Road doesn’t get easier for Xavier squad

Xavier’s reality suggests that nothing is going to come easy for the Falcons this football season.

There wasn’t much time to absorb what happened in Friday’s season opener, a 26-13 loss at Norwich Free Academy, before the staff and players starting sizing up Shelton and the challenges that the Gaels present in Week 2.

Because of ongoing renovations at Shelton’s Finn Stadium, their game will be played Thursday at West Haven’s Ken Strong Stadium.

The Falcons’ week, then, goes like this: Practice Monday and Tuesday, walkthrough on Wednesday, kickoff on Thursday at 6 p.m. against one of the state’s top teams. The Gaels, sixth in the GameTimeCT/New Haven Register Top 10 preseason poll, opened with a 17-10 win over Cheshire.

“A Top 10 team on a short week. All of the factors again are going against us,” Xavier coach Andy Guyon said.

A combination of nerves and inexperience conspired to hurt the Falcons early at NFA, Guyon said. They could not move the ball. NFA scored three times. It was too big a hole too early for a young team to have to contend with.

“We’re very young, but I think we’re talented. We just don’t have that experience,” Guyon said. “Once the game went on, we played so much better.”

Xavier scored on its first possession after halftime, a 38-yard pass from Matt Ryan to Kareem

Grisham. Grisham intercepted a pass on NFA’s ensuing possession and returned it to the 3, and Nick Hasselman scored from two yards out to cut Xavier’s deficit to 20-13.

“After that, we couldn’t get that one big play we needed,” Guyon said. “We couldn’t force another turnover or get another first down to keep a drive alive.”

Still down a touchdown, Xavier had the ball deep in its own territory in the final minutes. NFA made a big stop, stripping Ryan as he was being sacked and returning the fumble 13 yards for the game’s final score.

“I’m proud of how we came out of the locker room and played in the second half,” Guyon said. “If we play like we did in the second half from the start, we’ll be a good team.

“This is one game. It’s the first game, and we’ve got to

learn from it and now just continue to improve one day at a time. They’re learning and that’s where we are.”

MIDDLETOWN’S WIN IN REVIEW

Five takeaways from Middletown’s 38-20 home win over Wethersfield:

** The defensive line is formidable. Senior lineman Tavien Harris, who lists at 6-1 and 270 pounds, got into the Eagles’ backfield a bunch of times and sacked quarterback Craig Elliott twice. Middletown’s pressure is going to be a big obstacle for CCC foes.

** Jonta’e DempseyBrown can throw the ball. He’s got good legs, too. The senior QB performed as if he’s been playing the position for much longer than his handle of varsity starts. It will be great fun watching the offense unfold. Having speed in the backfield and at QB is time-honored tradition at Middletown. To balance it with the pass?

Watch out.

** Senior running back Xzavier Reyes, who ran for three scores, loved the way Dempsey-Brown ran the offense. “He took shots with the pass when he had to. I couldn’t have been more happy for him. He was great,” Reyes said.

** I wish this matchup would come in midseason. I don’t know if Wethersfield is any better or any worse than last year’s four-win team. It stinks that Middletown’s two signature games in the CCC are the opener with the Eagles and the finale on Thanksgiving eve against Windsor. Together, they usually are tough tests.

Speaking of Windsor, the Warriors lost their opener as Maloney scored in the final 90 seconds for a 26-20 victory in Meriden.

** Finally, Wethersfield had white numbers on white jerseys, front and back. Who decided this? The Eagles looked like the Wolverines in “Red Dawn.” From 25 yards away, it was

next to impossible to identify a player other than the quarterback. Computer, notebook, pen, iPhone, rosters — if only I brought a set of night-vision goggles with me. Next year.

AROUND AND ABOUT

** Senior Matt Lecky won the boys varsity race and Middletown won the team title at the Blue Dragon Invitational at Veterans Park. Lecky’s winning time was 15:42.87. Sean Ahern, a Middletown sophomore, finished third. The course was altered somewhat by the presence of a wasp’s nest.

East Hampton’s Jake Ireland (fourth) and Alex McMillian (seventh) finished in the top 10. The East Hampton and Portland teams had top-10 finishes. In the JV race, Aidan Dunn of MHS was second.

In the girls varsity race, East Hampton’s Liv DiStefano finished third in 19:04.65. Mercy’s Rachael

Cipolla was fourth and Middletown’s Ariana Monarca came in sixth. Five local teams were among the top 10: Mercy (third), HaleRay (fourth), Middletown (seventh), Coginchaug (eighth) and East Hampton (ninth). Hamden won the team title.

** Middletown’s girls soccer team opened its season with a 2-0 win over Maloney. Carleigh DeFrance scored both goals and was assisted by Madison Fletcher and Sofia Pflaumer. Middletown had eight shots on goal to Maloney’s one.

THIS AND THAT

** Houston’s first two wins over Boston in their three-game series brought into focus the Red Sox’s bullpen issues. The Red Sox remain baseball’s best team — in the regular season. I don’t think they can win a World Series with the guys who pitch between the starters and Craig Kimbrel. Between Boston, Houston and Cleveland, I think the Indians have the best bullpen.

** In a one-game playoff setting, the Yankees should give the ball to Masahiro Tanaka. Since the All-Star break, Luis Severino is 3-5 with a 6.95 ERA, and opponents are batting .318 against him.

** Former Middletown High soccer player Jeffrey Turro is getting quality playing time as a freshman at Central Connecticut. Turro had one of CCSU’s 14 shots on goal in a 2-1 loss to Saint Peter’s last week. The Blue Devils are winless in four games.

** To put Tiger Woods’ year of golf in context: He began it ranked 656th in the world and had not earned a single Ryder Cup point. Last week, he was named to the U.S. team as an at-large pick. It’s truly remarkable. Maybe next golf season will bring him his first PGA Tour victory since 2013.