It’s a special win at Old Lyme for Sapere, King
Valley/OL scores twice in 4th to beat Coginchaug
Old Lyme — Matt Sapere knew that even with his troublesome ankle, even with limited practice for weeks now, he would play Saturday. No way he wouldn't. Maybe because he knew that he'd have an opportunity to do something his coach never did many years ago.
Tim King, who coaches Sapere and the rest of the high school football players at Valley/Old Lyme, never could play football at Old Lyme, his alma mater. It wasn't offered. So he went to St. Bernard. Little did King ever realize football would happen in his hometown as it did Saturday: perfect weather, nice crowd on the hill overlooking the field.
And it was Sapere who delivered the remainder of the good news. Did he play? He thrived, throwing for 273 yards and two touchdowns as the Warriors rallied to beat Coginchaug 31-20.
It is an annual game now, when the Valley/Old Lyme cooperative, whose normal home field is at Valley Regional in Deep River, plays at Old Lyme.
"I was absolutely playing," said Sapere, a junior, who attends Old Lyme. "It's awesome to play here and look over at our school. You wouldn't think playing on a field would make that much of a difference. But it does."
And how. Just ask King, who led the Warriors to last season's Class S-Large state title.
"All of a sudden here today I see all the friends I left (to attend and play at St. Bernard)," King said. "I still see them. To be able to come back and play here and be with them means so
much."
King and the Warriors (3-4) trailed 7-3 at halftime. And yet they had the lead two plays into the second half: Cognichaug fumbled the kickoff, leading to Sapere's 27-yard run to make it 10-7.
Problem: What plagued Valley/Old Lyme in the first half — stopping Coginchaug's run game — remained an issue. After Richard Sorensen went 31 yards for a score to make it 14-10, Parker Tregoning, who scored on an 80-yard touchdown run in the first half, went 79 yards, again rallying the Blue Devils from a deficit to lead 20-17.
Valley trailed 20-17 early in the fourth period when Sapere's deft, 15-yard scramble on third down set up Daniel Stecher's 11-yard touchdown run, part of the 79 rushing yards Stecher had in the second half.
Valley's defense allowed 25 yards the rest of the game.
The Warriors sealed it when Sapere hit Gus Cummins with a 44-yard touchdown pass with 2:53 left. "A healthy Matt is good for us," King said.
"This was a crucial game for us," Sapere said. "We want to try to win out."
Garrett Burdick, once the clutch kicker at New London, transferred to Old Lyme after last school year. Burdick had 89 receiving yards, a 44-yard punt return and an interception.
Tregoning led Coginchaug with 230 rushing yards. m.dimauro@theday.com Twitter: @BCgenius