A look back at who did and said what during Week 1 of the high school football season, and a look ahead to Week 2.
BULLDOZERS
Norwalk's Tomar Joseph
- Arkell Newsome, Ansonia: A ho-hum 197 yards on nine carries for five touchdowns in the Chargers’ 66-26 win over Torrington.
- Tomar Joseph, Norwalk: 119 yards on 27 carries, including a 31-yard rumble to Danbury’s 5-yard, setting up the Bears’ game-sealing touchdown in a 16-6 victory.
- Mark Bernstein, Greenwich: 125 yards on 13 carries, helping the Cardinals control the ball in a 20-7 decision over Ridgefield.
- Jack Shaban, Barlow: Ran 20 times for 220 yards and three touchdowns in 34-14 victory over New Fairfield.
GUNSLINGERS
- Henry Baldwin, Darien: Senior had the deep ball working all night, completing 10-of-23 passes for 269 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in a 41-7 victory over Fairfield Ludlowe.
- Bryan Castelot, Bunnell: Opens season with 373 yards and three touchdowns for the senior slinger in a Bunnell 44-35 shootout win over Bethel. 184 of those yard and two TDs went to Devante Teel.
- Tyler Hassett, Weston: 12-of-18, 165 yards passing, three touchdowns. 45 yards rushing and two touchdowns in 46-18 win over Notre Dame-Fairfield.
- Jose Melo, Greenwich: Junior completed 12-of-19 passes for 279 yards and one touchdown in Greenwich’s season-opening win against Ridgefield.
- Brad Westmark, Brookfield: Junior completed 12-of-24 passes for 173 yards and two TDs in a 24-19 victory over Stratford.
- Drew Tarantino, Newtown: Threw three touchdown passes (two to Julian Dunn) in a 21-7 win over New Milford.
GAMEBREAKERS
Masuk WR Thomas Milone
- Thomas Milone, Masuk: Pomperaug punted to him three minutes into Friday night’s game and paid the price when he took it 60 yards to paydirt for his first of two returns. He also caught an 83-yard touchdown pass on a fly pattern, a 85-yard screen pass (breaking about eight tackles) and a five-yard score on a jumpball in the end zone on his way to five total touchdowns in a 47-10 victory.
- Devante Teel, Bunnell: Caught two long touchdown passes in 44-35 victory over Bethel.
- Trevon Forney, McMahon: Caught a short pass and raced 79 yards for the winning score in a 33-28 victory over Fairfield Warde. Also scored on a 98-yard run from scrimmage and returned the second half kickoff 90 yards for a TD.
- Nick Lombardo, Darien: Wide receiver hauled in four catches for 164 yards, including three touchdown receptions (55, 33 and 63 yards) from Baldwin. Lombardo got behind the defense on all three scoring strikes, but he also was able to break a tackle or two to wind up in the end zone.
- James Frusciante, Staples: Senior had six catches (four for 96 yards in the second half), two receiving touchdowns and a 70-yard punt return for touchdown in 49-28 win over St. Joseph.
- Joe Kelly, Greenwich: Senior tight end had five receptions for 155 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown catch on the Cardinals’ first drive in their 20-7 win over Ridgefield.
- Brett Phillips, Wilton: 29-yard TD run with 2:13 left in game propelled Wilton over Central 35-28. He rushed for 95 yards and two TDs on nine carries. He added 131 yards and a touchdown on 10-of-15 passing.
BRICK WALLS
Greenwich's Taylor Olmstead (40) tackles Ridgefield's Sam Gravitte | Photo by Jason Rearick
- Brian Wiegand, Darien: Cornerback intercepted a pair of passes, the first resulting in a touchdown and a 14-0 Blue Wave lead midway through the first quarter.
- John Shannon, Bullard-Havens: Scored on an 38-yard interception return and finished with nine tackles and a fumble recovery in a 42-8 rout of Putnam. On the offensive side, he rushed for 151 yards and two TDs.
- Andre Cork, Norwalk: With Danbury pinned on its 1-yard line, the senior linebacker dragged down RB Christopher Latham for a safety and a 10-0 Bears lead.
- Colton Smith, Fairfield Prep: Sophomore defensive back, a transfer from Newtown, picked off two passes in his varsity debut, a 47-0 rout of Wilbur Cross.
- Taylor Olmstead, Greenwich: Picked off a pass from Connor Rowe in the end zone at the beginning of the fourth quarter in a 20-7 victory over Ridgefield.
VALIANT IN DEFEAT
- Joseph Piatnik, Bethel: Junior QB, a 6-foot-3 bruiser, ran for 260 yards and three TDs on 24 carries and threw a 9-yard scoring pass to Cal Daniels in a 44-35 loss to Bunnell.
