Andrew Vollaro returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a TD to lead the Cougars to a victory. John Webber rushed for 2 TDs.
North Branford 39, Morgan 0: The Thundersbirds pitched a shutout to improve to 2-0.
Old Saybrook/Westbrook at Haddam-Killingworth, 6:30 p.m.
Enfield 47, Stafford/East Windsor 0: Andrew Buanno rushed for 226 yards and 2 TDs to lead Enfield. Buanno also scored on a 40-yard TD pass. Stafford managed just 59 yards of offense.
Housatonic/Wamogo 38, Canton 19: Tanner Brissett rushed for game-high 264 yards on 30 carries as Housatonic took charge in the third quarter and beat Canton. The Mountaineers trailed 19-13 at halftime.
Cheney Tech 27, Sports Science/University 8: Deshawn Smith ran for 2 TDs to lead Cheney. Tevin James scored on an 82 yard interception return for Sports Science.
Saturday, Sept. 25
Coginchaug 42, Wolcott Tech 13: Coginchaug forced a pair of key first half turnovers by Wolcott Tech to build a 28-point lead and earn its first-ever varsity victory with a 41-13 win in Torrington. Luke Bogdanski intercepted Tech QB Trevor Carlson giving the Blue Devils the ball on the Tech 35. Coginchaug scored shortly for a 6-0 lead. Leading 21-0, Tech fumbled away a kickoff and the Devils scored one play later on a 24-yard TD pass from Ryan Scherer to Alec Corazzini, who scored 3 TDs
Hyde 12, Cromwell 7: For the the second week in a row, Hyde wins a nailbiter. Gary Ormond had a 45-yard TD run for Hyde while Seth Beaton scored on a 79-yard run.
Coventry/Windham Tech 13, Windsor Locks 0: Coventry earned its first win by shutting out the Raiders. Tom Myers caught a 37-yard TD pass from Mike Fahey and Justin Lindinger scored on a 3-yard run for Coventry.
Gilbert/Northwestern 39, Granby 7: Kyle Jones scored 2 TDs, had seven tackles, two sacks and two fumble recoveries to lead Gilbert/Northwestern past Granby. QB Bobby Lippincott (6-14-1, 164) threw 3 TD passes, two to Drew McCarthy (2-76). Jon Marshall caught a TD pass and Devon Molway had an 85-yard kickoff return for a TD.
Week 1
Thursday, Sept. 16
Old Saybrook/Westbrook 28, Canton 12
Valley Regional/Old Lyme 42, Coventry/Windham Tech 21
Friday, Sept. 17
Morgan 35, Stafford/East Windsor 21
Saturday, Sept. 18
Hyde 20, Avon 18
Housatonic/Wamogo 28, SMSA/University 14: Tommy Briset ran for 3 TDs and 110 yards to lead the Mountaineers to a victory under the lights at Dillon Stadium.
North Branford 14, Enfield 6: Miguel Perez scored 2 TDs for the Thunderbirds. Enfield lost a fumble inside the North Branford 20 and drove to the NB four-yard line but after a bad snap, the Raiders missed a field goal.
Lewis Mills 20, Granby 13: Dave Orie scored on a 5-yard run and a 12-yard TD pass to lead the Spartans to the win at Muzzy Field in the first varsity game for both schools. Granby received a pair of touchdowns on a 10-yard interception return from Cody Fauteux and a 51-yard TD pass to Sean Waterbury from Gailor Gipper. Orie intercepted three Granby passes.
Windsor Locks/Suffield 32, Wolcott Tech 12: Trystan Cauley rushed for 260 yards and 3 TDs on 31 carries to lead Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby. The Raiders led 26-0 at halftime. Isiah Harrington had 155 yards rushing and 2 TDs for Tech.
Gilbert/NWR 28, Haddam-Killingworth 21: The Yellowjackets beat the Cougars for the first time since 2001 with four players scoring TDs. Devan Molway led the Yellowjackets with 70 yards rushing on 13 carries and one TD. H-K had won five in a row over Gilbert. Dan Milardo (14-76) led the Cougars with 1 TD.
Gilbert aims for playoffs, Mills begins first varsity season, OWTS seeks first victory on the field
East Granby contributing players to Locks
WINDSOR LOCKS, Sept. 13 -- East Granby has joined Windsor Locks’ co-op football team with Suffield. The Crusaders will provide several players to the team. East Granby tried to form a co-op team with Granby but GHS had too many players in its program. East Granby also instituted a pay-to-play fee of $100 per sport with a yearly family cap of $150.
