O’Brien Tech doubles coaches, wins

First it doubled the number of coaches on its sidelines, and then O’Brien Tech doubled its number of football victories Saturday.

New coach Tim Nixon started the year alone for the Condors. Assistant coach Robert Hayes recently got his CIAC certification, so he joined the team as its defensive coordinator.

“With two (coaches) and 50 kids, it still makes it tough,” said Nixon, most recently an assistant coach at West Haven before taking over the Condors. “(Hayes) coaches the defense, I coach the offense, and we’re actually twoplatoon. It’s tough to practice like that, but for me it’s been so much fun to be able to teach the whole offense.

“I tell all my friends back at West Haven how much fun it is coaching here and to see the growth of the kids, to see them executing, to see that developing right before our eyes has been a privilege and an honor.”

And the Condors have themselves a winning streak, beating Wilcox Tech 448 on the road on Oct. 5 and topping MCW United 440 at home on Saturday, after an 03 start.

“(Hayes) is doing a great job,” Nixon said. “It was really tough doing it on my own, but when you coach good kids, it makes it a lot easier for me. It was certainly a challenge, but it was something that we looked to overcome.”

On a sunny Saturday in Ansonia, freshman tight end Ryan Bergen, making his first start, and the line opened holes for the Condors’ backs. They ran for 285 yards, led by Xavier Velleco’s 118. Jamesyn Brothers ran for three touchdowns and threw one to Elijah Moore, who caught two other passes from Ozzie Priar and had 100 receiving yards on those three catches.

Priar, Nixon said, “he is a great offensive manager. He knows what to do, puts guys in motion, reads the defense.

“You know me, I’d rather run the ball 48 times and throw maybe once, but we like to open it up. We really believe in our receiver, Elijah Moore. He’s tremendous when you put the ball up to him. Either he’s going to come down with it or no one’s going to come down with it.”

O’Brien Tech visits Prince Tech on Saturday with games against some of the league’s top teams, including ATI and BullardHavens at home, still to come. The Condors also host Platt Tech the day before Thanksgiving.

“We’ve got a long ways to go, but it’s been an exciting year. Having an assistant definitely helps, 100 percent,” Nixon said. “Hopefully I can get two more for next week. That would be real nice.”

ANOTHER MARK

Daron Bryden broke his second significant Bloomfield passing record in three weeks on Friday. Revised figures on MaxPreps on Monday give him 401 yards in a 680 win over Rocky Hill and 5,521 for his career, a school record.

According to the 2013 Connecticut High School Football Record Book, Keenen Orie threw for 5,156 yards for the Warhawks through 2007.

Bryden, a junior, now has 75 touchdown passes; he broke Jason Manson’s school record of 65 in Bloomfield’s previous game, a 470 win at Plainville on Oct. 4.

The state records, according to this year’s record book: 10,767 passing yards, Casey Cochran, New London and Masuk; 113 touchdowns, Tanner Kingsley, Woodland.

ENDING VIOLENCE

Hartford Public coach Harry Bellucci and Berlin coach Joe Aresimowicz will receive the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s Coalition Crusader Award next month in Hartford.

The two coaches will be honored for their work with the Coaching Boys Into Men program,

which aims to prevent domestic violence, at a breakfast award ceremony in Hartford on Nov. 15.

CLICK ‘LIKE’: Hall raised $2,000 with a car wash for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

OH/OH: We promise this will be an irregular feature, but four unbeaten teams in the playoff race fell from the ranks this past weekend, leaving 17. Two more are guaranteed to take their first losses this week in the two big FCIAC showdowns, No. 2 St. Joseph vs. No. 7 Ridgefield, and No. 3 Greenwich vs. No. 4 Darien.

There are still 22 teams without a win, though the good news is that number will drop by at least four this coming weekend. There are enough other headtohead meetings between teams winless to this point that no more than 13 teams can finish that way.