Friday Night Boxes
Farmington 18, Middletown 12
At Middletown
Farmington (8-1) 12 0 6 0 – 18
Middletown (6-3) 0 6 0 6 -- 12
First quarter
F: Kenny Jones pass from Brian Logan, 4:29
F: Ivan Guadalupe 5 run
Second quarter
M: Devon Carrillo 2 run, 7:02
Third quarter
F: Guadalupe 40 run
Fourth quarter
M: Carrillo 5 run, 4:29
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Farmington -- Brian Logan 3-minus 2, Jeremy Buck 1-minus 5, Adam Buono 10-37, Ivan Guadalupe 21-122, Kenny Jones 1-1, Michael Berlandy 2-9, Sean Fern 1-1
PASSING: Farmington -- Brian Logan 3-13-1, 17; Buck 1-1-0, 14
RECEIVING: Farmington -- Kenny Jones 2-11, Mike English 1-6, Harry Pacheco 1-14
Southington 14, Simsbury 8
At Southington
Simsbury (3-6) 0 8 0 0 – 8
Southington (6-3) 6 0 8 0 – 14
First Quarter
SO--Matt O'Connor 13 run (run failed), 2:08
Second Quarter
SI--Christian Martinez 24 run (Andrew Girard run), 11:08
Third Quarter
SO--Corbin Garry 57 run (Andrew Walowski pass from Stephen Barmore), 3:35
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Southington -- Garry 9-76, Matt O'Connor 13-75, Stephen Barmore 8-17
PASSING: Southington -- Barmore 6-9-0, 24
RECEIVING: Southington -- Andrew Walowski 3-21, O'Connor 1-5, Garrity 2-minus 2
SMSA/Univ. 36, Canton 8
At Simsbury
SMSA (4-5)
8 0 22 6 – 36
Canton (0-9) 0 0 8 0 – 8
First quarter
S: Rashod Cauley 54 pass from Wilfredo Alicea (Caleb Martin pass from Alicea), 10:26
Third quarter
S: Alicea 1 run (Kiante Macon run), 8:46
C: Sebastian Gumbs 56 pass from Eric Scott (Conner Gavin pass from Scott), 8:24
S: Cauley 33 pass from Alicea (Martin pass from Alicea), 6:38
S: Kayron Macon 34 run (pass fails), 0:05
Fourth quarter
S: Kayron Macon 33 run (pass fails), 7:49
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Canton – Terrence Brophy 3-7, Robby Grillo 3-14, Kyle Mullins 10-32, Eric Scott 9-11, Cameron Daley 8-minus 1; SMSA – Kiante Macon 1-6, Wilfredo Alicea 4-minus 22, Kayron Macon 11-108, Ezequiel Ortiz 7-56, Trenton Sheldon 1-6, Caleb Martin 5-42
PASSING: Canton – Eric Scott 10-19-2, 169; SMSA – Wilfredo Alicea 7-11-0, 188
RECEIVING: Canton – Jake Wood 4-31, Zach Powell 2-38, Conner Gavin 3-44, Sebastian Gumbs 1-56; SMSA – Cauley –6-169, Kiante Macon 1-19
RETURNS: Kickoffs – Brophy (C) 1-8, Matt DeMarco (C) 2-9, Daley (C) 2-34; Kiante Macon (S) 1-16; Punts – Cauley (S) 1-0, Kiante Macon (S) 1-36
FUMBLE REC: Daley (C), Patrick Richard (S); INTERCEPTIONS: Cauley (S) 1-0, Kiante Macon (S) 1-46; SACKS: Caleb Martin (S) 1-4, Daley (C) 1-11
Farmington 50,
Bulkeley 6
At Farmington
Bulkeley (1-8) 0 6 0 0 - 6
FHS (7-1) 14 8 14 14 -- 50
First Quarter
F: Adam Buono 4 run (Steven Davids kick)
F: Max Spracklin 9 pass from Brian Logan (Davids kick)
Second Quarter
F: Safety. Buono sacks QB in end zone
B: James Hudson 47 pass from Crocker (pass failed)
F: Ivan Guadalupe 18 run (kick failed)
Third Quarter
F: Devin Jones 10 fumble return (Davids kick)
F: Mike English 19 pass from Logan (Davids kick)
Fourth Quarter
F: Guadalupe 3 run (Davids kick)
F: Kenny Jones 70 interception return (Davids kick)
Simsbury 40, E. Htfd 0
At Simsbury
East Hartford (2-6) 0 0 0 0 -- 0
Simsbury (3-5) 6 14 0 20 – 40
First Quarter
S: Cormack Mulshine 9 run (run failed)
Second Quarter
S: Andrew Girard 4 run (Girard run)
S: Girard 1 run (kick failed)
Fourth Quarter
S: Christian Martinez 3 run (Martinez run)
S: Martinez 21 run (run failed)
S: Eric Glynn fumble recovery in end zone (run failed)
Windsor 35,
Farmington 14
At Farmington
Windsor (7-0) 0 14 6 15 – 35
Farmington (6-1) 7 7 0 0 – 14
First quarter
F: Robert Turnbull 19 pass from Brian Logan (Steven Davids kick), 9:02
Second quarter
W: Aaron Berardino 1 run (Alton Smith, Jr. pass from Robert Fleeting), 7:34
F: Turnbull 37 pass from Logan (Davids kick), 4:02
W: Tre Coyle 10 pass from Fleeting (run fails), 0:27
Third quarter
W: Berardino 40 interception return (kick fails), 7:46
Fourth quarter
W: Berardino 1 run (run fails), 10:45
W: Safety. Randy Johnson tackles punter Tyler Chaia in end zone, 9:29
W: Kamahl Valentine 85 interception return (Chris Traore kick), 0:27
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Windsor – Robert Fleeting 14-28, Tre Coyle 12-101, Kymm Gordon 10-28, Aaron Berardino 5-4, Ryeime moore 1-minus 4; Farmington – Ivan Guadalupe 8-45, Adam Buono 15-69, Brian Logan 2-minus 10