- Jake Pelletier, St. Joseph: Senior WR scored caught three TD passes from Jordan Vazzano (26, 10 and 17 yards) and rushed for a 5-yard score in a 49-28 losse to Staples.
- Jake Kasuba, Foran: Sophomore threw for 258 yards and three scores in a 55-34 loss to Hillhouse, getting better as the game progressed.
- Xavier Hardison, Central: QB was 10 for 21 on 146 yards and rushed nine times for 24 yards and a TD in a 35-28 loss to Wilton.
- Victor D’Ascenzo, Fairfield Ludlowe: With his team trailing 34-0 in the third quarter, the WR hauled in a pass from quarterback Matthew White, broke a tackle and won the footrace to the end zone for a 31-yard TD. The scoring strike capped off a 12-play, 80-yard drive.
- Tim Maher, Law: Ran for three touchdowns in a 45-42 loss to Sheehan.
“(There are) not a lot of games where you’re going to go in (to halftime) up 53-12 when you give up a special teams touchdown and a touchdown on defense, so you know we’ve got to clean that up.”
-Ansonia coach Tom Brockett on his team’s 66-26 victory over Torrington
Bethel's Joe Piatnik tries to escape Bunnell's Andrew Calzone Friday.
“Their quarterback is an animal. He’s a monster. He was running us over. I thought (Brandon Schmidt) graduated. This kid is unbelievable.”
-Bunnell coach Craig Bruno on Bethel’s Joe Piantik, who ran for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns in the second half of Bunnell’s 44-34 victory.
“There’s still football program here. We didn’t turn in the helmets because those kids graduated. There’s a tradition here and the kids believe in it and want to uphold their part of the bargain.”
-Masuk coach John Murphy after a 47-10 win over Pomperaug
“We worked hard in practice because we knew this was such an important game for us. We needed this for FCIACs and states.”
-Greenwich safety Taylor Olmstead after a 20-7 win over Ridgefield
“Coming out 28-0, you can’t ask for anything more than that.”
-Darien quarterback Henry Baldwin after the Blue Wave scored touchdowns on its first four possessions in a 41-7 win over Ludlowe.
“We said, ‘Lets get the ball into Tre’s hands and maybe he can make something happen. …Well, he made something happen.”
-McMahon coach A.J. Albano on Trevon Forney’s performance in the Senators’ 33-28 victory over Warde.
“In my three seasons here I’ve never seen a team show so much emotion and take a loss so bad. I’m proud to coach them, we’re going to win some football games here.”
-Stratford coach John Svatik following a 26-19 loss to Brookfield
Shaquan Howsie scores vs. Westhill | Photo by Keelin Daly
“I was up at 4:30 a.m. Saturday. I was so excited I went on YouTube. I was looking at some film clips that Shaq put up there when he was a freshman. He’s so special to me. And I’m so happy with how this day went.”
-Trinity Catholic Peter Stokes on back Shaquan Howsie‘s 81-yard, two touchdown game; his first game in almost 12 months.
“We’ve stuck together through it. We’ve been through some hard times, but the kids have persevered. It showed today on the field. … They wanted to dedicate this season to Brandon and his family, and this is a good way to start.”
-Oxford coach Joe Stochmal after his team’s 35-0 victory, its first since the death of teammate Brandon Giordano last spring.
FCIAC
- Norwalk (1-0) at Stamford (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m. – One of these lucky teams is going to go 2-0. Will it be the Bears, anxious to prove 2011 wasn’t a fluke? Or will the Black Knights prove they still have good football talent?
- Central (0-1) at Staples (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m. — Still smarting from a last-minute loss vs. Wilton, the Hilltoppers have a chance make amends by toppling the FCIAC favorites. They’d better hope Staples’ standout back Nick Kelly returns from injury.
- Wilton (1-0) at St. Joseph (0-1), Saturday, noon — Brett Phillips led Wilton to victory vs. Central. St. Joseph is anxious to show it can put a complete game together after its loss to Staples.
- New Canaan (1-0) at Trinity Catholic (1-0), Saturday, 1 p.m. – Shaquan Howsie and Trinity Catholic would love nothing more than to knock off the perennial FCIAC favorites at home.
NVL
- Woodland (1-0) at Ansonia (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m. — Both NVL squads flexed their collective muscles in Week 1. Will Tanner Kingsley, Anthony Scripo and the Hawks pose any serious problems for the Chargers? Or will this be another Arkeel Newsome freak show?
- Naugatuck (1-0) at Derby (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m. – Dillon McMahon ran wild in Derby’s convincing, 55-26 victory over St. Paul. The Red Raiders hope to keep the good vibes going when Mick Pernell and the Greyhounds visit DeFillipo field.
SCC
- Hand (1-0) at Hillhouse (1-0), Friday, 4 p.m. — It’s crossover week in the SCC. This heavyweight battle of Division I and II teams is as good as it gets.
