Junior quarterback Luke Shannon is pursued by East Hartford’s Jamyron McCray Santana as he runs for a first down in the second quarter at GHS last Thursday. Shannon ran for a team-high 124 yards as the Guardians won 26-8.
Sometimes football is a simple game that is decided by the team that can control the ball and tackle better. And, of course, it helps if you can outscore your opponent. Glastonbury High School’s football team checked off all of those boxes in the team’s home opener, using a methodical offense and a smothering defense to deal neighboring East Hartford a 26-8 defeat last Thursday. Playing on a picturesque night at GHS, Glastonbury dominated time of possession and forced four turnovers against a Hornets team that was averaging 45 points per game over the first three weeks. Head coach Eric Hennessy was impressed with his team’s ability to tackle, particularly in the open field. “That’s been an emphasis since game one,” said Hennessy, whose team improved to 2-2 this fall. “We’ve been focused on that all year — we’re so young and tackling is something that you need to get reps in.” Making his home debut behind center, junior quarterback Luke Shannon powered a potent rushing attack that amassed 228 yards on the ground and used lengthy, sustained drives to keep East Hartford’s quick strike offense on the sidelines. “We had a great week of practice,” said Shannon, who ran for a team-high 124 yards on 15 carries. “They couldn't stop us and we figured that out early.” East Hartford delivered the first blow when quarterback Drayvn Roberts extended a play, scrambling around for nearly eight seconds before connecting with Isaiah Tripp for a 46-yard touchdown. Roberts ran in the two-point conversion, giving the Hornets an 8-0 lead with 5:24 left in the first quarter. Then, for the final three and a half quarters, the Guardians completely dominated all three phases of the game. Mason Damato’s 20-yard kick return setup Glastonbury at midfield before Shannon and sophomore running back Josh Smith went to work, trading runs on an eight-play drive that culminated with a six-yard touchdown blast from Smith. On the ensuing possession Cam Combs broke up a third down pass, which Luke Lavery intercepted off the deflection. Two plays later, Shannon scored on a 50-yard quarterback keeper through the heart of the Hornets defense, giving the Guardians the lead for good at 14-8 with 11:06 to play in the first half. After throwing only one interception in three games, Roberts was picked three times by the Guardians — two courtesy of Lavery and the other from Combs. Sophomore middle linebacker Nick Filiault said that the team aimed to be more physical than the Hornets, who had scored 19 touchdowns over their first three games of the season. “Our inside blitzes were working,” added Filiault. “We beat them with speed on the inside and got them to bounce out a lot, which was one of our goals.” Shannon, a team captain that also play defensive back, said the Guardians spent extra time in the film room in preparation for East Hartford’s wide-open offense. “We knew they were a big play team, but we took them out of their game,” added Shannon. Following Lavery’s second interception, Smith took it across the goal line from four yards out to give the home team a comfortable 23-8 lead with 4:36 to play in the third quarter. Along with winning the battle offensively and defensively, the Guardians also had a significant edge on special teams. On the first drive of the second half, Hennessy reached into his bag of tricks and faked a punt as Shannon, who also serves as the team’s punter, took the snap and rolled to his right before connecting with Lavery for a 27-yard gain to extend the drive. Shannon then had a 12-yard run to set up a 29-yard field goal from senior kicker Anthony Lacaprucia, providing the Guardians a two-score advantage. The Guardians also forced a fumble on a kickoff, which junior Tanner Thomas recovered to set up a 26-yard field goal from Lacaprucia. Lacaprucia connected on both of field goals attempts and nailed two extra-points, also showcasing a booming leg on kickoffs. A 13-play drive, which milked nearly eight minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter, iced the game. Hennessy compared the contract in offensive style between the two teams to “fois gras” and “boiled meat.” “We are boiled meat,” Hennessy clarified. “We want to put our hand in the dirt and eat the clock up and lean on people.” Since losing the season opener to Danbury, the win over the East Hartford was the Guardians second victory in three games. “We’re 100% different,” Hennessy said of the team now compared to early last month. “We’re not making nearly as many mistakes, they are playing more physical, and they are seeing the game a lot faster.” Hennessy added that it was nice to play a home game after starting with three straight on the road. The early-season road trip included a miraculous 14-13 win over Middletown in week two when Combs stripped and returned a fumble for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, setting up a game-winning two-point conversion run from Shannon. Filiault, who was a freshman a season ago when the team won nine games (including a win over West Haven in the playoffs), said the team has been forced to grow up quickly after losing over two dozen seniors to graduation. “Practice by practice we’ve gotten 1% better and every game we get better,” added Filiault. “We can’t use having no experience as excuse anymore because we’ve all been playing.” Shannon added, “We had huge shoes to fill and I think we’ve finally grown into those shoes.” The Guardians face another tough test on Friday, Oct. 6 when they welcome conference powerhouse Maloney to GHS for a 6 p.m. kick. A year ago, the Guardians knocked the Spartans from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 28-21 overtime victory in Meriden. Hennessy said he wants to continue to see “growth” out of his team, adding, “I want to see us compete against another great football team.”
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Rocky Hill sophomore Arianna Daley gets ready to boot the ball at Wethersfield High School during the Terriers and Eagles tie last Tuesday night / Wethersfield’s senior captain Avery Ford is defended by Rocky Hill’s captain Skylar Sweeney on Sept. 26.
