Archive for the ‘NVL’ Category

That’s a Wrap: Week 1

Monday, September 17, 2012 by:Gary Rogo
Comment
Comments(20)
|
|

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.]

Video: NVL Football Blog has your Ansonia-Torrington highlights (and more)

Monday, September 17, 2012 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
Comment
Comments
|
|

Remmy at the NVL Football Blog has a comprehensive look at the scene in Torrington during Ansonia’s 66-26 victory over the Red Raiders in an NVL season-opener.

The NVL Blog guys have tons of more NVL analysis and a Week 1 recap (hint: they were not pleased).

For Oxford and Masuk, football soothes aching hearts [Saturday wrap]

Sunday, September 16, 2012 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
Comment
Comments(7)
|
|

Scenes from the Oxford at Immaculate football game in Danbury on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. Photo: Jason Rearick / The News-Times

Bucky Gumbrewicz, wearing the No. 69 jersey of former teammate Brandon Giordano, and Brennen Diaz march to the pregame coin toss vs. Immaculate on Saturday. Photo Jason Rearick / News-Times

These are just games, right? We love them. We care about them. We enjoy them. For the players, the games build character and cultivate relationships. They bring communities together.

In context, sports are an important and wonderful part of of our lives. Both as a player, then as a spectator.

But they are just games, right?

Life often intrudes on our playgrounds, harshly sometimes. The people we come to love as our friends and family through sports can get hurt, or worse, be taken away.

There are thousands of young men playing football in Connecticut; thousands of lives from thousands of families. We can hope, but we will never get through a season without a tragedy affecting our communities on some level.

Tragedy struck in Oxford last spring, when sophomore Brandon Giordano was killed at the end of a high-speed chase when the convertible in which he was a passenger flipped over and slammed into a building.

Months later, the emotional wounds still fresh, the Oxford football team did what thousands of mourning teams have done before them: The Wolverines honored their fallen teammate by dedicating their season to his memory.

The difference? This was personal. This was their pain. So, this was their recovery.

And they channeled it in a 35-0 victory over Immaculate Saturday afternoon.

The team’s linemen will each take turns wearing Giordano’s No. 69 this year. Bucky Gumbrewicz had the honor Saturday.

Afterward, the team presented Giordano’s mother, Angela Borelli, with the game ball.

“We wanted to win this game for her and present her with the game ball, which we just did. That’s what today was all about,” Oxford coach Joe Stochmal said. “Our kids played for Brandon, for his mom and his family. We’ve stuck together through it. We’ve been through some hard times, but the kids have persevered. It showed today on the field.”

These are just games, but they do matter.

For Oxford, football was small, but crucial, salve. It gave the players, coaches and their families some joy out of heartache. It helped them celebrate their friend and teammates life taken too soon.

It wasn’t the first time tragedy’s icy grasp touched a football team. It wasn’t the last.

On Friday afternoon, Masuk junior receiver Russell Lilly lost his father, Norman, to cancer.

Just a few hours later, Russell ran out of the Masuk field house and onto Benedict Field with his teammates to face Pomperaug.

Lilly, Thomas Milone’s backup, played special teams and joined the offense when Milone’s five-touchdown night was over.

“The fans were all chanting his name when he was out there,” Murphy said.

Masuk won 47-10. For his heart and his courage, Masuk football coach John Murphy handed Lilly, a backup who also plays on the junior varsity team, the game ball. “First time I did that for anybody,” Murphy said.

This is how Lilly summed up his emotional day and exhilarating night:

In sorrow, we typically seek comfort from company. For an athlete, you can’t do much better than what Lilly did: falling into the arms of his teammates, mentors and friends.

“Like I told my team, it was the proudest moment I’ve had. For him to choose to come here, on a day like today, to be with his team and his coaches, that moved me,” Murphy said. “My pregame speech wasn’t fire and brimstone, it was telling them how much this thing means to people that he would come here on a day like today.”

These are not just games.

In life and love, in death and sorrow, they do mean so much more.

♦♦♦

Now, back to the games:

What can we tell you about the final games of Week 1?

