No. 4 Greenwich upset by Shelton
SHELTON — Shelton had a game plan. Run the ball, control the clock, and keep Greenwich’s highpowered offense off the field. Check, check and checkmate.
Shelton defeated Greenwich 35-14 in a CT Football Alliance game at Finn Stadium on Friday night.
Shelton out of the SCC improved to 3-0 behind a ground game that rushed for 332 yards on 56 carries.
Greenwich, which brought a No. 4 ranking in the GameTimeCT Top 10 poll into the contest, dropped to 2-1.
“They have an explosive offense,” Shelton coach Mike DeFelice said of the FCIAC power. “We had to play keep away. Our guys executed to perfection.”
Shelton’s Wildcat offense with Shane Santiago at the controls had the edge in possession 15:23 to 8:31 in the first half. Santiago and Rich each scored touchdowns.
Greenwich overcame the time deficit behind quarterback Jack Wilson, who tossed touchdown passes covering 59 yards to Chason Barber and 50 yards to Logan Galleta.
Greenwich fumbled the ball on the first snap in the third quarter. Matt Weiner recovered the ball at the 10. Two plays later Shelton had the lead at 21-14 on Rich’s 9-yard run.
Ricky Feola’s interception gave Shelton the ball back on its 15. Santiago scored on 20-yard run to complete the eight-play drive.
Shelton missed a field goal on its next series, but took 9:37 off the clock.
“They saw something in our defense and came up with a great game plan,” Greenwich coach Anthony Morello said. “They won the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. They executed
on every third down (11-of-14) to keep our offense off the field.”
Matt Trimmer’s interception in the end zone with 11 seconds remaining ended Shelton’s hopes of taking a lead into the half. Matt Weiner had recovered a fumble on the Greenwich 27 with 1:18 left in the second period. Four plays later, Shelton used its final timeout. Shane Santiago looked to find an open receiver but Trimmer came away with the contested pass. An opportunity for a go-ahead field goal followed the teams into the locker room.The best defense to slow the Cardinals’ ability to strike quick is a ball control offense.
Shelton’s defense had allowed only a field goal in its first two games, wins over North Haven 23-3 and Amity 14-0.
Greenwich got off to big leads in wins against Westhill (49-6) and Ridgefield. (42-34). It led the Vikings 35-0 at the half and the Tigers 28-7.
Greenwich continues it Alliance tour when Fairfield Prep visits next Saturday. It returns to FCIAC competition with games at No. 2 ranked St. Joseph and Trumbull.
Shelton will play at Trumbull in an Alliance game on Friday, then has a challenging five-game stretch of Hand, NFA, Newtown, Fairfield Prep and Cheshire.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Shelton’s three-pronged attack of Shane Santiago, Tyler Rich and Ayden Sepkaski accounted for 332 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Rich and Santiago scored two touchdowns each. Sepkaski one.
QUOTABLE
“Our defense couldn’t get off the field; our offense couldn’t stay on it. Shelton dictated the pace of the game.” — Greenwich coach Anthony Morello