Special Teams Sparks Wethersfield

​Wethersfield’s spectacular special teams scored a touchdown, set up two more scores, and blocked a punt to help the Eagles throttle the Hartford Public Owls 40-16 in front of a packed house at Joseph F. Cottone Field. The Eagles, who had lost to the Owls the previous two seasons, overcame an early deficit and an injury to superstar quarterback Matthew Sanzaro to win their second game in a row and seize the lead in the Central Connecticut II East conference.

The game didn’t start well for Wethersfield, as Hartford Public took the opening possession and marched 68 yards to take an 8-0 lead when quarterback Richard Jernigan kept the football for himself and scored from 7 yards out. The drive took nearly six minutes off the clock and silenced the energetic home crowd. Penalties then killed the Eagles’ opening offensive possession and it seemed throughout the first quarter that Wethersfield’s spread offense was a bad match versus Hartford Public’s physical defense. However, with time running out in the opening quarter, a bad snap forced Owl’s punter Dandre Wilson to improvise and throw a desperation pass to no one in particular. The punting gaffe left Wethersfield with excellent field position at the Hartford Public 15-yard line. On the next play, receiver Ryan Melillo ran a double-move and Sanzaro hit him in the right corner of the end zone to cut the deficit to 8-7 on the last play of the first quarter.

The momentum turning moment of the game occurred midway through the second quarter with Wethersfield facing a third and long from their own 43-yard line. Pressure forced Sanzaro to leave the pocket and he attempted to throw a deep pass down the right sideline, but he was hit as he released the ball and his counterpart, Jernigan, intercepted the fluttering pass. On the play, Sanzaro suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder and there was a collective gasp by the home faithful. Up to that point in the season Sanzaro was the undoubted leader of the Wethersfield high-powered offensive attack. Instead of panicking, the Eagles used the adversity to bond together and played inspired football for the remainder of the game.

On the play following Sanzaro’s injury, the Eagles’ defense forced and recovered a fumble at the Hartford Public 41-yard line. On the ensuing offensive play the Eagles ran a delayed draw and senior running back Zac Livingston raced 41 yards to give Wethersfield the lead for good, 13-8. After a three and out, Hartford Public again had a mishap on a punt snap near their own goal line and Wethersfield’s Luke Ocasio alertly recovered the loose ball in the end zone to extend the Eagles’ lead to 21-8 at the half.

Wethersfield’s special teams continued to excel into the third quarter when returner Giovanni Serrao returned the opening kickoff of the second half 34 yards to set up the Eagles’ offense at the Hartford Public 42-yard line. The big return led to a 9-yard scoring strike from backup quarterback Whitton DeVaux to Austin Pallone, and the rout was on.

DeVaux, who had the tough task of filling Sanzaro‘s shoes, played calm and collected the entire game and the offense didn’t miss a beat with him at the helm. He made several great throws during the second half, including a pair of touchdown tosses. His second touchdown pass was a beautiful 30-yard over-the-shoulder toss to Ocasio, who beat man-to-man coverage down the right sideline. “I play quarterback everyday in practice so I was confident when I had the chance to play,” DeVaux said when asked how he looked so comfortable filling in for the injured star. “I’ve played quarterback before, but Matt (Sanzaro) came in and did a great job for us this season, so I moved to wide receiver.” DeVaux’s confidence is a welcome sight to Wethersfield, who may be without the service of Sanzaro for the immediate future. After Friday night, DeVaux left no doubt that he can lead the Eagles’ up-tempo aerial assault for the weeks to come.

Credit for Wethersfield’s seamless transition at the quarterback position has to be given to the Eagles coaching staff, led by head coach John Campanello. The staff has all of their players well prepared for any situation that may arise during the game. Further evidence of this occurred late in the fourth quarter, with the team already holding a commanding lead, Campanello let sophomore third-string quarterback Devon Smith take over the reigns for the last six minutes of the blowout victory. Smith will now assume the back-up quarterback duties and the reps he received Friday night will help him prepare if he’s called upon in the coming weeks.

