BEST PERFORMANCES

There were some great performances this past weekend. Middletown’s Dario Highsmith ran for 209 yards on 24 carries, scored three touchdowns, and passed for twomore on a 4-for-6 effort for 95 yards.

Xavier quarterback Mike Scherer was magnificent, completing 25-of-38 for 238 yards. He threw for one TD and caught another on a gimmick play, a double reverse pass in the closing minutes. Falcon receiver Collin McCarthy caught 12 passes for 98 yards and back Ted Duarte had 108 yards on 25 carries.

MHS linebacker Isaiah Thompkins was a beast at linebacker, and he carried the ball just once, running over people for 29 yards. If he had, oh, 10 or 12 carries a game, no telling what he might do. But he is so valuable on defense that coach SalMorello is a bit hesitant, methinks, to use him more on offense.

Cromwell’s Kristian Sapp ran for 191 yards and three TDs as the Panthers got back to.500 at 3-3 and Coginchaug’s Parker Tregoning had 192 yards as the Blue Devils remained undefeated at 6-0.

Finally, Xavier’s Andrew Verre kicked a 47-yard field goal. That’sNFLstuff, folks. at MHS a few years ago, I had a 17-year old student who had never seen the ocean. Never been to the Connecticut shore. Never been to a shopping mall. When we attempt to educate these kids about the world, there is so much we take for granted, that what we say to these kinds of kids -- and she was by far not the only one -- is incomprehensible to them.

And we give them standardized tests.

I had another student, a sophomore, who was so excited because on Saturday, her dad promised to take her to Walmart. To her, that was the ultimate experience. Westfarms? Meriden Mall? Buckland Hills? What was I talking about?

And we give them standardized tests.

I know of an athlete in the area, a very promising athlete who has college potential both academically and athletically. The kid’s parents don’t think the kid has that potential, so they have told the kid there is no point in the kid playing the kid’s chosen sport. The kid loves the sport. I’ve seen the kid play. Kid’s good.

But the parents won’t give the kid rides to practice or games, although they are perfectly capable. The coach said he/she is trying to figure out a way to arrange transportation. But the parents will not cooperate. Waste of time.

I know of another kid -- years ago -- a star athlete at MHS, very popular, good-looking, bright kid who could have any date he wanted. He came out as gay in his senior year. His parents threw him out of the house. For two weeks hewas forced to live where he could. The parents eventually took him back.

What kind of people do that to their own child?

I know of anther area athlete who came out. His parents forced him to go to a reparative “Christian’ therapist to “fix” him, despite all the scientific evidence that says that’s impossible. That kind of “therapy” is illegal in New Jersey and California.

Maybe Connecticut’s legislators, instead of being stupid about how they will lower your taxes -not going to happen -- or cut spending -- Cut what? Schools? Cops? Highways? -- ought to get off the dime and outlaw this savagery.

I can tell you of a recent star athlete, a kid cheered by many, whose single parent was a drug addict, forcing the kid to live from place to place, being raised by relatives and friends. Happy ending. This kid survived and now is in college. He’s been saved. But what of the others?

Read the SI piece. Then remember the same things happen here.

I often would walk the corridors of MHS where I had a wonderful teaching career, and see privileged kids, kids destined for Yale, Wesleyan, MIT, walking past kids who go home to nothing, who live in unimaginable poverty right under our noses. They live day-to-day. On the field, the court, the pool and the track we cheer like crazy for them, thinking all the time they go home to a warm house with loving mommies and daddies.

Not always the case; not by a long shot.

The kids in the hallways are like ships that pass unseen in the night. Same ocean, different world.

I will point to the grave. That is the possible alternative to saying nothing. Maybe that would work.