New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
A wild week for contenders, plus a look ahead
GRANBY — Emeka Yearwood seemed genuinely flummoxed, chalking up an uncharacteristically close Cromwell/Portland victory over Granby/Canton to his team’s lack of focus or other issues.
Cromwell/Portland took an 4-0 record and an 18game program win streak into the matchup. It had beaten its first four opponents by an average score of 35-3, including threestraight shutouts to start the season.
Yet, it took some lategame heroics by Yearwood and the C/P defense (not to mention an inadvertent snap on fourth down), for the Panthers to beat back this challenge, 14-7.
Still, Cromwell/Portland considers itself a contender for the Class SS title and wasn’t overly content with its performance.
“That (game) wasn’t really us,” Yearwood said, confidently. “We should have blew this team out easy.”
There was, of course, one exception: “It was a good win at the end of the day,” Yearwood concluded.
It was an eerily similar refrain across the state, especially among some of the state’s Top 10 teams that played.
At least C/P could be forgiven if Granby somehow pulled that out. The Bears came in 3-1 having only lost to Danny Hernandez and SMSA, 21-14 in the season-opener.
It was a bit more dire for No. 1 Southington and No. 3 Maloney, both of which saw their unbeaten seasons flash before their eyes against a pair of winless teams.
East Hartford sophomore Drayvn Roberts scored three TDs and rallied the Hornets to within 27-20 late in the third quarter vs. the state’s No. 1 team before Southington turned to Lincoln Cardillo and put the game away, 40-20.
“We just got a little complacent and made some errors in all facets of the game, which you can’t do,” Southington coach Mike Drury told the RecordJournal. “They have some great athletes. We let (Roberts) get away from us a few times.”
Southington, of course, could be forgiven for being a bit distracted with the unexpected death Thursday of junior Evan Anderson’s father, Jim, at age 52, the Record-Journal reported. Evan Anderson — the hero of Southington’s victory over Greenwich two weeks prior — played anyway and scored the games’ first two TDs.
Across the way in Newington, unbeaten Maloney was having an even rougher time against 0-4 Newington. QB Paddy Brown and the Nor’easters matched Maloney score for score, took advantage of turnovers and other mistakes and went ahead 23-21 lead with 9:33 remaining.
Even after Joziah Gonzalez responded with the go-ahead, 90-yard kickoff return, the Spartans still needed to play defense to win.
“When we don’t play our best and we still find a way to win, that’s a good thing,” Maloney coach Kevin Frederick told the Record-Journal. He also took issue with the four-man officiating crew, calling it “unfortunate.”
“We’re just happy to get out of here with a win,” he concluded.
It was not the case over in Glastonbury, where the Guardians were facing 0-4 Hall, looking to go 5-0 for the first time since 2012. But Glastonbury, which averaged 31 points in its first four games, could only muster 10 percent of that in a 14-3 loss to winless Hall.
If Glastonbury felt a sense of deja vu, it’s because it did the same thing to Newington exactly a year ago, winning its first game while handing Newington its first loss.
And it went on like this. Winless Plainville gave Max Nylen and RHAM everything it could handle before falling, 34-27. Unbeaten Berlin, coming off an epic 37-34 comeback victory over Bloomfield, wasn’t exactly thrilled with its admittedly complacent 39-6 victory over winless Bristol Eastern.
“Walking in after you improve to 4-0 off a huge win and you face a team that is 0-4 on paper, we didn’t have the right mindset to start the game off with,” senior Josh Grimm said.
“Eventually we pulled out with the win, which is all that matters in the end.”
Indeed, in a three-month regular season, not every game can be a gem. As long as you get that ‘dub’ and move on.
“I knew it was going to be a fight,” said Cromwell/ Portland coach Randell Bennett, “and — whew — I’m just glad to get out of here.”
FRIDAY-NIGHT NOTABLES
A look back at Friday night in Week 5 of CIAC football around Connecticut:
Freddie Camp, Gilbert/ Northwestern/Housatonic: His nine carries went for 133 yards, including touchdown runs of 19, 3 and 72 yards, and he threw for a fourth score in a 41-7 win over Oxford.
Donovan Campbell, New Britain: Threw for 294 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-37 win over South Windsor.
Lincoln Cardillo, Southington: Ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-20 win over East Hartford.
Vittiro Church, Platt:
Scored three touchdowns three different ways in a 39-0 win over Avon.
Jack Cushman, Foran:
Threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-8 win over East Haven.
Caden Drezek, Seymour: Completed 18 of 26 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran for a touchdown in a 42-0 win over Watertown.
Danny Hernandez, SMSA: Ran for 290 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries, and threw for 133 yards and a touchdown in a 34-12 win at North Branford.
John Manning, Windsor: Ran for three touchdowns in a 49-0 win over Bristol Central.
Elijah Miller, Ellington: Made three catches count: They went for 100 yards and a touchdown in a 44-6 win over Capital Prep/ Achievement First.
Connor Ouellette, E.O. Smith: Was 10-for-13 for 158 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran for two scores in a 39-7 win over Northwest Catholic.