Shaquan Howsie made a successful return to the field in Trinity Catholic’s 28-10 victory over Westhill and new coach Frank Marcucio. …Harding gave Stamford fits early, but the Black Knights eventually won 27-8. …Weston quarterback Tyler Hassett had a big day in a 46-18 win over Notre Dame-Fairfield and new coach Dawon Dicks. …Abbott Tech is 1-0 for the first time in program history. …Bullard Havens’ John Shannon ran wild in a 42-8 victory over Putnam/Tourtellotte/Ellis Tech. …Derby utterly crushed St. Paul 55-26 in a shootout that wasn’t a shootout. …And Brookfield turned to its new stars to beat back a serious challenge from clearly improved Stratford.

Saturday’s links below. Our ‘That’s a Wrap’ feature, the state polls and other goodies will be on the blog Monday night.

The preseason Elite 8

Friday, September 14, 2012 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
Comment
Comments(9)
|
|

At long last the previews are out of the way, and now that you’re up to speed with us, we unveil the 2012 Hearst Connecticut Media Group’s rankings for the state’s southwestern high school football teams.

These are all based on what we know: Who’s back? Who’s not? And it’s based on what we think about what we know. Argue, bicker and yell. It’s an attempt at an educated opinion. Some of these ranks are bound to rile the herd. Some of these will reinforce beliefs. Some of them might just make people shrug.

No worries. We have 14 weeks to shuffle the helmets around.

But for now, let’s take a look:

1. STAPLES – People have been talking up this team since December, when the Wreckers came out of nowhere and won the FCIAC championship and played Xavier in the Class LL title game. Nothing pretty happened in up at Rentschler Field. But, looking at who Staples was up against, you certainly understood. 2011 wasn’t their year. It was Xavier’s. The 2011 Staples team was a look at the future.

And the future is now.

The Wreckers are big, fast, skilled and smart. They have all the ingredients for one of coach Marce Petroccio’s best seasons.

Will they win the school’s first state title since 2005? (And, jeez, has it been that long?)

We’re a long way from finding out. A lot has to happen.

But we think it’ll be close.

2. ANSONIA – What else can there be said about the Chargers? 2011 was a banner year, a record-breaking year. Arkeel Newsome became the state’s single-season rushing leader. Ansonia and its massive senior class won a state-record 14 games and the Class M title.

We would have been fine if coach Tom Brockett and the boys took 2012 off and hit the surf on some far away beach. I’m sure the rest of the NVL would have loved it.

But alas friends, they’re back to do it all over again. Though the names have changed it doesn’t seem like the remaining talent has dropped off a cliff. Besides, this will be the only name you really need to know: Newsome, Newsome, Newsome.

Will Ansonia have issues and feel some growing pains. Absolutely. But this is Ansonia. How far can the Chargers fall from grace?

3. WEST HAVEN – Looking at the rosters, it’s clear the SCC is a running back’s league. Three of the state’s best reside in the conference. One of them plays for West Haven. Ervin Phillips. He only played six games a year ago before a shoulder injury ended his season. He still almost had 1,000 yards. The Westies have the line to support him and just need some other weapons to pull it all together, offensively.

The defense has needed some work in the preseason. West Haven is using two-platoons, so at least the players will be fresh. If it performs the way coach Ed McCarthy believes it should, the Westies will contend with the Hands and Xaviers of the SCC.

Otherwise, they’ll have to win a lot of shootouts.

4. RIDGEFIELD – I’ve heard plenty on this space about how Ridgefield takes care of business, but it just can’t win the big game. That was the case last year when it couldn’t defeat hobbled Greenwich in Week 1 and then lost to Norwalk toward the end of the season. The Tigers reached the state quarterfinals, but we all know what happened there. For Ridgefield’s sake, there’s no need to rehash that Staples game.

Looking back, perhaps Ridgefield was just a tad too green. It wasn’t ready for prime time. Now, everybody’s back, including QB Connor Rowe and RB Sam Gravitte. On paper, they look very good. Let’s call this the paper rank.

Games, of course, aren’t won on paper. Ridgefield can prove to everybody it’ll be a force when it kicks off the season with Greenwich — at Tiger Hollow this time.

5. GREENWICH – You really have to feel for senior quarterback Liam O’Neil. His junior year was curtailed by three games when he suffered a preseason concussion. Just before the Cards were ready to make amends for last year’s sour end, O’Neil broke a finger on his throwing hand. Sheesh, what offerings must a guy give to Jobu just to stay healthy for a whole season?

