The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
The force is strong with Rams
Quintin O’Connell stood out in New Canaan’s 48-7 victory over Trumbull Friday night, scoring five touchdowns in just over one half of work.
The senior wasn’t the only receiver to make noise, however, and the corps that the Rams were so excited about seems to be coming together.
“It makes me so happy,” O’Connell said. “It’s one thing getting in the end zone, but when you got three or four other guys getting in it’s awesome.”
Junior Zach LaPolice found the end zone, as did senior Stephen Wronski. Junior Luke Morton (28 yards) and senior Wyatt Wilson (73 yards) may not have scored, but both showed how deep this group is.
Besides raw physical talent, the pass-catchers have a deeper edge working for them.
“We call ourselves the Jedis,” O’Connell said. “It’s a close-knit group and our receivers coach was like, ‘Boys, the force is with us tonight.’ ”
— Anthony E. Parelli
KNOWING THE RULES
Shelton assistant football coach Mike Barone knew the rule. Apparently, no one on Fairfield Prep did.
The Gaels’ David Yakowicz picked up a loose ball on a punt and raced 54 yards to the end zone for the Shelton’s lone touchdown in a 10-7 win over the Jesuits Friday night at Rafferty Stadium.
The play came off a Prep punt from its own 29 with just under 10 minutes to play in the third quarter, as the ball hit the ground, hit the arm of Prep’s defender Luke Hopkins and bounced toward Yakowicz, who gathered the ball and ran down the sidelines as the Prep defenders stood and watched — obviously thinking that the play was going to be blown dead by the officials.
It wasn’t.
“We teach that, Coach Barone does a great job teaching that,” Shelton coach Jeff Roy said. “We tell the kids if they touch it, it’s live and nothing bad can happen, so pick the thing up and take a shot.”
According to Wikipedia American Football rules regarding a punt:
“If a player from the kicking team is the first to touch the ball after it crosses the line of scrimmage, “illegal touching” is called and the receiving team gains possession at the spot where the illegal touching occurred. While the ball is not automatically dead upon an illegal touch and can be advanced by the receiving team (who would then have the choice of accepting the result of the play or taking the ball at the spot of the illegal touch).”
After the game, Prep coach Keith Hellstern was still trying to figure out exactly what happened on that punt play.
“Let’s just say I’m going to check into that play a little more closely,” Prep coach Keith Hellstern said. “Because I wasn’t quite happy with that play. As a coach, I’ve never seen that happen before.”
— Chris Elsberry
EAST HAVEN PLAYING WITH CONFIDENCE
East Haven senior Michael Manning knelt down on the Fitzgerald Field turf, overcome with emotion after his team’s 17-6 victory Lyman Hall Friday night.
A year ago, Manning and his teammates were wallowing in a punchless 1-9 season. But now they have a new coach, a new attitude and — perhaps most important — they’re brimming with confidence.
“We worked so hard for this, man,” said Manning, a senior back who scored the game’s first points in the third quarter. “Everybody doubted us. Our own teammates doubted us. Our school doubted us. Our own teachers doubted us… We just did that. We like really did that. It’s the best feeling in the world.”
East Haven is 3-0 for the first time since the seniors’ freshman year and they can sense something special afoot, especially after putting in a near-perfect defensive performance in this SCC Tier III matchup — their first big test of the year.
Michael Caruso had a pair of interceptions to set up scores and had a hand (literally) in a third pick that caromed off him and into teammate Mike Castellano’s hands for a 29-yard return touchdown.
“It was the first real game our guys have played in and I was interested to see how they would respond,” said Scott Benoit, East Haven’s head coach, who took over the program this year and is known for summoning quick rebuilding projects.. “And I think they responded pretty well.”
East Haven comes home to face Xavier (1-2) in an SCC Tier III vs. Tier I game at Crisafi Field.
—Sean Patrick Bowley
STRATFORD’S RYAN GAINS FAN
He might be playing on an SWC team that’s in a rebuilding mode, but Stratford quarterback Jack Ryan earned at least one new fan in Friday night’s 49-7 loss to Newtown.
Namely, Newtown coach Bob Pattison.