Ryan Outlow, Thames River: Ran for two touchdowns and caught two touchdown passes in a 56-0 win over VG Techs.
Brady Rossacci, Sheehan: Ran 31 times for 128 yards and four touchdowns in a 40-6 win over Hillhouse.
M.J. Torres, Rocky Hill: Ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries in a 33-18 win over Stonington.
Dasani Yates, Waterbury Career Academy: Ran for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass in a 21-0 win over Crosby.
TWO WAYS TO VIEW IT
Zack Donovan, Stafford co-op: Ran 25 times for 140 yards and four touchdowns in a 33-12 victory over the Coginchaug co-op. He was also 5-for-7 for 66 yards, had a sack and forced a fumble.
Hason Green, Rockville: Caught two of Brady Ramsdell’s five touchdown passes (47 and 10 yards) and had two interceptions in a 54-14 win over Morgan.
EXTRA SPECIAL
Luke Maguder, Berlin: Ran back the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, and he caught two scoring passes in the Redcoats’ 39-6 win over Bristol Eastern.
Dan Sullivan, Simsbury: Kicked field goals of 30 and 28 yards and hit both extra points in a 20-3 win over Conard.
THAT’S A WINNER
Brandon Alvarado,
Wilcox/Kaynor: Scored four touchdowns, including the winner in overtime in a 28-21 victory over Cheney Tech.
Joziah Gonzalez, Maloney: Ran a kickoff back 90 yards for the winning touchdown in a 28-23 victory over Newington. He’d caught a touchdown pass earlier. Max Nylen, RHAM:
Scored four touchdowns, one reception and three on the ground, including two in the last three minutes to complete a 34-27 comeback win over Plainville. Emeka Yearwood, Cromwell/Portland: His 12-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter was the difference in a 14-7 win over Granby/ Canton.
NOT-FRIDAY STANDOUTS
Christopher Kaminski, Ansonia: Threw for 164 yards and the Chargers’ first two touchdowns in a 44-6 victory over Wolcott.
Roehn Maldonado, Holy Cross: A forced fumble helped the Crusaders take the lead, and a blocked fumble preserved a 21-19 win over Naugatuck.
Christian Morales, Woodland: His 10 carries and 109 yards included the first three touchdowns of Woodland’s 49-0 win at Torrington.
Coaches/stat folks, next week send us your Thursday and Friday stars by Saturday morning at info@gametimect.com. Email us your Saturday stars at the same address on Saturday. Better yet, send your full box scores. Thanks.
LOOKING AHEAD On to Week 6:
Ledyard (4-0) at Waterford (3-1), Friday, 6 p.m.: They’re adjacent in the ECC Division II standings. They’re next to each other in the Class SS standings, too. A Waterford win would match last year’s total. A Ledyard win makes the Colonels 5-0 for the second year in a row.
Cheshire (4-0) at Fairfield Prep (1-3), Friday, 6 p.m.: Before the bye, the Rams had Hand, and they dealt the Tigers their third straight shutout loss. Next up are the Jesuits, preseason No. 3 in the GameTimeCT Top 10 Poll, who’d allowed no more than 15 points in their first three before Hamden took it to them.
Windham (4-0) at Killingly (4-0), Friday, 6:30 p.m.: These teams meet for the first time in five years, and no, this year’s wellexperienced Whippets seniors weren’t in that game. Someone’s unbeaten start comes to an end.
Darien (2-2) at Wilton (4-0 pending Tolland on Saturday), Friday, 7 p.m.:
Whether or not Wilton comes in 5-0 for the first time in its players’ lives, this is likely the Warriors’ toughest test yet, even if Darien hasn’t quite Dariened in the early going.
St. Joseph (4-0) at Greenwich (3-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: Game of the Week as preseason No. 1 hosts the team working its way up the poll, right behind the Cardinals.
Notre Dame-West Haven (3-1) at Hand (1-3), Friday, 7 p.m.: They were only a few spots apart in the preseason poll. Hand won its first game. Notre Dame lost to cross-city rival West Haven in its first game. Their fortunes have turned around since.
New Milford (2-2) at Newtown (3-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: New Milford has itself on the fringe of the Class L playoff race and lost competitively to a solid Masuk team in its last outing. Newtown, which is in the Class L top eight, will be a step up at least from the teams the Green Wave has defeated.
Bunnell (3-1) at Masuk (2-2), Friday, 7 p.m.:
Speaking of, hi, Panthers, unbeaten against teams not from Trumbull. Bunnell’s next three weeks include two 2021 playoff teams, Masuk and Notre DameFairfield, with 2019 Class LL champ Newtown in between. With both teams outside the at-this-earlymoment Class MM playoff field, this one could have big implications in a month or so.
SEE YOU NEXT WEEK
The NVL, the Pequot, all but four CCC teams and all but five CTC teams are on a bye this week. That includes No. 1 Southington, Maloney and Ansonia from the most recent GameTimeCT Top 10.