So Greenwich will carry on without him for at least half a season. No worries, the Cardinals are pretty strong up and down the roster, led by safety and end Taylor Olmstead. They beat Ridgefield in Week 1 last year without O’Neil, they can do it again right?

They’d better, or this 2012 season is going to be a real short trip.

6. DARIEN – The Blue Wave have just as much returning talent as the Staples and Ridgefields and Greenwichs before them. Henry Baldwin is a veteran QB now. Christian Bogner is a truck at fullback. And Peter Gesualdi, one of the state’s best playmakers, is all growns up. The Blue Wave also have a pair of linemen, Will Lochtefeld and Matt D’Andrea, who are on a mission to bulldoze opponents.

This actually might be a low ranking for the Wave. But we’ll reserve ourselves for now.

7. NEWTOWN – Like Staples, the Hawks have been the trendy pick in the SWC since last December. That’s when we realized Masuk was graduating all of its stars and Newtown was returning a good portion of its roster. The Hawks have Drew Tarantino, Julian Dunn, Chris Devaney, Justin DeVellis and, of course, do-everything back Dan Hebert.

So, yeah, there’s lots to like. There are also some concerns heading into Week 1. Who will replace Lou Fenaroli? Who will replace graduated talent on the lines? These are critical questions that need answering. This is why Newtown isn’t ranked higher.

8. MASUK – Once upon a time Masuk and a large cast of talented seniors crushed nearly everyone in its path on the way to a state championship. A year later, Masuk looked like a drastically different team. Who were these guys? With the exception of an exotic transfer, nobody quite knew what to expect from Masuk.

That was 2009. Looking back from 2012, we now know Masuk did just fine.

Yes, Casey Cochran raised Masuk’s profile when he arrived. But he didn’t win the school’s 2010 Class L championship on his own.

Now, Cochran is gone. So is a large senior class that contributed to a state championship. Once again, we’re all wondering what to expect from Masuk this year.

We think Masuk will do just fine.

Just missed

NEW CANAAN – OK, Sean. Where’s the New Canaan love? You talk glowingly about Masuk’s ability to regenerate. If you want talk regeneration, how about New Canaan’s six straight state championship appearances? That’s got to count for something!

Yea… New Canaan might be ranked way too low.

But, here’s the thing. It’s a brand new team and New Canaan’s schedule isn’t exactly SCC D1-caliber. We won’t see them play a big-time FCIAC contender for a looooong time. So They may do great things, but we won’t be capable of truly knowing anything about the Rams until November. So, until then…

SHELTON – We dropped Shelton in here based solely on its returning skill. The Gaels have a lot of guys who can run, catch and score. It’s not a prototypical Shelton team, however. We’ll find out more when they play Cheshire Friday.

BUNNELL – Brings back QB Bryan Castelot, one of the state’s most prolific passes.

BROOKFIELD – Coach Rich Angarano is shaking things up in B’Town, huh? Every time we think we’ve seen the last of the Bobcats…

ST. JOSEPH — These Hogs are a big, veteran group. And whenever I’m traveling down route 108, I can sense the excitement coming out of St. Joseph.

NOTRE DAME-WH – Cameran Tucker returns, but most of last year’s playoff team is gone. Call this a hunch.

The Guide to the Games: Week 1

Wednesday, September 12, 2012 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
Comment
Comments(7)
|
|

Welcome back to another high school football season. We’re still rolling out previews and will hit the SCC and SWC today.

But in honor of the first game of the season, and new coach Nick Aprea’s first as head coach at O’Brien Tech, we’ll present to you this week’s guide a little early. [Related: Regional Constitution State Conference team previews]

Some of these references you might not understand unless you know things our previews will tell you later this week. But you’ll eventually get it. We promise.

For the uninitiated, the guide is a longstanding institution at Connecticut Post. It started as basic one-liners, but eventually morphed into snark thanks to former Post writer Dave Agostino.

Now it’s a can’t-miss part of your Friday because, well, how else will you get an honest feel of what’s going on and which game to attend? You won’t.

Programming note: This guide deals only with the regional Hearst Connecticut Media Group’s coverage area, as will the Elite 8, which is out in print and will be published here once the graphics guys get to work. (Quick tip: We don’t have graphics guys.)