Wethersfield (3-3) will now travel to Enfield to face the winless Fermi Falcons in another Central Connecticut II East conference clash. The Eagles have soared past the Falcons the previous three seasons, winning all three contests and outscoring them by a combined 137-14. Despite the recent success, DeVaux stressed that the Eagles cannot take the Falcons lightly and said that it is important for the team to stay in rhythm. Kickoff for the conference collision will be Saturday at 11 a.m.
 
Football Around Town　
 
Hedberg’s Arm Tames Bobcats

Jake Hedberg threw for a school record 459 yards and added six total touchdowns to help the Newington Indians crush the struggling South Windsor Bobcats 52-36 on Friday night. Receiver Andrew Grenier caught nine of Hedberg’s passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns. Hedberg and Grenier are both juniors and are showing glimpses of how dangerous the Indians’ passing attack will be for the remainder of this season and into 2014.

Newington now welcomes the East Hartford Hornets this Friday night. The Indians stung the Hornets in their only meeting last season, 42-26. East Hartford (2-4) is lead by head coach Dan Lawrence, who is coaching his tenth season at East Hartford. He is currently the longest tenured head coach in the Central Connecticut I East conference. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m.
　
Xavier Loses Heartbreaker in OT

The Xavier Falcons lost in dramatic fashion, 35-34, to the West Haven Blue Devils on Friday night at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven. Trailing 35-28, Xavier’s Joe Carbone scored on a quarterback keeper from one-yard out. Kicking an extra-point would have tied the score and sent the game into a second overtime, but Xavier coach Sean Marinan decided to go for the win and attempt a two-point conversion. Carbone ran another quarterback keeper and was stopped just short of the goal line on the conversion try. Both teams came in with identical 4-1 records and were both ranked in the top-ten in the Connecticut high school football rankings.

Next the Falcons return home to take on the Notre Dame Green Knights, who they annihilated 44-0 last season. Notre Dame (2-4) is coming off a 38-20 victory over Amity Regional, but their defense has struggled in their four losses this season, giving up an average of 40 points per game. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
　
Middletown Remains Unblemished

The Middletown Blue Dragon stomped their conference foe Bristol Central Rams 49-21 at Muzzy Field in Bristol Friday night. Middletown’s all-world quarterback Dario Highsmith ran for 346 yards and totaled six touchdowns to help keep the Blue Dragons undefeated. With the win, Middletown (6-0) should be able to crack the top-ten in this weeks Connecticut high school football rankings. They entered the weekend ranked 11th overall.

Middletown remains tied atop the Central Connecticut II West conference with the Farmington Indians, who knocked off previously undefeated and fellow conference rival Windsor (13-7) on Friday night to break a three-way tie atop the conference. The Blue Dragons will travel to Meriden this Friday night to take on the Maloney Spartans. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m.
 
Terriers Whack Beavers

The Rocky Hill Terriers shook off last week loss to Platt by pasting the Weaver Beavers 49-12 on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Hartford. Rocky Hill’s Chris Young continued his sensational senior season, tallying 160 rushing yards and four touchdowns on only 13 carries. Quarterback/safety Andrew Jenkelunas added a touchdown toss and a pick-six (interception returned for a touchdown) in the Terriers’ victory.

Rocky Hill (5-1) will return home and welcome in the Plainville Blue Devils this Friday night. Plainville (2-3) is coming off a loss to Berlin and is looking to avenge their 42-7 loss to Rocky Hill last season. The Blue Devils are led by multi-talented quarterback Jeff Ziegenhagen, who possesses a rocket arm and is also fleet of foot. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
 
Cromwell extends streak to four
The Cromwell Panthers soundly defeated the Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby Wildcats 27-13 on Saturday afternoon. Wildcats’ superstar running back Jarvis Miller totaled 159 yards and scored a touchdown, but the Cromwell defense held the rest of the Wildcats to a mere 114 total yards. After opening the season with a loss, the Panthers have reeled off four consecutive impressive victories to take over sole possession of first place in the Pequot - North conference.
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This Saturday Cromwell will look to make it five in a row when they travel to The University of Science & Engineering in Hartford to face the Sports & Medicine Science Academy Tigers. Kickoff for the cat clash will be at 12 p.m.