Playing in a thickening fog at Cottone Field last Tuesday night, Wethersfield and Rocky Hill girls soccer played to a 1-1 tie. The host Eagles scored in the first half when Kayla Ward hammered home a shot exactly 13 minutes into the game. Following nearly 59 scoreless minutes, Rocky Hill evened the score when Kaitlyn Pereau delivered a perfectly-placed corner kick that Madisyn Aurigemma headed home with 8:12 remaining in regulation. It was a tale of two halves for a pair of teams looking to make postseason pushes. ***Terriers Tough and Talented*** Following an 8-3-5 regular season and a tournament appearance a season ago, Rocky Hill has again shown that same fight, going toe-to-toe with every opponent this season. Head coach Annmarie Catania said she liked how her team responded to adversity on the road, crediting her team for playing until the final whistle. “Wethersfield is always a battle,” added Catania. “ I was happy we hung in there, I am very proud of them.” Facing the one-goal deficit, senior Olivia Bozzi said the team talked at halftime about capitalizing on their opportunities over the final 40 minutes. “We talked about shooting more. We’ve been struggling with it all season, and we just had to take it to them,” added Bozzi. “I think we did a good job; it was a great way to end the game.” Catania said Bozzi, a defensive captain, has been, “a strong leader” that gives 100% every time she’s on the field. Bozzi, who is captaining the team with fellow seniors Arianna Borukhovich and Skylar Sweeney, is helping protect the backend for first-year starting goalie Angelina Daley. Dailey came up with a handful of saves against an Eagles attack that possessed the ball for a majority of the game. Catania said the communication on both ends has been good, adding, “This team has come together –– they have a mutual respect for one another.” Through the first six games, Aurigemma leads the team in goals scored, including a two-goal performance on Sept. 15 when the Terriers tied Newington (2-2) in another battle against a larger opponent from the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC). Catania added that returning all-conference midfielders Elena Valle and Addyson Grant have solidified the center, calling the pair the “engine” of the team. Along with the two ties against Wethersfield and Newington, the team posted a signature 2-0 win over Hall on Sept. 29 and most recently blanked Harford Public (7-0) last Friday, bringing their record to 2-2-2 entering the week With only four seniors on the roster, Catania is hoping the team’s young lineup can mesh before the postseason starts next month. This Friday, Oct. 6, Rocky Hill visits Southington High School for a game against the Knights (6 p.m.) before next hosting Northwest Catholic at McVicar Field on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 3:45 p.m. Bozzi believes the team had the right attitude to play well down the stretch. “It’s a true honor to be a captain of this team,” added Bozzi. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of girls and we all have each other’s backs.” ***Eagles Eyeing Consistency*** After his team gave up the late goal to Rocky Hill, Wethersfield head coach Tony Leone said the result was a “disappointment” but credited Rocky Hill, saying “they play good soccer and to their credit, they hung in.” Part of the disappointment for Leone was that the tie with the Terriers came on the heels of a 3-0 loss to Glastonbury. “[The players] always work hard, they always come to compete, but we don’t always play smart,” stated Leone. “Something had been off the last couple of games. We just have to find our rhythm in a hurry.” Following the tie, Leone’s team responded with back-to-back impressive wins over Bloomfield (6-1) last Thursday and Windsor (6-0) on Friday. The Eagles also posted a three-game winning streak earlier in the season in which they outscored the trio of opponents 13-1. Leone said the team was attacking during those games, crediting his captains for leading the charge. Ward, along with Avery Ford, Lauren Darrell, and first-year goalie Riley Keane are captaining the Eagles on the field. Ward, Ford, and Darrell all earned all-conference last fall and Keane is replacing all-conference goalie and 2023 graduate Vanessa Venditti. “Defensively we pretty much have our defense we had last year,” added Leone. “I’m confident in that group.” Next up is a road game at Enfield High School on Friday, Oct. 6 (3:45 p.m.) before returning to Cottone Field to battle Newington on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 3:30 p.m. Michele Haliti - Wethersfield High School (Volleyball): Haliti posted her best match of the season, tallying six kills and a pair of aces as the Eagles swept Rocky Hill in three sets at WHS on Sept. 28. Haliti, a junior, has helped the team win five of their first nine matches this season, including another three-set win over New Britain last Friday. The team is in the middle of a six-game road trip before returning to WHS to host Lewis Mills on Friday, Oct. 13 at 5 p.m.
Jack Nolan - Cromwell High School (Football): Nolan scored two touchdowns as the Panthers beat the Morgan co-op 35-6 on Oct 1. Nolan, a junior wide receiver, hauled in seven passes for 195 yards and the pair of scores as the team improved to 3-0 this fall. The Panthers next travel to Rockville this Friday, Oct. 6 as they attempt to avenge the team’s only regular season loss a year ago. The game kicks at 6:30 p.m. Veronica Pushkar - Newington High School (Volleyball): Pushkar had a career-high five blocks as the Nor’easters beat Rocky Hill in three sets on Sept. 29. Pushkar, a senior, added five kills in the victory, equaling her total of kills from the previous night when Newington beat New Britain in three sets on Sept. 28. Tyson Asadourian - Rocky Hill High School (Golf): Asadourian shot a 43, sinking a birdie on eight, to finish 18th overall against the state’s top golfers at the CIAC Fall Classic at Orange Hills Country Club on Sept. 28. Asadourian, a freshman, has been the Terriers top golfer this spring, recently shooting back-to-back 40s in outings against Bloomfield and Newington. Oliver Pedneault - Wethersfield High School (Soccer): Pedneault scored the only goal of the match at the Eagles blanked Windsor 1-0 at WHS on Sept. 29. Pedneault, a junior, has been one of the many contributors for a Wethersfield team that has yet to lose (4-0-2) coming into this week. The team in in the middle of a four-game road trip with a rematch against the Warriors at Windsor High School this Friday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. |
AuthorSports Editor for the Rare Reminder, Glastonbury Citizen, and Rivereast News Bulletin Archives
April 2024
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