PASSING: Windsor – Fleeting 9-17-0, 127; Farmington – Logan 17-35-3, 160
RECEIVING: Windsor – Alton Smith, Jr. 3-36, Ryeime Moore 4-75, Tre Coyle 1-10, Ryan Lumpkin 1-6; Farmington – Robert Turnbull 2-56, Kenny Jones 3-26, Mike English 3-28, Ivan Guadalupe 2-8, Max Spracklin 6-29, Mike Landini 1-13
SACKS: Brendan Marquis (F) 1-9, Mike Joseph (W) and Charles Baldwin (W) 1-8
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Jo Fillian (F), Brendan Marquis (F): INTERCEPTIONS: Aaron Berardino 1-40, Kamahl Valentine (W) 2-96
RETURNS: Kickoffs – Mike Landry (F) 2-6, Ivan Guadalupe (F) 2-28, Mitchell Berlandy (F) 1-8, Aaron Berardino (W) 1-7; Anthony Carpenter (F) 1-5, Kai Jenkins (W) 1-minus 8
Farmington 41,
Bristol Eastern 0
At Bristol
Farming. (6-0) 7 21 13 0 – 41
Bris. Eastern (2-5) 0 0 0 0 -- 0
First Quarter
F: Mike English 50 pass from Brian Logan (Steven Davids kick), 8:10
Second Quarter
F: Ivan Guadalupe 13 run (Davids kick), 9:31
F: Adam Buono 4 run (Davids kick), 7:30
F: Max Spracklin 6 pass from Logan (Davids kick), 1:10
Third Quarter
F: Kenny Jones 24 pass from Logan (Davids kick), 10:05
F: Buono 15 run (pass failed), 2:50
Coventry 48, Canton 21
At Coventry
Canton (0-6) 7 0 0 14 – 21
Coventry (5-0) 21 27 0 0 – 48
First Quarter
CWT: Jeremy Weeks 21 interception return (Tom Myers kick)
CWT: Alex Amarante 2 run (kick failed)
CWT: Kyle Wing 3 run (Myers 2 pt conv)
C- Kyle Mullins 2 run (Dan Delos kick)
Second Quarter
CWT: Travis Lemire 12 run (Myers kick)
CWT: Mike Fahey 5 run (Myers kick)
CWT: Wing 38 run (Myers kick)
CWT: Weeks 45 interception return (Myers kick)
Fourth Quarter
C- Terrance Brown 1 run (Jake Wood pass from Eric Scott)
C: Cameron Daley 3 run (pass fails)
Farmington 41, Fermi 0
At Farmington
Fermi (0-5) 0 0 0 0 – 0
Farmington (5-0) 28 6 0 7 – 41
First Quarter
F: Max Spracklin 39 pass from Brian Logan (Steve Davids kick), 8:39
F: Adam Buono 30 run (Davids kick), 7:03
F: Kenny Jones 27 pass from Logan (Davids kick), 4:56
F: Robert Turnbull 24 pass from Logan (Davids kick), 2:24
Second Quarter
F: Brendan Lane 22 pass from Logan (kick failed), 9:27
Fourth Quarter
F: James Donald 15 run (Davids kick), 3:11
Windsor 45, Simsbury 0
At Simsbury
Windsor (5-0) 12 19 7 6 -- 45
Simsbury (2-3) 0 0 0 0 -- 0
First Quarter
W: Alton Smith 14 pass from Quinn Fleeting (kick failed)
W: Ryan Lumpkin 11 pass from Fleeting (run failed)
Second Quarter
W: Aaron Bernadino 23 pass from Fleeting (kick failed)
W: Bernadino 20 pass from Fleeting (Lumpkin pass from Fleeting)
W: Ryheime Moore 49 pass from Fleeting (kick failed)
Third Quarter
W: Bernadino 2 run (Chris Traore kick)
Fourth Quarter
W: Bernadino 21 pass from Smith (pass failed)
Simsbury 28, South Windsor 7
At East Hartford
Simsbury (2-2) 0 15 13 0 – 28
So.Windsor (0-4) 0 7 0 0 – 7
Second quarter
SI: Blair Zentek 26 run (kick good)
SI: Cormack Mulshine 17 run (pass good)
SW: Dave Keaveny 1 pass from Jesse Lavoie (Jim Crouch kick)
Third quarter
SI: Christian Martinez 4 run (kick fails)
SI: Stephon King 43 run (kick good)
Manchester 22, Simsbury 14
At Manchester
Simsbury (1-2) 8 6 0 0 -- 14
Manchester (2-1) 0 7 6 9 -- 22
First quarter
S: Blair Zentek 34 run (Zentek pass to Zack Wilson), 8:15
Second quarter
M: Marquis Little 20 run (Courtney DeBerry kick), 7:21
S: Zentek 5 run (run fails), 6:27
Third quarter
M: Roy Richards 13 run (run fails), 1:37
Fourth quarter
M: DeBerry 30 FG, 3:13
M: Little 11 run (kick fails), 0:56
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Simsbury – Blair Zentek 14-70, Christian Martinez 8-22, Cormack Mulshine 5-36, Andrew Girard 1-0, Nick Albergo 1-0, unknown (17) 1-2; Manchester – Marquis Little 5-57, Roy Richards 36-154, Tyrone Davis 4-33, Carlos Deleon 3-27, Damian Hernandez 1-10
PASSING: Manchester – Little 6-9-0, 71; Simsbury – Zentek 0-4-1
RECEIVING: Manchester – Deleon 3-28, Issac Andrew 1-23, Ashton Grant 2-20
Conard 28, Simsbury 0
At Simsbury
Conard (2-0) 0 7 21 0 -- 28
Simsbury (1-1) 0 0 0 0 -- 0
Second quarter
C: Anthony Lugo 32 pass from Owen Snyder (Dominic Spaulding kick), 1:10
Third quarter
C: Ricky Cotton 40 run (Spaulding kick), 7:15
