Summers, St. Joe’s trounce Knights
ST. JOSEPH 42 STAMFORD 0
TRUMBULL — It was easily the worst thing that has happened to the St. Joseph High School football team this year. When all is said and done with this 2018 season, however, that 15-point loss to Darien last month just might end up being the best thing that could have happened to the Cadets.
With quarterback David Summers throwing for 182 yards and five touchdowns Saturday, St. Joseph walloped Stamford 42-0. The rout continued a recent trend for the Cadets, since they lost their No. 1 ranking in the state by Darien.
Saturday’s win over Stamford was the Cadets’ third in a row since the loss, their third consecutive shutout and third straight time they have scored 40-plus points. St. Joseph beat Wilton 47-0, Ridgefield 42-0 and Stamford 42-0.
You think that loss to Darien had a significant impact on the Cadets?
Coach Joe DellaVecchia isn’t so sure.
“We’ve been playing well, especially on defense since the beginning of the year, including against Darien” he said. “We’ve been consistent all year.”
Hard to argue with that as the Cadets improved to 5-1 and look on course to at least have a chance to defend their Class M state championship in December. Summers, however, believes that the Darien loss was and will continue to be a major motivating force for the team the rest of the season.
“We lost to Darien when we were No. 1 in the state and it lit a fire under us,” said Summers, who has passed for more than 1,000 yards in six games with 15 touchdowns. “We realized after that game that we have to work just as hard every week in order to play for a state championship.”
Wilton, Ridgefield (a 2016 Class LL runner-up) and Stamford entered this week with a combined 6-9 record, and were outscored by St. Joe’s 131-0.
“That’s one of the best teams in the state,” Stamford coach Jamar Green said of St. Joseph. “They are well-coached, play hard all the time, are strong, fast and have one of the best quarterbacks in the state. And they don’t make mistakes (no turnovers, one penalty Saturday).”
Summers started out completing 10 of his first 11 passes and connected with Jesse Bike three times (from
six, 45 and 25 yards) in the first 12½ minutes. Bike caught four balls for 85 yards and the three scores, all in the first half.
Before the half was over Summers got the team’s other top receiver involved as well, hitting Will Diamantis
on a six-year scoring strike. The senior found Diamantis (4-65-2) again from 32 yards out early in the third quarter before Jaden Shirden (10 carries, 114 yards) capped the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
“Not a bad day for David,” DellaVecchia said. “This is the most crisp he has been all year, even after a two-week layoff (St. Joseph had a bye last week). He really spread it out a lot today.”
Led by Alex Pagliarini, Mike Morrissey, Kyren Jones, Cole DaSilva and Jesse Lawson, the Cadets’ defense held Stamford to 69 total yards (22 rushes for 16 yards).
Stamford quarterback Terry Forrester was 7 for 14 for 53 yards.