Tech seniors ready to go out on high note
TORRINGTON, Aug. 30 -- Six seniors who were on the first Wolcott Tech program prepare for their final high school campaign.
Avon has largest school in league
AVON, July 10 -- The enrollment figures are out for schools playing football in the Pequot Conference. This fall, Avon will have the most boys in grades 9-12 of the 20 schools in the league. Avon will have 563 boys in the school, an increase of 28 from a year ago. The co-op team of Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby remains No. 2 with 556 students with Coventry/Windham Tech moving up one spot to No. 3 with 511 students. Canton drops two spots to No. 18 with 291 students, up 13 from last year.
Most schools in the league lost students. Of the 16 schools returning to the league this year, only six (Avon, Canton, Wolcott Tech, Cromwell, Valley Regional, Stafford) had enrollments go up. Wolcott Tech’s enrollment rose by 95 while Cromwell added 41 boys. Stafford added two boys. Enfield had the largest drop in students with 57 with the Windsor Locks co-op dropping 53 students. Class S champion Hyde’s enrollment fell by 27 students.
New teams in the league this year are Lewis Mills at No. 6 with 434 students, Granby at No. 9 with 384 students and a co-op team from Sports Science Medicine Academy and University High in Hartford at No. 13 with 346 students.
Morello hired at Middletown
MIDDLETOWN, July 9 – Former Cromwell High football coach Sal Morello has been hired to coach at Middletown High. The Dragons fired Eric Marszalek earlier in the week. Morello was 69-12 in seven years at Cromwell. His Panthers won the Class S title in 2008 with a 14-12 win over Ansonia and played in two other Class S championship games in 2003 and 2004. Cromwell won four Pequot Conference Sassacus titles in seven years. Middletown was 1-9 a year ago. “I also expect to be competitive. We will be competitive in every football game we play,” Morello told the Middletown Press.
Gilbert seeks additional funds
WINSTED, June 11 -- Should Northwestern Regional 7 be paying more to help field its co-op team with Gilbert? The Board of Directors at Gilbert think so. Regional has been paying $300 per player but Gilbert wants Northwestern to pay $800 per player to help support the program. Northwestern contributed 27 players to the team last year while only 14 were from Gilbert. The two schools are still negotiating.
Cefaratti to lead East Hampton/Vinal team
MIDDLETOWN, May 6 -- Former St. Paul and Bulkeley High head coach Joe Cefaratti has been named the first head coach of the new East Hampton/Vinal Tech co-op football program. EH/Vinal will play a junior varsity schedule in 2010. He was also a Newington assistant from 1983-96 under long-time head coach John Ludko, serving as his offensive coordinator for nine seasons.
Kuckel named interim coach at Cromwell
CROMWELL, May 4 – Cromwell High named Lou Kuckel, the defensive coordinator for the Panthers for the past four seasons, as interim head coach. The school cannot make a permanent hire until the Board of Education finalizes its 2010-11 budget. Kuckel played football at Wesleyan University and was an assistant coach for the Cardinals. He is currently a guidance counselor at Cromwell High.
Bozzi named coach at Coginchaug
DURHAM, April 23 -- The new varsity team at Coginchaug Regional will have a familiar man leading the team this fall. John Bozzi, the former coach for the Vinal Tech/Coginchaug co-op squad, has been named the new head coach. The co-op dissolved when Coginchaug had too many players. The new Coginchaug team will play of its games on the road this fall because a lawsuit against Region 13 over a proposed lighted football facility that would be built next to the high school. Home games will be at either Middletown High or Palmer Field in Middletown.
No Thanksgiving game for Enfield teams
ENFIELD, April 1 -- For just the second time since 1972, the high school football season in Enfield will end without cross-town rivals Enfield High and Fermi playing. Enfield become a full member of the Pequot Conference this fall and there is no allowance for non-league contests. The two teams didn’t play in 1991 when Enfield’s season ended early due to injuries. Avon and Farmington ended their long-standing rivalry in 2005 when the Falcons rejoined the Pequot Conference. Enfield will play first-year team Granby on Thanksgiving while Fermi will face Farmington on the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving.
Morello steps down at Cromwell
CROMWELL, March 6 – Cromwell High football coach Sal Morello has resigned because he is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Health and Physical Education at Springfield College. His classwork would force him to miss eight weeks of practice. He said he will be interesting in coaching again in 2011 as either a head coach or an assistant coach. Morello has a record of 69-12 at Cromwell High. The Panthers played in the Class S title game in 2003, 2004 and 2008, winning in the championship in 2008 when they beat Ansonia, 14-12.
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.
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