C: Matt Douglin 41 run (Spaulding kick), 3:54
C: Lugo 61 interception return (Spaulding kick), 1:49
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Conard – Sean Carneiro 1-14, Ricky Cotton 24-111, Matt Douglin 1-14, Owen Snyder 2-4; Simsbury – Andrew Girard 14-44, Christian Martinez 1-14, Cormack Mulshine 5-0, James Hermsen 2-5, Brad Helmkamp 2-minus 1, Nick Albergo 2-1, Nicholas Wenos 6-minus 5, Stephon King 3-10, Brendan Conway 4-15, team 3-minus 14
PASSING: Conard – Snyder 1-5-0, 32; Simsbury – Christian Martinez 0-1, James Hermsen 0-1-1
RECEIVING: Conard – Anthony Lugo 1-32
Simsbury 14, NHS 7
At Simsbury
Newington (0-1) 0 0 0 7 -- 7
Simsbury (1-0) 6 0 8 0 --14
First quarter
S: Blair Zentek 55 pass from Steven Steijn (kick fails), 8:27
Third quarter
S: Brad Helmkamp 7 run (Brendan Conway run), 2:39
Fourth quarter
N: Jonathan Snyder 2 run (Jesse Ramirez kick), 9:44
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Newington – Jon Snyder 16-38, Freddy Burgos 3-11, Christian Beauford 1-0; Simsbury – Andrew Girard 12-44, Brendan Conway 19-117, Christian Martinez 4-28, Brad Helmkamp 3-7, Steven Steijn 11-84, Cormack Mulshine 2-minus 1
PASSING: Steijn 1-1-0, 55; Conway 0-1-2; Snyder 13-24-1, 165
RECEIVING: Simsbury – Zentek 1-55; Newington – Luis Figueroa 5-43, Freddy Burgos 2-37, Bryan Esposito 1-15, Jessie Ramierez 2-25, Bryan Esposito 3-55
MISSED FG: Poggio (S) 21, wide left
Friday Night Football
Friday, Sept. 16
Simsbury 14, Newington 7
Avon 30, Stafford/EW 7
Friday, Sept. 23
Farmington 28, Maloney 6
Conard 28, Simsbury 0
Coventry/WT 26, Avon 21
Friday, Sept. 30
Manchester 22, Simsbury 14
Farmington 38, Bristol Central 13
Thursday, Oct. 6
Simsbury 28, So. Windsor 7
Friday, Oct. 7
No games scheduled
Friday, Oct. 14
Windsor 45, Simsbury 0
Friday, Oct. 21
Coventry/WT 48, Canton 21
Farmington 41, Bristol Eastern 0
Friday, Oct. 28
Windsor 35, Farmington 14
New Britain 28, Simsbury 6
Friday, Nov. 4
Games posponed due to power outage
Nov. 7: Valley Regional 48, Lewis Mills 0
Farmington at Middletown, ppd. to Nov. 17
Simsbury at Southington, ppd. to Nov. 16
Friday, Nov. 11
Granby Memorial at Stafford/East Windsor, ppd to Nov. 12
Farmington 50, Bulkeley 7
Simsbury 40, East Hartford 0
Thursday, Nov. 17
Farmington 18, Middletown 12
SMSA/Univ. 36, Canton 8
Friday, Nov. 18
North Branford 58, Lewis Mills 20
Despite a 9-1 record, Indians miss playoffs
FARMINGTON, Nov. 24 – For the second time in its history, a 9-1 record isn’t good enough for a playoff berth for the Farmington High football team. The Indians won their ninth game of the season against Plainville on Thanksgiving morning, 34-6 as sophomore Ivan Guadalupe ran for 144 yards and 3 TDs. But the strength of schedule Farmington played this year wasn’t strong enough and the Indians finished ranked ninth in Class L. The top eight teams qualify for the Class L tournament. In 1982, the Indians finished 9-1 but finished ranked third in Class M when the top two teams qualified for the state playoffs.
Granby 27, Canton 12
GRANBY, Nov. 24 -- Junior co-captain Steven Blake ran for 88 yards and 2 TDs as the Bears (2-8) earned their second-ever varsity win at Ahrens Park on Thanksgiving morning. Zach Balboni, who started the game at QB for Granby, moved to receiver in the second half and caught nine passes for 125 yards from Curt Field. A young Canton team with just four seniors on the field finished with an 0-10 record.
Lewis Mills 26, Nonnewaug 7
WOODBURY, Nov. 24 – First-year QB Devin Pease threw 3 TD passes as the Spartans (2-8) finished the season with a victory over the winless Chiefs.
Glastonbury 40, Simsbury 14
GLASTONBURY, Nov. 23 – A season filled with injuries ended with a loss to Glastonbury on Thanksgiving Eve. Christian Martinez ran for 123 yards and 2-yard TD for the Trojans, who finished 3-7.
Avon 39, Windsor Locks 12
AVON, Nov. 19 – Junior halfback Colin Moore ran for 258 yards and 4 TDs on 23 carries to help the Falcons end their season with a 39-12 victory over Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby on Senior Day. Moore set a new single season mark for rushing with 2,203 yards, breaking the mark of 1,946 set in 2009 by Ross McDonald. Avon finished at 7-3 for its fifth straight winning season.
