CHARGING AHEAD

Ansonia routs Wilby in the return of football in Connecticut

WATERBURY — The coin went up Thursday night at 6, right on time. Wilby won the toss, deferred to the second half. Ansonia took the ball; Wilby defended the south end zone of Ray Snyder Field.

All the mundane details of a thousand games felt fresh again. CIAC tackle football was back after a year’s absence. Ansonia senior Darell McKnight received the kickoff in the drizzly mist, took it 15 yards, and the first sanctioned high school football game in the state of Connecticut since Dec. 14, 2019, was on.

“We stood as a team all day,” said McKnight, who ran for two touchdowns in the Chargers’ 48-6 win over Wilby.

“When we woke up, we had a team breakfast. We made sure we were locked in from when we woke up to our game time. It was just good vibes all day.”

McKnight said he hadn’t felt Thursday’s feelings in a

Pete Paguaga / Hearst Connecticut Media Ansonia’s Darell McKnight celebrates scoring a touchdown during a game against Wilby at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury on Thursday.