“Regional coverage” this year is defined as the FCIAC, the SWC, the three lower Valley schools, four local CSC schools, and the SCC from Fairfield up to the West Haven-Orange line. (We’ve drawn back the blanket on the eastern end.)

Anyway, on to the guide:

2012 Naugatuck Valley League football cheat sheet

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
Comment
Comments(1)
|
|

Ansonia's Arkeel Newsome (left) and Holy Cross' Isaiah Wright

♦♦♦
DEFENDING CHAMPION
♦♦♦

ANSONIA (14-0, Class M Champion)

♦♦♦
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
♦♦♦

Nov. 15 at Municipal Stadium, Waterbury

♦♦♦
Local NVL Preview Capsules

♦♦♦
TOP 5 PLAYERS TO WATCH
♦♦♦

  • ARKEEL NEWSOME, RB/DB, Ansonia – The unstoppable back put up insane numbers that drew national attention in Ansonia’s record-breaking 14-0 state championship season and will, once again, be Ansonia’s focus, and the focus of every NVL opponent. Can he replicate his 3,763 yards with a revamped line? [Related: A quick look at speedy Arkeel Newsome]
  • DAVID COGGINS, WR/DB, Sacred Heart – Outside of committing to Boston College in June, the last year hasn’t been kind to the All-American receiver. He missed 2011 with a broken ankle and is caught in a transfer controversy that may cost him a portion of his senior year.
  • ANTHONY SCIRPO, WR/DB, Woodland – The versatile senior is a force on offense, defense and special teams. Caught 41 passes for 581 yards and 8 TDs, made 46 tackles and had three interceptions. He’ll be the Hawks’ focal point as Woodland returns to its spread offense roots.
  • LOGAN MARCHI, QB, St. Paul – No NVL quarterback put up numbers like Marchi, who threw for 2,400 yards and 24 touchdowns as a sophomore. Then again, St. Paul constantly played from behind during last year’s 1-9 season. Don’t be fooled, he has the respect of the NVL. [Related: Marchi keeps getting better]
  • ISAIAH WRIGHT, WR/DB – This year’s NVL super sophomore award goes to Wright, who stood out amid a cache of stars on last year’s state championship team. Caught 25 passes for 463 yards and three TDs on offense, and had seven interceptions, 12 pass defenses and 31 tackles.

♦♦♦
KEEP AN EYE ON…
♦♦♦

ANDREW MATOS, WR/DB, Ansonia; DILLON McMAHON, WR/DB, Derby; ADRIAN BROWN, RB, Holy Cross; MIKE NICOL, QB, Wolcott; ANDREW KALACH, DE/OL, Watertown; RAESHAUN FINNEY, WR/DB, Ansonia; JOAN TORIBIO, RB/DB, Torrington; GEORGE SMITH, OL/DL, Holy Cross; PHIL BRESSON, LB, Torrington; TANNER KINGSLEY, QB, Woodland; MICK PERNELL, WR/DB/K, Naugatuck; JOE LYNCH, RB/LB, Wolcott; TOM RINALDI, TE, Holy Cross; ERIC COLLODEL, DL, Woodland; HEZEKIAH DUNCAN, LB, Ansonia; ZACH McNUTT, OL, Torrington; MIKE CONLAN, QB/DB/WR, Seymour; RYAN O’CONNOR, LB, Ansonia; MICHAEL KREIGER, QB, Derby; JH’MEL TRAMMELL, OL/DL, Ansonia; JON MITCHELL, WR, Watertown; DEVON WATKINS, DL, Naugatuck; RAHMI ROUNTREE, WR, Woodland; P.J. BRADSHAW, WR/DB, Crosby; JAI’QUAN McKNIGHT, QB, Ansonia; TYRAE SMALL, RB/DB, Derby.

♦♦♦
THE FAVORITE
♦♦♦

ANSONIA – Who were you expecting? Yes, the studs on the offensive line have almost all been replaced. The defensive stars are gone. Presumptive QB Tyler Lester is out for at least half the season with a leg injury. But good ol’ No. 2, Arkeel Newsome, still looks out for Ansonia. There are also a few diamonds just waiting to shine. The NVL is Ansonia’s until proven otherwise.