Turnovers help Farmington beat Middletown in thriller
MIDDLETOWN, Nov. 17 – Taking advantage of four Middletown turnovers, the Farmington High football continued on its march toward a possible berth in the CIAC Class L tournament with a thrilling 18-12 victory at Rosek-Skubel Stadium at Middletown High Thursday night.
The Indians (8-1, 4-1 CCC Div. II West) intercepted a pair of passes and recovered two fumbles that led to 12 points. After Farmington intercepted a pass and returned it to the Dragon 12-yard line, it took the Indians three plays before QB Brian Logan found Kenny Jones in the end zone for his 13th touchdown pass of the season and a 6-0 lead.
On its next possession, Middletown coughed up the ball with a fumble. Farmington responded with a nine-play drive capped off with a five-yard run from Ivan Guadalupe for a 12-0 lead. Guadalupe ran for a season-high 107 yards on 22 carries and 2 TDs.
Middletown (6-3, 3-2) cut the lead to six on a two-yard TD run from Devon Carrillo late in the second quarter but Farmington extended the lead to 12 on a 40-yard scamper to the end zone by Guadalupe. Carrillo’s five-yard run with 4:29 left in the game cut the Indian lead to six again.
On its next possession, the Dragons drove to the Farmington 18-yard line but a second interception sealed the win for the Indians.
Farmington closes the season by hosting Plainville (5-4) on Thanksgiving morning and hopes to win and clinch a berth in the eight-team Class L tournament. Farmington earned its eighth win for the first time since 2000, which was the final year in a six-year run that saw Farmington win at least eight games five times.
Southington prevails in muddy battle with Simsbury
SOUTHINGTON, Nov. 16 – It’s been a year of challenges for the Simsbury High football team. Why should that change in the second-to-last game of the season? Playing a steady rain and a foot-grabbing mud, the Trojans fought valiantly but fell to Southington, 14-8 on Wednesday night at muddy Fontana Field.
Southington took a 6-0 lead on a 13-yard run from Matt O’Connor in the first quarter. Simsbury’s Christian Martinez (21-126) scooped up a third down fumble in the second quarter and rambled 24 yards for a touchdown. Andrew Girard’s two-point conversion gave the Trojans a 8-6 advantage.
Southington (6-3) took a 14-8 lead when Corbin Garry (9-77) ran 68 yards for a touchdown. Andrew Walowski scored on a two-point conversion pass from Stephen Barmore. "My feet were sucking down to the ground every step I took," Garry told the Meriden Record Journal. "I just had to power through (with) choppy steps and get to the end zone."
Simsbury had one last chance, driving to the Trojan 37 with 8:57 left in the game but the drive stalled when Knight LB Andrew Waloski made a tackle for a three-yard loss on fourth down.
Canton falls to Tigerhawks
SIMSBURY, Nov. 17 – Sport Medicine Science Academy/University High scored on their first four possessions of the second half to earn a 36-8 victory over Canton under the lights at Simsbury High on Thursday night. Rashod Cauley caught a six passes for 169 yards and two TDs while QB Wilfredo Alicea completed 7-of-11 passes for 188 yards and two TDs. Canton QB Eric Scott completed a career-high 10-of-21 passes for a career-high 169 yards and 1 TD.
Dominant Indians top Bulkeley for 7th win
FARMINGTON, Nov. 11 – The Farmington High football team got back on the winning track with a dominant 50-6 win over Bulkeley High Friday night. The Indians (7-1) allowed the Bulldogs just 51 yards of total offense, recorded five sacks and created four turnovers, including a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown by Kenny Jones. Teammate Devin Jones returned a blocked punt for a touchdown and Adam Buono recorded a safety. Buono also ran for 90 yards and a TD on 14 carries while QB Brian Logan completed 9-of-23 passes for 119 yards and 2 TDs.
Farmington (7-1) has a huge game for its CIAC Class L playoff hopes when they play next at Middletown on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. They close the season on Thanksgiving against Plainville.
Simsbury 40, East Hartford 0
SIMSBURY, Nov. 11 – Christian Martinez scored 2 TDs and ran for 116 yards on 22 carries to lead the Simsbury High football team to its third win of the season with a 40-0 win over East Hartford. Eric Glynn picked off two East Hartford passes and recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Andrew Girard scored a pair touchdowns for Simsbury, now 3-5. Simsbury makes up a game with Southington on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at Southington at 5 p.m., before closing the season on Wednesday, Nov. 23 at Glastonbury with a 6 p.m. contest.
Games postponed due to outage
With the lengthy power outage caused by heavy, wet snow on Saturday, Oct. 28, there was no football for Farmington Valley teams on Friday. Farmington at Middletown and Simsbury at Southington was postponed because neither Farmington nor Simsbury have been in school all week due to the power outage. The snow brought down trees and branches on power lines that cut electric service to every Connecticut Light and Power customer in Farmington, Simsbury, Canton, Avon and Granby along with 831,000 other Connecticut residents. It took CL&P 10 days to restore power.
Farmington will play at Middletown on Thursday, Nov. 17 with Simsbury playing at Southington on Wednesday, Nov. 16. Simsbury's game at Glastonbury has been moved to Wednesday, Nov. 23.
Windsor holds off Farmington's upset bid
By GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
Collinsville Press.com
FARMINGTON, Oct. 27 – Despite six straight wins to open the season, the Farmington High football team knew that its first real test of the season would be coming against undefeated Windsor High.
