Terriers Football Continues to Grind

Rocky Hill High School football captains, from left, Daryl Asante Oleg Korotkyy, and Joey Motes are leading the Terriers on and off the field this fall. 

So far, it’s been a rocky road for the football team at Rocky Hill High School.

A home loss to Bristol Eastern last Thursday dropped the Terriers to 0-4, with three of those defeats coming at McVicar Field. 

Yet, head coach Rich Dance envisions brighter days on the horizon for his Terriers.

“We are a young team and we knew that coming in. We knew there was going to be some growing pains along the way,” stated Dance, who has led the program since 2019. “I tell the kids we are either going to win or we are going to learn after every game, and that goes for the coaches. It’s a learning experience for both the players and coaches.”

Rallying the troops on the field through the early-season struggles are captains Daryl Asante, Oleg Korotkyy, and Joey Motes.
Despite the record, Asante called the bond with his teammates a “brotherhood” –– both on and off the field. 

“I see my boys every day and when someone is having a bad day we all lift them up. When you add that aspect, it really is a family,” added Asante.

In two of the team’s losses the Terriers held leads in the fourth quarter and a Sept. 15 loss to Northwest Catholic was particularly difficult to handle because the West Hartford-based Lions scored on a touchdown on a circus catch late regulation to steal the looked like a season-opening victory for Rocky Hill.

“We know they are tough losses and we fell apart in the fourth quarter,” stated Korotkyy, who plays a variety of positions on both sides of the ball. “We just have to stay motivated and we’ve been working non-stop as a team.”

Motes, the team’s junior quarterback, said the offense is close to finding a rhythm, adding, “We are right there on many drives. If we can take advantage of those opportunities, then we can succeed.”  

Senior running back Saad Khan has been a bright spot for the offense, scoring a pair of touchdowns and averaging over six yards a carry through the first four games.    

In the latest loss to Bristol Eastern, the Terriers again showed fight, particularly on defense where they forced a pair of fumbles and stopped the visiting Lancers on downs inside the red zone to kill another drive. 

Juniors Matteo Matarazzo and Eddie Kocaqi each forced a fumble, while junior Jayzair Hall and sophomore Tanoro Edwards had fumbled recoveries. Edwards also had a sack and senior Caden Huddleston tied a career-high with 11 tackles.  

Unfortunately, a pair of big plays created by Bristol Eastern’s offense and a fumble return touchdown by the Lancers defense made the difference. 

Asante, a middle linebacker who leads the team in tackles through the first four games, said that the defense has continued to play with an aggressive, attacking nature –– comparing the unit to a pack of bloodhounds.   

“We all have fun on defense,” added Asante. “We communicate and we have some outstanding players. It’s just about being there for each other as a team.”

Dance added that he was impressed with his team’s defensive effort in the loss to Bristol Eastern and liked how his team competed from the first whistle until the last. 

“The scoreboard wasn’t what we wanted, but what you can control is effort and these guys played all out, all night long, and they never quit even deep in the fourth quarter,” added Dance. “That shows that the team has heart.” 

It doesn’t get any easier for the Terriers, who play the next two on the road, starting at Platt (3-1) tonight (Thursday, Oct. 12) at Falcon Field in Meriden at 3:45 p.m.

Korotkyy said, win or lose, the team has kept the same work ethic throughout practices, noting “Every week is a new week, we’ll keep pushing. It’s non-stop with us –– weight room, field, film, repeat.”

“We just have to keep moving forward,” added Motes, “Each person is going to pick each other up no matter what.”

Dance expressed that his captains have shown leadership through the adversity, noting their relentless effort both on the field and on the sidelines even in a blowout loss at Joel Barlow earlier in September.    

“They’ve been an example for the rest of the team,” added the fifth-year coach. “They’ve shown a lot of characters and have showed what kind of leaders they are. I’m really proud of them.”

Terriers football takes McVicar Field prior to the team’s game against Bristol Eastern on Oct. 5.