Ansonia's #4 Andrew Matos, left, looks to dodge a tackle by Derby's #7 Dillon McMahon, during football action in Ansonia, Conn. on Thursday September 27, 2012. Photo: Christian Abraham / Connecticut Post
For a sportswriter on deadline, the 90th Ansonia-Derby meeting was a dream game.
First off, it was over quickly (that, my friends is the ultimate sportswriter’s dream).
Second, it came custom built with an all-to-easy newspaper lead by halftime. It was so easy, when told what was happening at Jarvis Stadium, every sports editor in the Connecticut Post newsroom called it in unison:
Standout back Arkeel Newsome managed just 34 yards on six carries. The Chargers still beat Derby 48-6.
Yep. Ansonia made sports writing seem as easy as how Ansonia looked in dispatching Derby on Thursday night.
Newsome was hobbled by a slight ankle injury during the game’s first few plays and spent the last three quarters on the sideline with a wrap around his leg.
No worries. Receiver Andrew Matos took the ball and scored three touchdowns — two running, two receiving. Jai’Quan McKnight threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another.
Ansonia won its 14th straight game against an NVL opponent and improved to 3-0.
As for Newsome, the injury didn’t seem too serious and coach Tom Brockett said as much. Newsome scored a short touchdown and had a 2-point conversion late in the first quarter. He carried the ball just six times before retiring for the night.
But, hey, who needed Newsome when everyone else in Lavender was doing just fine?
Let Newsome rest the leg. Ansonia has Holy Cross coming up next week. Let the rest of the boys have some fun for a change.
As for Derby, though disappointing, it wasn’t an surprising result. Ansonia’s just that good, apparently. The Red Raiders are still pretty good by the rest of the league’s standards. They still have a great shot at that elusive winning season. They just got run over by a bulldozer tonight.
This is Ansonia’s league, everyone else is just a stage prop.
We’ll have some short highlights, photos and the game story from our man on the scene.
(Let’s see if his lead fits ours…. Update: Close enough. We’re all different.)
The primer and live update blog will be up tomorrow.
Thursday night results
- NVL: Ansonia 48, Derby 6
- SCC: North Haven 47, East Haven 3
- CSC: Prince Tech 48, O’Brien Tech 0
Note: For those of you who are wondering about the headline. XC = 90.
Ansonia is a solid team both on offense and defense. What I always admired about Ansonia is they play their best players both ways and very rarely do they come off the field. Other schools do the politically correct thing to please everyone in the stands.
Well, this game outta keep Coach French,Joe the shot, and the rest of the Derby faithful quiet until Turkey Day when they will chirp again on why this will be the year they bring down the Gaels.I have saw Derby twice now including the Branford scrimmage[BTW-Has the Hornets stopped scoring yet?]In case you missed it last week Branford got shut-out by an average Cheshire team.Coach French said this yr will be different….Speed,tough defensive front ect….We are back playing Derby Football……Back where?Too the old SCC days?Big game spotlight to yourselves on Thursday night.Could you at least get your team to show up,compete and lose by only 3 Td’s.
SPB has it right:The Red Raiders are still pretty good by the rest of the league’s standards. They still have a great shot at that elusive winning season. They just got run over by a bulldozer tonight.
And finally,how about Dave K quote:Ray
I know a lot about it. One team is very good. The other team is below average. The good team leads by four scores at the half and everybody heads for the local watering holes.
Comment by dave k — September 26th, 2012 @ 6:17 pm
I bet the Norwood A/C was packed by the end of the 1st qtr….
Nice crowd—–despite ansonias dominance the rivalry remains healthy.Ansonias line play continues to impress—test will come when someone matches up physically.FINNEY is a all-state caliber player.
Looks like another 14-0 season for the Chargers.
davek—to be honest—shelton and derby are both irrelevent.
Ray
Shelton football maybe irrelevent to you but not to the1500 plus who show up at Finn Stadium on Friday nights.like yogi once said “Ansonia football is so good nobody goes there any more”
half the shelton crowd are band parents,ansonia fans wait till december to show ,theyre tired of winning.if you need playoff tix call me—-it looks like another early basketball season for the Girls, i mean gaels.
hey…all right Joe’s in OT…Oh my god..say it in aint so…sun just came out…oh well…there’re good…play staples?…beat them…no play?..we’ll just have to try to beat them…they are tough…Every Thankgiving Day.