The Indians drove 80 yards to score the first touchdown of the game. They led twice in the first half and Friday night’s game was tied at 14 at halftime. However, a pair of key interceptions allowed the Warriors to pull away in a 35-14 victory.
How did Farmington coach Chris Machol think Farmington did in its first big test of the season? “We didn’t pass because we didn’t win,” he said. “But we scored a B. We let everyone know we’re not a fake 6-0.”
The Indians were able to move the ball against Windsor (7-0, 3-0 CCC Division II West). They hit hard and make good, solid tackles. “We ran our offense,” Machol said. “Our guys are players and they want to execute. We left a lot of plays on the field tonight. But at the end of the day, we lost because ( Windsor ) was a better team.”
There is plenty of optimism left as Farmington (6-1, 2-1 CCC Div. II West) prepares to face Middletown Friday night on the road. “I would have more confidence with a win,” Machol said. “But we know we can play with people. This is the No. 7 team in the state and we played right with them to the end.”
While the win gives Windsor a commanding lead in the CCC Division II West, Farmington still remains in contention for one of the eight playoff spots in Class L. A win over Middletown will be key to remaining in the hunt for the playoffs.
“Our goal was to get to the playoffs this year,” Machol said. “When we saw these two games on the schedule, you didn’t want to say you have to win one out of two. But at this point, we have to win one out of two. We can’t afford to lose again so I think our guys will be fighting knowing that our playoffs start Friday (against Middletown ).”
Windsor won their first six games by throwing the ball and making big plays. Farmington made the Warriors run it. “Farmington is a very good football team and they are strong up front,” Windsor coach Rob Fleeting said. “I think our kids had to realize that. They had to wake up and stop making mistakes. If you make too many, you won’t get a chance.
“In the second half, we realized we had to run the ball,” he said. “They had too many guys in pass coverage for us to keep trying to squeeze the ball in there. We stuck with the running game and better things began happening for us.”
Tied at 14, Windsor took the opening kickoff and marched to the Farmington 30-yard line running the ball on seven of eight plays. But the drive stalled after two incomplete passes.
Windsor made its big plays on defense. Aaron Berardino intercepted a Brian Logan pass and ran 40 yards for a touchdown and a 20-14 lead with 7:46 left in the third quarter and the Warriors began to breathe a little easier.
After a Farmington punt, Windsor kept the ball on the ground for 14 straight plays and marched 66 yards, converting on third down three times. Berardino capped off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 10:45 left in the fourth quarter for a 26-14 lead. Windsor added another touchdown when Kamahl Valentine returned a Logan interception 85 yards with 27 seconds left in the game.
Hard-running Adam Buono ran for 69 yard son 15 carries for the Indians while Logan completed a career-high 17 passes on 35 attempts for 160 yards and a pair of touchdown passes to Robert Turnbull. He threw three interceptions.
Turnbull outjumped and outfought a Windsor defender to catch a 19-yard touchdown pass to cap off a nine-play, 80-yard drive on Farmington’s opening possession for a 7-0 lead. Windsor took an 8-7 lead in the second quarter but Farmington responded on its next drive when Logan hit Turnbull for a 37-yard touchdown pass with 4:02 left in the second quarter.
Logan helps Farmington to another shutout win
BRISTOL, Oct. 21 – Quarterback Brian Logan threw another three TD passes as the Farmington High football team took control and shutout Bristol Eastern, 41-0 to remain undefeated Friday night at Muzzy Field. Logan, who completed a career-high 17-of-19 passes for 232 yards, has thrown for 7 TD passes in the past two games. Mike English (50 yards), Max Spracklin (6 yards) and Kenny Jones (24 yards) scored on TD receptions.
For the first time since 1998, the Indians pitched a shutout for the second straight week. They beat Fermi, 41-0 a week earlier. It’s just the third time in school history that Farmington (6-0, 3-0 CCC Division II West) has begun the season with six straight wins. The Indians won their first six games in 1999 and 1936.
Coventry/Windham Tech 48, Canton 21
COVENTRY, Oct. 21 – The Patriots’ Jeremy Weeks returned two interceptions for touchdowns to lead undefeated Coventry/Windham Tech to a 48-21 victory over Canton. Weeks scored the games first TD on a 21-yard interception return with only nine seconds gone in the game. He scored Coventry’s final TD on a 48-yard interception return in the second quarter to give the Patriots a 48-0 lead. He had three interceptions in the game. Kyle Mullins led Canton (0-5) with a career-high 115 yards on 19 carries and one rushing TD. Dan Delos ran for 90 yards on 21 carries.
For just third time ever, Farmington begins 5-0
By GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
Collinsville Press.com
FARMINGTON, Oct. 15 – Farmington High coach Chris Machol saw the difference a few years ago. The Indians were struggling in the Central Connecticut Conference and players on the football team had stopped wearing their game shirts and t-shirts in school. That’s not a problem this season.
For just the third time in school history and first time since 1999, the Indians have won their first five games. Farmington (5-0, 2-0 CCC Div. II West) remained undefeated with a 41-0 victory over Fermi-Enfield Saturday afternoon at the high school.
“There is a pride about being on the football team again in Farmington,” the third-year head coach said. “Winning helps. But they have a sense of purpose.”
Defense has been the mainstay for the Indians, led by linebackers Sean Fern and Mitch Berlandy. In five games, the Indians have allowed just 31 points. “They’re playing well,” Machol said of his defense. “They are disciplined and physical. It’s the strength of the team.”
Offensively, the challenge has been consistency. Much of the offensive line returned but the Indians had to replace nearly every skill position player. “We have two quarterbacks who came into the season with no varsity experience,” Machol said. “They’ve had some great moments and moments that show their inexperience.”