♦♦♦
THE CONTENDERS
♦♦♦

  • HOLY CROSS – Yeah, the Crusaders suffered significant graduation losses. But the defending Class S champs still should be considered No. 2 in the league thanks to returners Wright and Brown. Winning any kind of title beyond the Copper Division just got tougher. Not only is Ansonia staring Holy Cross down in the NVL, but now the Chargers stand in their way of a Class S repeat.
  • WOODLAND — Kingsley and Scirpo are form one of the league’s most lethal combos. The Hawks have enough returning starters to make a serious run at Holy Cross’ position atop the Copper Division.
  • TORRINGTON – Brenden Lytton is gone, and so are all the yards and touchdowns Torrington leaned on last year. But a good portion of this team returns, maybe enough push the Raiders further up the standings. We’ll find out early.
  • WOLCOTT — Nicol is one of the league’s best quarterbacks and the Eagles return 14 starters from last year’s team, which won the first playoff game in school history. They have the unenviable task of over taking out Ansonia in the Brass Division. Good luck with that. Another playoff berth in Class M isn’t unimaginable.

♦♦♦
DARK HORSES
♦♦♦

  • WATERTOWN — This might be a stretch, but 15 starters return, and basketball star Jon Mitchell has joined the team. There just might be enough pieces to challenge Wolcott for No. 2 in the Brass. The Indians’ victory over rival Torrington on Thanksgiving showed it was good enough to win a big game. Now it must take the next step and win games consistently.
  • DERBY – The Red Raiders are small, lack depth and have a new quarterback. But coach George French believes Michael Kreiger is up to the challenge. McMahon is a threat any time he has the ball and the Raiders are hoping RB Tyrae Small plays bigger than his name. Defense is a key to the season.
  • NAUGATUCK – With all the troubles surrounding the football program, are this year’s players ready to compete? Suddenly the Greyhounds have a new coach and are relatively young compared to the rest of the Copper Division heavyweights. Just getting over .500 might be a tall order.

♦♦♦
5 CAN’T-MISS GAMES
♦♦♦

  • Holy Cross at Torrington (Week 3, Sept. 28) – Brown and Wright personally offset a 300-yard rushing day by Brenden Lytton with three second-half touchdowns after a two-hour rain delay to lift Holy Cross 19-12 last year. Brown and Wright are back for the crucial Copper Division rematch.
  • Ansonia at Holy Cross (Week 4, Oct. 5) – If things go like they did last year, get used to this matchup in 2012. The teams could meet again in the NVL championship and/or the Class S playoffs. This is where we see how the Crusaders truly stack up against their arch-nemesis. Ansonia crushed Holy Cross in both meetings last year.
  • Woodland at Torrington (Week 6, Oct. 19) – This is the first of three huge Copper Division games for t

Patch: Naugatuck admits Plasky violated CIAC recruting rules

Thursday, September 6, 2012 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
Comment
Comments(3)
|
|

Naugatuck has wrapped up its independent investigation into the alleged recruitment of Sacred Heart’s David Coggins and Javon Martin. The Naugatuck board of education has approved and sent it to the CIAC.

The conclusions:

  • Former Naugatuck football coach Rob Plasky and booster club chairman Frank Johnson violated CIAC rules when they loaned Meme Martin $1,000 to help her take care of outstanding bills at Sacred Heart-Waterbury.
  • Plasky violated CIAC rules by having contact with Martin over the athletes’ possible transfer.
  • Says the report: “It is entirely clear that the disbursement of these funds would not have been provided but for the significant skills and talents of the student-athletes.”
  • The two men didn’t suspect it might be a violation until the money had already changed hands. They felt they were doing the right thing to answer Martin’s cries for help. Once they realized they were breaking CIAC rules, Johnson and Naugatuck blew the whistle on themselves.
  • The investigation concluded that neither of the kids know what was going on behind-the-scenes. They just wanted to transfer to Naugatuck, and believed they were on their way.

Kyle Brennan of the NVL Football Blog expertly broke down the 80-page report Wednesday night. Or you can read the whole thing on Naugatuck Patch. If you have time, we highly recommend checking out the Naugatuck Patch report in its entirety. It’s juicy testimonials and text messages galore.

