‘Bigger, Stronger, Faster’
Sheehan's Bogan Adds Size To Speed
Terrence Bogan always had speed.
That much was clear from spring ball of his freshman year, according to Sheehan football head coach John Ferrazzi. The junior running back rushed for 1,049 yards as a sophomore last fall after beating out several other talented backs for the lead role, and then won a Class M championship in the 100meter dash in the spring.
But this past summer, Bogan added some weight to go along with that quickness — he is listed on the roster at 5 foot 9, 160 pounds. Through two games this season, Bogan's work in the weight room has paid off.
He's rushed for 534 yards — 215 against Law, 319 against Stratford — and scored seven touchdowns. He leads the state in both categories.
“Getting bigger, stronger, faster,” was Bogan's reasoning for his early season success.
All he wanted to do this year was keep the same consistency as he did last season. He's humble, crediting his blockers, and deflects praise away from his video game-like numbers toward the team's undefeated record.
“He is a team-first guy,” Ferrazzi said. “Humility is something we never have to worry about with him.”
His coach paused, and issued a warning.
“But don't mistake his humility for his competi- tiveness.”
Bogan wants to bring Sheehan back to the Class M tournament. He has his eyes set on a repeat in the 100meter dash come spring, too. He's still a year out from commitment time, but he isn't sure whether he wants to pursue a collegiate career in football or track.
He's still adding weight to his frame as well, and isn't worried about it dragging down his speed. (“It's a myth!” Ferrazzi yelled when Bogan discussed weight affecting his wheels.)
For the remainder of the season, he'll be the first name opposing defenses bring up in meetings when they gameplan for Sheehan. They'll look to neutralize Bogan in order to stop him from putting a month's worth of yards up in one game.
But Bogan already has his own plan to counter theirs, and it's surprisingly simple.
“Just play the way I always play,” he said, with the slightest grin. “Be fast.”
Hartford Public’s Field Gets Face Lift
America's second-oldest public high school is finally getting turf and lights.
The State Bond Commission approved a plan Thursday to borrow funds to be used to install lights at the school's track and replace its grass field with turf. The total estimated cost according to the state is $1 million.
Head football coach Harry Bellucci said a timetable has not been set, but added that turf tends to take at least three months to install, so he'd like to see the project start next spring so that it's ready for fall.
“It's beyond exciting for the kids,” said Bellucci, who's coached football for 38 years. “I'm so excited that they have something that they can be proud of and they can practice on all the time.”
The idea of renovations came up five years ago, but very little came of it until House Majority Leader Matt Ritter — Bellucci's former student — took action. They worked on the proposal over the summer, and then news broke last week that it would finally come to fruition.
“[Ritter] called me a couple weeks ago and said, ‘Hey, we've got the money,'” Bellucci said. “The credit goes to Matt Ritter. He's the one who got the grant.”
Last week, Hartford Public had to cancel a soccer game Wednesday, a freshman football game Tuesday and a soccer game on Friday due to the field's condition after Tuesday's rain. When Hartford Public hosted Maloney in football on Saturday, the field was still in rough shape.
“We made that our No. 1 priority,” Bellucci said of the turf. “A field in Hartford with turf and lights, it's something I thought I'd never see.”
Area Highlights
E.O Smith's Jaidin Glidden has emerged as one of the better passing quarterbacks in the area, as he's racked up 431 yards through the air in two games. ... Wilcox's Michael Mysatyukow already has 35 tackles in two games. After playing junior varsity only last season, Wilcox is 2-0 at the varsity level this season. ... The quarterback/wide receiver duo at Cromwell/Portland of Bryce Karstetter and Nick Wright has been strong. Karstetter has 514 passing yards, while Wright leads the state with 362 receiving yards.