Junior starter Brian Logan is a more experienced passer who can play out of the pocket while sophomore Jeremy Buck is more a scrambling QB at this point of his varsity career. Against Fermi, Logan tied a school record with four TD passes in a single game to four different players.
Farmington has handled Bristol Central, 38-13, and Maloney, 28-6 while outlasting E.O. Smith, 21-7 and RHAM, 16-6. But the real tests lie ahead.
The Indians host Windsor, who has been ranked in top 10 in several state football polls, on Friday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m., followed by a game at old Northwest Conference rival Middletown High on Friday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. After five weeks, Windsor is 5-0 and Middletown is 4-1.
“We need to start to prepare for that perfect game because the farther you go the more perfect you need to be,” he said. Machol didn’t say it but he was alluding to the CIAC Class L playoffs where the top eight teams earn a berth in the tournament.
Farmington last earned a CIAC playoff berth in 1999 when they went 10-0 in the regular season and won a semifinal game before falling in the Class L championship game to Fitch-Groton.
A year ago, the Indians won four of their first five games before stumbling on a three-game losing streak. However, they finished with a pair of victories, including its first-ever win over New Britain. Farmington’s 6-4 record was its first winning season since 2004.
“We were making strides at the end of last year,” Machol said. “We weren’t looking at the record but how the kids were progressing and growing as players.”
The only other time that Farmington won its first five games was in 1936 when the Indians went 7-0 on the way to a 7-1 campaign. That 1936 team was voted as the Class C-D state champions by state coaches. … Four other Farmington quarterbacks have thrown 4 TD passes in a single game. The first was Mike Shimeld against Woodrow Wilson in 1978. The most recent was Todd Marsh with 4 TD passes against Vinal Tech/Coginchaug in 2001.
No. 7 Windsor too much for Simsbury in shutout
SIMSBURY, Oct. 14 – Windsor, ranked No. 7 in the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance’s latest poll, was too quick for Simsbury in a 45-0 decision Friday night. Windsor QB Quinn Fleeting threw 5 TDs passes and completed 12-of-15 attempts for 252 yards. Receiver Aaron Bernadino caught 3 TD passes for the undefeated Warriors (5-0). He caught four passes for 70 yards. Simsbury (2-3) was held to just 52 yards of offense.
Simsbury controls Bobcats to earn 2nd win
EAST HARTFORD, Oct. 6 – Playing under the bright lights at Rentschler Field didn’t dim the Simsbury High football team Thursday night. The Trojans forced five South Windsor turnovers and earned a 28-7 victory to improve to 2-2 on the season. Blair Zentek (26 yards) and Cormack Mulshine (17 yards) scored on touchdown runs to put Simsbury head for good in the second quarter. Christian Martinez (4 yards) and Stephon King (43 yards) also added rushing TDs for the Trojans, now 2-2. Zentek the led Trojans with 69 yards on 16 carries while Mulshine also had 69 yards on 13 carries. The Bobcats slip to 0-4 on the season.
Thursday afternoon football
Moore helps Avon surge
past Canton in 2nd half
AVON, Oct. 6 -- Led by the explosive junior Colin Moore, who had a 71-yard touchdown run on Avon’s first play of the third quarter, the Avon High football team scored 25 second half points to pull away with a 31-0 Pequot Conference victory over Canton under warm, sunny skies.
Moore finished with three touchdowns, 24 points scored and a game-high 168 yards on 24 carries as Avon improved to 3-1.
Simsbury uses single wing but Manchester controls the game
MANCHESTER, Sept. 30 – In week one, Simsbury lost its starting quarterback Stephen Steijn to a knee injury. In week two, they lost the backup quarterback Brendan Conway to a shoulder injury. A pair of sophomores were ineffective running the triple option veer in the remainder of a 28-point loss to Conard.
This week, Simsbury didn’t use a quarterback – sort of.
The Trojans ran the little-used single wing offense, a style of football that was popular in the first half of the 20th century. Housatonic/Wamogo, a small Pequot Conference school in Falls Village, is the only team in the state to employ this offense.
Simsbury was able to build a seven-point halftime lead but in the second half, Manchester controlled the game with its own running game and didn’t allow a first down as the Indians scored nine points in the final 3:13 to earn a 22-16 CCC Division I victory Friday night at Manchester High.
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Farmington 38, Bristol Central 13
FARMINGTON, Oct. 2 – The Indians scored 24 unanswered points in the second half and won their third straight game with a 36-13 win over Bristol Central on Sunday. It was the completion of Friday night's game was was suspended by heavy rain and lightning with 1:01 left in the second quarter and the Indians leading, 14-6.
Adam Buono finished the game with a pair of touchdown runs, including a 22-yard run in the third quarter. Brian Logan, Jeremy Buck and Ivan Guadalupe each had TDs for the Indians.
Bristol Central (1-1) took the lead when Mike Benites scored on an 83-yard kickoff return to begin the game. Farmington received a 2-yard TD run from Brian Logan with 7:17 left in the second quarter and a 6-yard run from Buono with 3:46 left in the quarter.
In 2nd game, Simsbury loses another QB in loss
By GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
Collinsville Press.com
SIMSBURY, Sept. 23 – Despite losing starting quarterback Stephen Steijn in the first game of the season, the Simsbury High football managed to earn a 14-7 victory over Newington. They couldn’t repeat that feat in game two.
Backup quarterback Brendan Conway hurt his shoulder in the second quarter of Friday night’s game against Conard and never returned. That effectively shutdown the offense in a 28-0 loss to the Chieftains in the rain at Simsbury High.
The Trojan defense played proudly but Conard was able to score on four big plays – a 32-yard touchdown throw late in the second quarter, a pair of third quarter touchdown runs and a 61-yard interception return.
