The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
NWU’s Stango Garzone makes coaching history
MILFORD — In its first game of the 2021 season, and the first game of the newly formed coop’s history, Northwest United (Wolcott Tech, Wamogo and Nonnewaug) made Connecticut high school football history.
With the Work Horses’ 26-14 victory over Platt Tech at Foran Field, Jenn Stango Garzone became the first female head coach to win a high school football game in the state of Connecticut.
“I just like being a football coach,” Stango Garzone said following Friday’s game, which was also her birthday. “I have an amazing staff and I have kids who have been toothto-nail. The last four weeks have been the most chaotic preseason I’ve ever been a part of and those kids banded together and they played 130 percent on the field and left it all out there.”
NWU players drenched Stango Garzone in Gator
ade following the game to celebrate her as she was embraced by her assistant coach.
“She’s there for us whenever we need her for anything. She’s there. She’s always willing to help us,” senior running back Jason Mauro said. “At practice, she pushes us. She gets us the work that we need and it pays off. It’s a good feeling to have her as a coach, she’s a great person.”
The 2021 season is Stango Garzone’s second as a head coach after leading the nowfolded MCW United co-op (Housatonic, Wolcott Tech
and Wamogo) in 2019 to a 0-10 record. In its four years of existence, MCW United never won a game and ended with an 0-40 record. before folding.
“The biggest thing that we’ve seen in high school football is trying to increase participation and change the culture,” Stango Garzone said. “Enough of these kids in the last 28 days, all summer actually … they bought in. They gave it all that it needed to be and this momentum is going to carry us. I hope the season is full and complete with no quarantine, COVID issues. But it’s just amazing to be back to football again after 636 days.”
After Platt Tech tied the
game at 14 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Work Horses rallied behind senior quarterback Ben Conti. Conti (from Nonnewaug) got NWU back in front with a 20-yard touchdown pass less than a minute after the Panthers’ tying score and later sealed the win by carrying the ball himself 21 yards into the end zone with 20 seconds left in the game.
“The big thing is bending and not breaking,” Stango Garzone said. “We’re not a very large team right now, I think after tonight we might get a few more people coming out of the wood work to come play some high school football, but this core group of kids banded together and they put it all on the line for each other.”
For Nonnewaug seniors, like Conti and Mauro, the NWU co-op has given them the ability to play varsitylevel football after the school’s football program was previously went through a period at the junior varsity level.
“It’s a very good feeling,” Mauro said. “We finally all came together, we became a team. We all met each other, in very short period of time, we all worked hard every single day and we really proved ourselves here today.”
The Work Horses dominated the Panthers both offensively and defensively, including starting the game with 14 unanswered points
and pressuring Platt Tech into seven fumbles and four sacks in the first half alone.
“We’re becoming a brotherhood it feels like with three schools which is a pretty cool experience,” Conti said. “It feels pretty cool that we have a woman coach unlike other schools that don’t have that opportunity. For her [Stango Garzone] to get that first win probably feels great for her and it feels great for us that we can do that for her.”
PLAYER OF GAME
Ben Conti, NWU QB: In his first varsity start, Conti led the Work Horses to the program’s first victory, completing 11 of his 23 pass
attempts for 110 total yards, two touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown.
QUOTABLE:
“I was a little nervous to start off but once I got my grove in the game it just felt natural.”
NORTHWEST UNITED 26, PLATT TECH 14
Platt Tech ................................... 0 0 6 8 — 14 Northwest United .................... 8 6 0 12 — 26 NWU: Conti 16 pass (run failed) NWU: Mauro 42 run (run failed) PT: Jehu Wade 40 run (run failed) PT: Jaden Wall 69 run (run failed) NWU: Conti 20 pass (run failed) NWU: Conti 21 run (run failed)