“That No. 2, their quarterback, is a pretty good player,” Pattison said. “Actually, I think he’s one of the better quarterbacks in the league.”
The 6-foot-4 Ryan’s prowess is better known on the basketball court, but the kid can play under center, too. Last season, Ryan was 119for-198 for 1,782 yards. He had 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
After a rough night against the Nighthawks (8-for-19, 172 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) — when he was victim to a handful of drops — Ryan is 38-for-75 for 678 yards this season.
According to Maxpreps.com, he has 2,568 yards for his career
— John Nash
FRESHMAN RISING
Teams are always looking for upperclassmen to step up in big spots. but it was a freshman making the most critical plays as Harding secured it first win of the season with 34-9 victory over Foran Friday in Bridgeport.
Freshman defensive back Dante Nunez intercepted a pass near midfield with just under five minutes to go in the game, helping to preserve the victory on the freshly opened Lewis Field.
Nunez was active all game, swatting down passes and nearly intercepting a pass on Foran’s final drive, leaping high into the air and almost securing his second interception.
— Scott Ericson
JUMP BALL FOR MONROE
Masuk was well on the way to a solid halftime lead when Chris Tillotson made the play of the game against Pomperaug.
Leading 17-7 with three minutes left in the second quarter and with the ball on his own 32, Masuk quarterback Thomas Juliano lofted a pass down the right sideline. Two defenders converged on Tillotson, including Troy Harwell. Tillotson outbattled them for the ball and a 30-yard gain.
“I saw it go up, and I saw (Harwell) jump up, and I saw it, and I just decided to grab it out of his hands,” Tillotson said. “He had a few inches on me. It was nice.”
A personal foul on Pomperaug tacked on another 15 yards — the penalty parade annoyed Pomperaug much of the night — and four short passes later, Tillotson caught a touchdown pass, and Masuk took a 24-7 lead to halftime on the way to a 45-7 win.
Tillotson’s evening ended a little early, though, departing twice in the third quarter with cramps, the second time for good. He said he was OK afterward.
— Michael Fornabaio
BUNNELL OFF TO A QUICK START
Last year, Bunnell used its size and strength to win eight games and capture a share of the SWC championship.
And this year? Speed is the name of the Bulldogs’ game. Led by senior Christ N’Dabian, an all-state track and field athlete, the Bulldogs have raced out to a 3-0 start.
“We did graduate a bunch of guys up front on both sides of the ball,” coach Sean Mignone said after a 41-3 rout of New Milford Friday. “They were very physical, they were big kids, and they carried us last year. Our running backs, we lost three running backs from last year. But it’s almost like we haven’t missed a beat because this group has stepped in and picked up from where they left off. Our line’s a work in progress on both sides of the ball.”
N’Dabian, who ran the 4x100 meter relay at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in June, has rushed for a team-high 441 yards and six touchdowns, including a 76-yarder against New Milford. He, along with speedsters Tyreek Smith and Eli Alexandre, have more than made up for losing the likes of Jarrod Davis, Jalen Madison and Ma’kai Curry.
Bunnell’s offense has been electric in the early going, averaging 39.6 points per game.
“I feel like our speed has a big impact on what we do,” said Smith, who rushed for a touchdown and had an 85-yard kickoff return for a score on Friday. “We lost big guys, but we ... still do what we can.”
Added Mignone: “It’s a blessing that we have that speed. We’re still figuring out how to use it the best we can.”
— Doug Bonjour
AGAIN, DARIEN MAKES ITS CASE
On Saturday, three-time defending Class LL champion Darien made its case to climb back atop the GameTimeCT poll. The Blue Wave overwhelmed topranked St. Joseph 22-7 on the road.
When asked if he thought the Blue Wave deserved to be the state’s new No. 1 team, coach Rob Trifone was noncommittal.
“Here’s the answer, all right, and the boys know this,” Trifone said. “It only matters on Dec. 10 [the Monday day after the state championship]. I don’t read the newspaper until the end of the season, I mean that.
“Things are going to change. There’s a lot of great teams in Connecticut this year and in the FCIAC, we know that.”
— Doug Bonjour