Simsbury (1-1, 0-1 CCC Division I West) had a pair of sophomore quarterbacks from the junior varsity try to run the offense. But against an aggressive Conard defense, it was too much to ask.
Through the first quarter, there were just two first downs in the game, both from Simsbury. But when Conway hurt his shoulder on the first play of the second quarter, things changed.
A week ago, it was Conway coming in off the bench when Steijn was injured and racing for 117 yards and throwing a touchdown pass. This time, the Trojans went backwards. They had minus 17 yards in the second quarter, missed several snaps from center and fumbled the ball away twice.
The game was still scoreless when Conard’s Jason Diaz hit Simsbury quarterback Nicholas Wenos in the backfield causing a fumble that teammate Erza Holmes recovered with 3:02 left in the second quarter.
Conard’s Ricky Cotton gained one yard before Simsbury’s Karon Beckford sacked Conard QB Owen Synder for a two-yard loss. A third down pass was overthrown but on fourth and 16 yards to go from the Simsbury 32, Snyder lofted a ball to the end zone that got between two Simsbury defenders and teammate Anthony Lugo made a great catch falling backwards for a touchdown with 1:10 remaining.
Simsbury’s Brad Helmkamp recovered an onside kick to begin the third quarter when kicker Kyle Dougherty drilled the kickoff, which bounced off the leg of a Conard defender. But the Simsbury offense couldn’t find its traction, losing eight yards and punting.
Trojan punter Brian Poggio, who had punts of 56, 52 and 44 yards, dropped the snap and barely got it away. But the punt traveled just seven yards. After an offside call, Conard had first down and five yards from the Simsbury 44.
Again, the defense tried to rise to the occasion. Cotton lost a yard on the first down and gained two yards on second down. A sharp tackle by Beckford limited Cotton to two yards. On fourth down and two, Cotton drove up the middle and barely got the first down on the Simsbury 40-yard line.
On the next play, Cotton found a little open space inside, cut to the left and escaped down the left sideline for a 40-yard touchdown run and a 14-0 lead. Senior Matt Douglin added a 41-yard touchdown run on Conard’s next possession and when Simsbury got the ball back, it was Lugo who had a 61-yard interception return, jumping over Simsbury tacklers and just getting the ball over the goal line for the touchdown and a 28-0 lead.
“I thought our kids played hard and Simsbury player very hard as well,” longtime Conard coach Rob Cersosimo said. “We got a lot of breaks and we were fortunate to take advantage of those breaks.”
Cotton ran for a game-high 111 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries for Conard (2-0, 1-0 CCC Division I West). Lugo had a 61-yard interception return. The Chieftains limited Simsbury to 68 yards offense.
Simsbury kick returner Blair Zentek had some nice returns, including a 36-yard punt return to the Conard 20-yard line in the second quarter and kickoff returns of 34 and 25 yards.
Farmington 28, Maloney 6
FARMINGTON, Sept. 23 – Adam Buono ran for 103 yards and 3 TDs to lead the Indians to a 28-6 win over Maloney in its home opener. He scored on runs of 45, 17 and 1 yard. Jeremy Buck also added a 30-yard TD run with that capped off a five-play drive that gave Farmington (2-0) some breathing room after the Spartans cut the lead to eight with a touchdown of their own with 7:01 remaining.
Coventry/Windham Tech 26, Avon 21
COVENTRY, Sept. 23 -- The Coventry/Windham Tech football team stopped Avon on the one-yard line as time expired to beat the Falcons for the first time since 2006 on Friday night under the lights, 26-21. Avon recovered a Coventry fumble with 2:24 remaining and was driving for the game-winning score. Avon’s Colin Moore (33-286, 3 TDs) was stopped on the 1-yard line as time expired.
Despite 5 turnovers, Simsbury wins opener
By GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
Collinsville Press.com
SIMSBURY, Sept. 17 – Since the first decade of the 20th century, they have been playing football at Simsbury High School. A year ago, the Trojans won two of 10 games and gave up a school-record 345 points. Preparing for the 2011 campaign, the coaching staff of the Trojan football team modified their defensive schemes.
“We did a 10-year upgrade,” head coach Jeff Osborne said after Friday night’s 14-7 season opening victory over Newington at the high school. “We were running a 1998 defense. Now, we’re in a 2011 defense and we’re ready to go.”
Simsbury (1-0, 0-0 CCC Div. I West) was able to contain Newington’s fleet quarterback Jonathan Snyder, who was able to run for just 38 yards on 16 carries. He completed 13 of 24 passes for 165 yards.
“We changed a lot,” Osborne said. “We changed our coverages. You have to stop the short and medium game. And if you looked at a Simsbury team in the past, we were playing so deep all of the time.”
Simsbury was a hard-hitting team, too, punishing Newington receivers and backs. And for some perspective, this wasn’t a state playoff-caliber team on the opposing sideline. Newington was 0-10 a year ago but they were hoping to improve with a solid returning group of veterans.
The challenge gets more difficult when Simsbury hosts Conard next Friday night at 7 p.m. at Simsbury High. Conard won the CCC Division II title a year ago and qualified for the Class LL tournament. The Chieftains may have graduated hard-running Jonathan Esposito, who set a slew of school rushing records, but there is plenty of talent remaining.
Conard opened the season with a 49-8 rout of South Windsor Saturday. Running back Ricky Cotton ran for 206 yards and two touchdowns – the largest opening day effort by a Conard since 1993. Conard QB Owen Synder also threw two touchdown passes, a significant achievement for a team that had just five TD receptions a year ago.