The matter is now in the CIAC’s hands. It’s almost certain Naugatuck will get slapped with some kinds of sanctions. Will it be a fine, probation or something worse? With such a clear-cut example of recruiting, will the CIAC want to make an example of Naugatuck? Or will it consider that the school turned itself in?

Meanwhile, the season is a week away and the two athletes’ fates will remain in unclear. Depending on how long this takes, it might be at least a week or more before we find out where they will conclude their high school careers.

Scrimmage Bowl MMXII goes to Ansonia; and a full scrimmage schedule (updated)

Friday, August 31, 2012 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
Comment
Comments(47)
|
|

We’re just about to Labor Day, and y’all know what that means: Connecticut is just under two weeks away from actual high school football games. (ugh).

No worries, there will be football played all across the state, just not the kind that counts– unless, of course, you were at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven Friday night.

I wasn’t. My daily work schedule has been tough on me and I was too beat to make the trek. Plus, I already saw West Haven. I’ll see Ansonia vs. Shelton. No need to go nuts.

However, we had plenty of Twitter reports from the field, Rick Volk was back with a highlight reel, and by all accounts the annual state championship of scrimmages was all Ansonia.

Arkeel Newsome scored two touchdowns ans the Chargers had 14-0 lead at halftime, when the subs typically take over. The Chargers had a pair of touchdowns, picked off a pass and had a field goal attempt blocked.


Newsome scored his third touchdown in the second half for a 21-0 lead and that was about that.

As expected, we saw some usual banter over how seriously the teams took this contest, and how hard they played.

And so Ansonia won Scrimmage Bowl 2012, and there was much rejoicing. It sounds like they’re coming together nicely. We’re sure West Haven will be fine.

If you attended the scrimmage, by all means post your thoughts below. But at the end of the day, no matter what your take, they’re still scrimmages.

Alas, it’s the best Connecticut has to offer until Sept. 12.

So, if you’re just itching to see some controlled collisions, here’s the complete statewide scrimmage schedule from now until the start of the regular season.

Saturday, Sept. 1

Lyman Hall at Danbury, Danbury High School Stadium, 10 a.m.
Pomperaug at Amity, William Johnson Football Field at Amity HS, 10 a.m.
Fitch at Middletown, Middletown High School, 10 a.m.
Xavier at Glastonbury, Stadium Field (turf), 10 a.m.
New London at Glastonbury, Stadium Field (turf), 10 a.m.
Old Saybrook/Westbrook at St. Bernard/Norwich Tech, Delaporta Field, 10 a.m.
Iona Prep (NY) at Greenwich, Cardinal Stadium, 10 a.m.
HH Football Jamboree at Hillhouse, Bowen Field, 10 a.m.
Cheney Tech at Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton, Coventry High School, 10 a.m.
Haddam-Killingworth at Bacon Academy, Football/ Soccer Field, 10 a.m.
Jamboree at New Canaan, Dunning Stadium, 10 a.m.
Shelton at St. Joseph, St. Joseph High School, 10 a.m.
Stonington at RHAM, TBA, 10 a.m.
Torrington at Farmington, Farmington High School, 10 a.m.
East Lyme at North Branford, North Branford High School, 10 a.m.
St. Paul Catholic at Gilbert/NW Regional, Gilbert, 10 a.m.
Woodland at North Haven, Vanacore Field, 10 a.m.
Jamboree at Enfield, Enfield High School turf field, 10 a.m.
East Haven at Hamden Hall/ND Fairfield/East Haven, Hamden Hall, 10:30 a.m.
Hyde Leadership at Hamden, HHS Turf Field, 10:30 a.m.
Harding at Platt Tech, Platt Tech baseball field, 10:30 a.m.
Stratford at Westhill, Westhill Football Field, 10:30 a.m.
New Milford at Norwich Free Academy, NFA Turf Field, 11 a.m.
Sacred Heart at Watertown, Mills Complex at Watertown High School, 2:30 p.m.
Fall Jamboree – Canton, Vinyl/East Hampton, Morgan at Rocky Hill, Rocky Hill High School, 9 a.m.
Ellington/Somers at Hall, Hall HS Stadium (Turf Field), 9 a.m.
Jamboree at Wilton, Fujitani Field – Turf, 9 a.m.
Jonathan Law at Hall, Hall HS Stadium (Turf Field), 9 a.m.
Ledyard at Daniel Hand, DHHS Turf Field, 9 a.m.
Norwalk at Wilton Jamboree, 9:30 a.m.
Rockville at E.O. Smith, E.O. Smith HS, 9:30 a.m.
Simsbury at Wethersfield, Cottone Field at WHS, 9:30 a.m.
Fairfield Ludlowe at Fairfield Prep, Alumni Field, Fairfield University, 9:30 a.m.
Berlin at Southington, Southington High School, 9:30 a.m.

