The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Area teams ready for stretch drive
Xavier aiming to keep playoff hopes alive against Fairfield Prep
MIDDLETOWN >> Xavier, Vinal Tech/ East Hampton/Goodwin Tech and Wesleyan are home this weekend, No. 8 Middletown hits the road to Newington, and all the other area teams are in action.
Cromwell/Portland and Valley Regional/Old Lyme will look to solidify their grips on playoff spots as the football season rounds the turn and heads for the November stretch drive.
Friday games
FAIRFIELD PREP (4-2) AT XAVIER (33), PALMER FIELD, 7 P.M. >> This is a huge game, especially for Fairfield Prep. The Jesuits are in eighth place in the CIAC Class LL playoff point standings, but it is a precarious No. 8 as there are no fewer than 10 teams in Class LL with two losses, all fighting for a playoff spot.
For Xavier, with three losses, a loss would certainly mean elimination from the postseason. If they win, the Falcons would remain mathematically alive, but still in a daunting position with all those two-loss teams to hurdle. Beating Prep would, at least, be a start.
Prep is coming off a 10-0 loss to Cheshire, but Prep’s quarterback Pat Conte (6-6, 230 pounds) didn’t play.
“He may be back,” Xavier coach Sean Marinan said. “If he is, he changes their offense as they like to run with him. He adds another dimension to their offense and we have to prepare for both scenarios -- with him or without him.”
Marinan said that Prep is a big, physical team with good running backs and uses a lot of formations.
“Their defense is really good and they blitz a lot,” he said.
Marinan said that his team is a little banged up and may be without a player or two. It’s Senior Night,
which always adds motivation. Ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
Xavier defeated Hand in overtime last week. Both teams lost close games to Cheshire. The outlier of all the games the two teams have played is Prep’s 34-7 loss to Notre Dame of West Haven. The game will be broadcast by WCNXRadio.com, the local Internet station.
Tough call, close match, go with the home team.
XAVIER to win. MIDDLETOWN (6-0) AT NEWINGTON (2-4). ALUMNI VARSITY FIELD, 6:30 P.M. >> Newington has won only twice, but has put multiple touchdowns on the board in every game except its 42-0 loss to Windsor. It lost 2014 to Platt, 31-21 to both Maloney and E.O. Smith and holds wins over Hartford Public, 21-6, and most recently, 27-7 over Bristol Eastern.
“Newington is big up front, which will present a challenge,” Middletown coach Sal Morello said. “They also have a big play capability and are tricky. They have put points on the board every week against some good teams. They are not bad offensively, so we have to come to play.”
Morello said he thought it was important for his team to build on its solid performance last week against Farmington and to keep turnovers to a minimum. He reported that starting offensive/defensive lineman James Johnson, a key member of his team, will be out with a sprained ankle he suffered last week.
This one might be closer than some think. A win will be another step towards locking up a Class L playoff spot. MHS is No. 2 in the CIAC point system, just behind New Canaan. The top eight teams qualify; the top four get home games in the first round.
MIDDLETOWN to win. COVENTRY/WINDHAM TECH/BOLTON (3-3) AT HADDAM-KILLINGWORTH (2-4), 6:30 P.M. >> Both clubs have remarkably similar outcomes against common opponents. Both have onesided wins over Windsor Locks and both have onesided losses to Old Saybrook/Westbrook and Stafford.
Games like that are almost always decided by a key turnover, an ill-timed penalty or a big play.
Go with the home team. H-K to win. VALLEY REGIONAL/OLD LYME (5-1) AT GRANBY (1-5), 7 P.M. >> A mismatch. Valley Regional/Old Lyme is looking to lock down a Class M playoff position and go into the game ranked No. 1 in the CIAC Class M playoff point system. Granby should be victim number six
VALLEY REGIONAL/ OLD LYME to win big.
Saturday games
QUINEBAUG VALLEY (0-6) AT VINAL TECH/EAST HAMPTON/GOODWIN TECH (1-5), PALMER FIELD, 12 P.M. >> The bad news is that Vinal lost its fifth game last week. The good news is the Bellhawks played a terrific second half and had Woodstock on the run before falling 46-30.
“The kids played well last week,” Vinal Tech coach Joe Cefaratti said. “They were so much different and so much better in the second half -- and Woodstock left their starters in. The kids are upbeat and are excited about playing this week. We were very physical on defense and going in, this is a winnable game for us.”
The Bellhawks will be bolstered by the return of their top two running backs, Jake Sevigny and Tim Cordero, both of whom have missed most of the season due to injury.
VINAL/EAST HAMPTON/GOODWIN to win. CROMWELL/PORTLAND (50) AT CANTON (0-5), 1 P.M. >> This one has the potential to get ugly real fast. Canton has been outscored 188-6 -you read that right -- this season and on this day finds itself up against one of the state’s premier Class S teams.
Cromwell/Portland enters the game ranked No. 3 in the CIAC Class S playoff rankings behind Ansonia and Capital Prep.
Bet a nickel that the second half will be played running time. This is NameThat-Score kind of game.
CROMWELL/PORTLAND to win in a walk. STAFFORD/EAST WINDSOR/SOMERS (5-1) AT COGINCHAUG REGIONAL (15), 1 P.M. >> This has the potential to be a one-sided game, too. Stafford comes in ranked No. 6 in the CIAC Class S playoff point standings and a win would tighten its grip on a playoff spot. Coginchaug has struggled all season and its only win is over Nonnewaug.
STAFFORD to win. BOWDON (0-5) AT WESLEYAN (4-1), ANDRUS FIELD, 1 P.M. >> This is one of those top of the league vs. bottom of the league matchups.
“Bowdoin is playing a lot of young guys on defense,” Wesleyan coach Dan DiCenzo said. “They have a new coach so they’re building.”
Wesleyan is coming off its biggest win of the season, a 20-0 win over Little Three rival Amherst. The Cardinals got through the win injury free.
“We’re in good shape,” DiCenzo said. “We could have used Jalen [Berry, running back] last week, but we felt holding him out another week was the right thing to do. We had Lou [Stevens, 42 carries, 232 yards] and Dario [Highsmith, 37, 189] so we were in good shape at running back. But Jalen will play this week and we’ll go with who is playing well.”
The Cardinals are led by quarterback Mark Piccirillo [80-for-124, 886 yards and 247 yards rushing]. He hasn’t been intercepted this season.
Wesleyan has scored 18 touchdowns thus far. Middletown High alum Devon Carrillo has seven, MHS alum Highsmith has three and Shelton High alum Piccirillo has three.
Bowdoin’s quarterback is Noah Nelson [52-113, 509 yards], its leading rusher is Nate Richam [61, 198] and Nelson’s leading receiver is Nick Vailas [18, 235].
WESLEYAN to win. Last week: 6-1. Season record: 34-8.