St. Thomas More has phantom Sycamore on 2021 schedule

Although Hurricane Henri had downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it hit Southeastern Connecticut on Aug. 22, it certainly managed to upgrade Ernest Anderson’s headaches.

The St. Thomas More Prep football coach had players traveling to the Montville campus from around the country and he couldn’t gather his entire team to practice until Aug. 25.

Game 1 was only a week and a half away on the University of New Haven’s blue turf against the Chargers’ junior varsity.

“We make no excuses,” Anderson said.

The Chancellors would fall, 21-20, Sunday after leading 20-7 in the fourth quarter, yet the first-year head coach came away “extremely encouraged.” A bad snap on an extra-point, a missed field goal, a roughing the passer on 3rd-and-6, small ouches that led to defeat.

“We can clean those things up,” Anderson said. “We really competed.”

When you coach an independent prep school team you learn to be flexible. Hell’s bells, it may be the very definition of flexibility.

Bishop Sycamore was scheduled to play St. Thomas More last spring when the Chancellors managed to get in a pair of games, including a 7-5 win over perennial power St. Frances of Baltimore. Sycamore had to back out because of a COVID outbreak.

The game with T-More was rescheduled for Oct. 8