Monday, Sept. 3

Masuk at Greenwich, Cardinal Stadium, 10 a.m.
Westhill at Seymour, Seymour High Lower Field, 9 a.m.
Ridgefield at Staples, Staples Stadium, 9 a.m.
Cheshire at Staples, Staples Stadium, 9 a.m.
Sheehan at Simsbury, Simsbury High School, 9:30 a.m.
Haddam-Killingworth at Rocky Hill, Rocky Hill High School, 3:30 p.m.
Manchester at Berlin, Sage Park, Berlin, 3:30 p.m.
Platt at Cromwell, Pierson Park, 3:30 p.m.
Prince Tech at Avon, Avon High School, 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 5

Hopkins School at Valley Regional/Old Lyme, Valley Regional High School, 3:30 p.m.
Hartford Public at South Windsor, South Windsor H.S., 3:45 p.m.
Newtown at Norwalk, Testa Field, NHS, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 6

Enfield at Fermi, Fermi H.S.turf field, 3:45 p.m.
Northwest Catholic at Manchester, MORIARTY FIELD AT MT. NEBO (SPRING ST), 4 p.m.
Bunnell at Wilton, Fujitani Field – Turf, 4 p.m.
West Haven at Bridgeport Central, Kennedy Stadium, 4 p.m.
Harding at New Fairfield, Rebel Stadium, 4:30 p.m.
New Milford at Danbury, Danbury High School Stadium, 5 p.m.
Hamden at Greenwich, Cardinal Stadium, 5 p.m.
Watertown at Bethel, DeSantis Field at Bethel High School, 6 p.m.
Wilbur Cross at Middletown, Middletown High School, 6 p.m.
Oxford at Seymour, Seymour High Main Field, 6 p.m.
Amity at Bloomfield, Bloomfield High School, 6 p.m.
Ansonia at Shelton, Shelton High, 6 p.m.
Naugatuck at Wolcott, Wolcott High School, Monroe Field, 6 p.m.
Waterford at Fitch, Dorr Field, 6:30 p.m.
Branford at Derby, , 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 7

Abbott Tech at Immaculate, Immaculate High School, 3:30 p.m.
East Lyme at Bacon Academy, Football/ Soccer Field, 3:30 p.m.
Staples at Fairfield Prep, Alumni Field, Fairfield University, 3:45 p.m.
Killingly at E.O. Smith, E.O. Smith HS, 4 p.m.
Glastonbury at Wethersfield, Cottone Field at WHS, 4 p.m.
Woodland at Bristol Eastern, Bristol Eastern High School, 4 p.m.
Nonnewaug at Housatonic/Wamogo, Housatonic Field, 4:15 p.m.
Stratford at Ridgefield, Tiger Hollow Stadium, 5 p.m.
Cromwell at Berlin, Sage Park, Berlin, 5:30 p.m.
Westhill at Jonathan Law, Jonathan Law Field, 6 p.m.
Platt Tech at Fairfield Ludlowe, Taft Field, 6 p.m.
Notre Dame-Fairfield at Morgan, Peters Complex, 6 p.m.
Hall at Guilford, Kavanaugh Turf Field at GHS, 6 p.m.
Windsor at Cheshire, Cheshire High Main Game field, 6 p.m.
Conard at Daniel Hand, DHHS Turf Field, 6 p.m.
Xavier at Stamford, 6 p.m.
Ellington/Somers at Rockville, RHS football field, 6:30 p.m.
North Haven at Notre Dame-West Haven, , 7 p.m.
Old Saybrook/Westbrook at East Haven, East Haven High School, 7 p.m.
Southington at Pomperaug, Sports Complex & Track, 7 p.m.
Griswold at Montville Jamboree, , TBA

