Bunnell’s sudden (and, from the administration’s point of view, unexplained) withdrawal from the Ansonia football scrimmage wasn’t the only high school football news on Friday.
While that piece of interesting, but relatively unimportant news flooded the internet wires, here are some significantly more important tidbits you might have missed:
1. The SCC football coaches finally vote away tie games (Yes, the ADs still have to approve, but we have assurances they will and the SCC will finally make the leap into the 21st Century. Hallelujah! I says.)
2. New London is fined a whopping $250 by the mighty CIAC after the Whalers reported their own recruiting violations in this story reported by The Day of New London.
(Apparently a couple of eighth graders took part in a drill during last spring, leading to the self report and coach Jack Cochran‘s vow to pay it out of his own pocket. Almost as bizarre is the big Jack’s explanation that the kids “just jumped in there.” Priceless. But it’s not cheating if you report yourself, right?)
3. And last, but certainly not least: Longtime Seymour coach Paul Sponheimer confirmed his rumored retirement after the season.
I know Spoony can be tough to take if you’re not in his corner. He speaks his mind and loves to stir the pot. But he is an absolute classic, a guy who’s everything a football coach is supposed to be. He’s also guy who doesn’t take the game so seriously that he loses sight of its true value: building the lives of young men. His departure truly will be the end of an era in Valley and Connecticut football.
(Oh, by the way. To the BirdsNest guys out there: Spoony says you can put those Mike Osiecki-out-for-the-season rumors to rest. “He sat out the Central scrimmage,” Sponheimer said. “He’s fine.”
the exodus of half of spoonys players to oxford high hastened spoonys retirement.seymour which now will draw just from its town will find out how hard it is to compete with a smaall enrollment.which makes ansonias accomplishments all the more amazing.
Ray,
The math is far from “half” of Seymour players.
The “exodus” of Oxford kids happened years ago when they were offered the opportunity to attend Masuk instead of Seymour. Most parents chose Masuk. I believe there were 3 or 4 Oxford Seniors on last year’s state championship team. Cant imagine there are many more than that as seniors this year. There have always been a few Oxford standouts and I am not saying they didn’t help over the years, but Seymour will remain in SS this year as they have been for the previous several year. They were never higher than M.