- North Haven (1-0) at Xavier (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m. – Like the game above, this one pits a power of Division I and a power of Division II. This one might not be so pretty.
- Foran (0-1) at Shelton (0-1), Friday, 7 p.m. – Both SCC teams are looking for redemption after tough Week 1 losses.
SWC
- Brookfield (1-0) at Bunnell (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m. — Fresh off a solid victory over Stratford, Brookfield looks to continue its reclamation project against Bryan Castelot high-powered Bunnell.
- Barlow (1-0) at Bethel (0-1), Friday, 7 p.m. — Jack Shaban put on a show in Barlow’s victory over New Fairfield, as did Bethel’s Joe Piatnik in a loss to Bunnell. This oughta be interesting.
- Weston (1-0) at Oxford (1-0), Saturday, noon — Both teams handled their Week 1 opponents with ease. Who’s for real?
[Compiled by Executive sports editor Gary Rogo; Written by Sean Patrick Bowley and the staff of the Greenwich Time, Stamford Advocate, News-Times, and Connecticut Post.]
Hey HS Sports!
“TigerFan – it is clear you know nothing about football or sports in general. Who cares who was credited? ”
I dunno but it sure seems like everyone here cares about the game stats, noooo??? Even those valiant indefeat!!!
Think those watching Newsome break records this season care about stat accuracy by the Ansonia ciaches???
HS Sports doesnt get it. ALL CT football teams need to care about the accuracy of the game stats, even RHS in a loss to Greenwich!!! Itherwise, whats the point???
Are you kidding me, with this stats crap! If everyone on the RHS team feels the same way as this person does it explains alot ln why RHS cant and wont win the big games. Seems to me they are more worried about who had what catch and who made what tackles then winning the game. Tigerfan, your probably someone on the teams relative, do him a favor and NEVER mention the word stats again until after you win a championship, cause guess what, he isnt going to get recruited by his stats
Best team no one is talking about is Fairfield Prep. They will have a huge upset this year mark it down Sean.
I agree with Xhs. Prep is solid, especially their front 7.
Also, best QB no one is really talking about is the kid from St Joe’s. He’s the real deal. Probably the best arm in the FCIAC.
SPB i would have thought you of all people would have stopped doubting the NC program…6 straight = a culture of football…this team will follow tradition..
SPB, I know you can’t name everyone, but thought maybe the new Masuk QB, Malik Cummings, deserved some press (Gunslinger)after his first varsity start, stepping out of shadows of Cochran. All pre- season talk has been about QBs at Bunnell, Newtown, New Milford, etc..best kept secret in SWC maybe this kid…he is only going to get better. I hope team continue to underestimate him and focus on Milone.
@Everyone — These are all submitted by all of the writers at the games. Not just I.
@Jay – That schedule is *awful* *atrocious* *hideous.* I don’t care how many title games they’ve been to, where’s the challenge? We’re watching them, and there’s little doubt they will win, but — as a voter — I want to see them *play* somebody.
New Canaan’s schedule is so bad that they can slip up once. Go 9-1 and miss the playoffs.
Do they control the schedule? Darien, Wilton, Norwalk, Warde, McMahon…”terrible” ?..St Joes “terrible” ? Isn’t this really an indictment of the FCIAC not NC? Would love to see Greenwich, Ridgefield, NC, Staples, Darien play EVERY year…and like EVERY year many say NC doesn’t have what it takes yet they get there 6 years in a row…with a weak schedule wouldn’t that open you up to getting beat in the playoffs? Ask New London, Windsor about that
Xhs and PatPatriot, Prep is big and physical up front and their power running game sets them apart from the rest. They are young and talented and may not win the SCC this year, but watch out during the next 2 seasons. We will see how their defense looks in week 3 through 5 which will make or break their season. They need their running game to continue as their passing game is the weakness.
Not sure which thread is worse – RHS boosters worried about individual stat’s or NC boosters crowing after beating up on Bassick. I know its not your fault, that Lou doesn’t make the schedule but really???
congrats to prep,it seems their 8 year rebuiding program has kicked in.
Jay u gotta take your meds and relax. It’s a dumb poll after 1 week. If NC is that potent and good then u have nothing to worry about. They should beat Norwalk, Wilton, Joes and Darien, Staples in the title game and then Hand, Windsor, and Masuk in the L playoffs and when all said and done u will have your #2 ranking behind Xavier.
@Brian Agree but Who’s Xavier?
Hey Jay, ask NDWH and you will get your answer.
Jay I hope for your sake they beat TC. If they ever got beat by them your friends better call 911 and guard all the bridges!
Where is Baron ?
I’ll bet Staples never thought they would get what they got from St. Joes.
The score was big at the end but wasn’t indicative of just how close the game actually was.
Look out for St. Joes!