Saturday, Sept. 8

Cheney Tech at Tolland, Tolland High School, 10 a.m.
East Catholic at Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton, Coventry High School, 10 a.m.
Woodstock Academy at St. Bernard/Norwich Tech, Delaporta Field, 11 a.m.
Farmington at Norwich Free Academy, NFA Turf Field, 11 a.m.
Gilbert/NW Regional at Bullard Havens Tech, Bullard Havens Field, 12 p.m.
St. Paul Catholic at Haddam-Killingworth, Haddam Killingworth HS, 1:30 p.m.
Trinity Catholic at Rye Country Day (NY), , 3:30 p.m.

Coggins back to Sacred Heart and a Naugy investigation update from Rep-Am

Thursday, August 30, 2012 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
Comment
Comments(2)
|
|

After all the craziness of the past summer involving Boston College commit David Coggins and former Naugatuck coach Rob Plasky’s alleged attempts to woo him and Javon Martin into Greyhound uniforms, we’ve finally come full circle.

The Republican-American’s Mark Jaffee reports that Coggins will return to Sacred Heart-Waterbury. The school and Meme Martin, Coggins’ legal guardian, have come to an agreement that will put Coggins back in school and on a football field without missing any time.

Yep. All of that for nothing.

Meanwhile, Kyle Brennan dug into Naugatuck’s ongoing internal investigation of Plasky’s alleged recruiting violations. He also examined how the players and administrators are coping in the aftermath.

In short: They’re “upset, hurt and angry,” but proud of Plasky for taking the “unselfish” route and stepping down for the good of the kids and the program. Naugatuck athletic director Tom Pompei also spoke of bringing the team’s three booster clubs under the athletic department’s supervision.

“Unfortunately, we may pay a price for the actions of a group over which we have no control,” Pompei told Brennan.

MaxPreps profile: Ansonia’s Newsome on pace for national rushing record

Wednesday, August 29, 2012 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
Comment
Comments(21)
|
|

Ansonia's Arkeel Newsome

Feeling down about Connecticut’s performance against Don Bosco Prep in a scrimmage? No worries Nutmeggers. You got yourself a big dose of Connecticut hubris just by visiting MaxPreps this morning.

Former NewsTimes reporter Jim Stout, now the Eastern U.S. media manager of the wildly popular CBS Sports high school site, and videographer Adam Spencer spent the entire first week of practice down at the hallowed Ansonia fields. Their mission? A story and video profile of all-state tailback Arkeel Newsome for their Beyond the X series.

It’s pretty good stuff, especially since it seems like MaxPreps got Arkeel to come out of his shell a bit. To those of use who cover him Newsome came across shy and, therefore, a pretty tough interview as a sophomore. He seems more polished and confident this time around.

But the biggest reveal was MaxPreps suggesting that Newsome could one day break the 60-year old national rushing record held by Ken Hall of Sugar Land, Texas.

Hall ran for 11,232 yards between 1950-1953. (Yow).

Newsome has 4,574 yards in two seasons, including his all-time Connecticut single-season rushing record of 3,763 set last year.

Newsome has a looong way to go, 6,658 yards to be exact. But he’s at least on pace.

He would have to average 3,330 yards over the next two seasons to topple the record. That means staying injury free and Ansonia would almost certainly have to max out at 14 games (i.e. reach the state championship and play anybody but Naugatuck in an NVL championship). Then he might be within striking distance of toppling the greatest record in high school football history. Twenty-seven or 26 games over the next two years would be cutting it close.

Of course, this is all provided he puts up the insane numbers he did as a sophomore. We’re a long way off to realistically talk about this.

Check out MaxPreps’ story here and see what Ansonia and Arkeel think of all this record talk.

Stout also delves into Connecticut high school football’s latent inferiority complex when compared to the rest of the country, using Greenwich vs. Naples (Fla.) and Southington vs. Bergen Catholic as examples of how we haven’t embarrassed ourselves.

Thanks, Jim.

But the majority of the story talks about Newsome, the challenges he faces after losing almost his entire offensive line to graduation, and plenty of idyllic talk about Connecticut’s own Titletown.

Let us know what you think:

Page 5 of 1112345678910...Last »