Simsbury’s best defense may be its triple option veer offense – just as it was against Newington on opening night. Simsbury had five turnovers (four fumbles, interception) on Friday and still won because they were able to control long stretches of the game with its offense.
Leading 6-0 at halftime, Simsbury used 14 plays to move 70 yards in 7:46 to take a 14-0 lead with 2:39 remaining in the third quarter on a seven-yard run up the middle from Brad Helmkamp. Twelve of the 14 running plays were for 10 yards or less.
Back-to-back passing plays from Snyder to Jesse Ramirez put Newington in position to score and Snyder scored from the two-yard line with 9:44 remaining to cut the lead to seven, 14-7.
But Simsbury went on another 14 play march that went 62 yards and ate up 8:20. It ended with a field goal attempt from Brian Poggio that was wide left from 21 yards away but it left Newington just 45.1 seconds of time and that wasn’t enough.
Simsbury may be facing Conard with its backup quarterback Brendan Conway, who played in the second half of the Newington game after Steven Steijn hurt his knee late in the second quarter.
Steijn ran for 84 yards on 11 carries and threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Blair Zentek on Simsbury’s sixth offensive play of the game in the first half. Conway, who also played at safety, took over and ran for a game-high 117 yards on 19 carries. Andrew Girard earned 44 hard-earned yards while Christian Martinez ran for 28 yards.
Cormack Mulshine and Zentek each came up with a pair of interceptions for Simsbury while Christian Kaljulaid and Garrett Crowe teamed up for one sack.
Avon 30, Stafford/East Windsor 7
STAFFORD, Sept. 16 – The Falcons scored 30 unanswered points to easily capture their season opener. Junior Colin Moore ran for a career-high 237 yards and two TDs on 28 carries. He also threw a 35-yard TD pass to Will DiStefano and ran in three two-point conversions. Mitch Gauthier also had a 68-yard kickoff return for Avon. Stafford was led by Zach Rollins, who ran for 85 yards on six carries, including a 65-yard TD in the second quarter that gave the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead.
Two Mills games on internet radio
BURLINGTON, Sept. 7 – Lewis Mills will have two games broadcast over the internet by Middletown radio station WCNX. The game against Cromwell on Saturday, Sept. 24 at Bristol’s Muzzy Field and the Sat. Oct. 29 game against East Hampton/Vinal Tech, also at Muzzy will be broadcast. Go to CNXradio.com for more information.
Farmington Valley football notebook
Teams set up scrimmages
Valley football teams will be participating in several exhibition games to prepare for the 2011 campaign.
Canton: Thur. Aug. 25 vs. Haddam Killingworth at St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield, 4 p.m.; Tues. Aug. 30, St. Paul, 4 p.m.; Sat. Sept. 3, at Rocky Hill, 10 a.m., Sat. Sept. 10: Lewis Mills, 11 a.m.
Simsbury: Wednesday, Aug. 31 at Simsbury with Westfield, Mass., Gilbert and Tolland; Fri. Sept. 9, Platt High, 4:30 p.m.
Farmington: Sat. Sept. 3, Torrington, 10 a.m.; Wed. Sept. 7, East Catholic, 3:45 p.m.
Avon: Wednesday, Aug. 31 at Simsbury with Westfield, Mass., Gilbert and Tolland; Fri. Sept. 3 at Fermi with East Catholic, 5 p.m.; Tues. Sept. 6, Prince Tech, 4 p.m.
Granby: Sat. Aug. 27, at Capital Prep/Classical at Riverside Park, Hartford, 10:30 a.m.; Sat. Sept. 3, at Nonnewaug, 10 a.m.; Sat. Sept. 10, Wolcott Tech at Ahrens Park, 11 a.m.
Lewis Mills: Sat. Aug. 27, at Wolcott High, 4 p.m.; Wed. Aug. 31, at Watertown, 4 p.m.; Sat. Sept. 3, vs. St. Paul at Gilbert, 10 a.m.; Wed. Sept. 7, at Gilbert, 4 p.m.; Sat. Sept. 10, at Canton, 11 a.m.
NOTES: Granby doesn’t have any night games scheduled this year. … Simsbury Community Television plans to telecast five Simsbury High games on a delayed basis – Newington (Sept. 16), Conard (Sept. 23), Windsor (Oct. 14), New Britain (Oct. 28) and East Hartford (Nov. 11). The games will also be available on the Simsbury Community Television website. …. Lewis Mills will play their home games at Muzzy Field in Bristol. Granby will play at Aherns Park in Granby.
Avon is largest school in Pequot
AVON, August 20 - -Avon will have the most boys in grades 9-12 of the 20 schools in the Pequot Football Conference this fall but just by one boy. Overall enrollment at Avon dropped 15 this year to 548 boys according to figures filed with the CIAC. Nearly even with the Falcons is the co-op team of East Hampton and Vinal Tech with 547 boys in the two schools. East Hampton will be fielding a varsity team for the first time. Canton is ranked No. 19 in the 20-team league with 270 boys and is the second smallest public high school in the state fielding a team on its own. Three other Catholic schools and a magnet school (Hyde) have smaller enrollments than Canton along with Derby High (215 boys).
New scoreboard installed at AHS
AVON, Aug. 17 -- As practice begins for the 2011 Avon High football team, a new scoreboard has been installed, replacing an older scoreboard that was installed in the 1980s and that had become unreliable. It is part of the Falcon Facility Campaign from the Avon High Booster Club that has been soliciting donations to install a new scoreboard and build a new press facility at the football field.
New helmet design for 2011
CANTON, May 21 -- The Canton High football team will have a new helmet design in 2011. The large C on the helmet has been modified and is very similar to the C worn by the University of Connecticut football team on their helmets. The color of the C will be maroon. The spear has been removed and the color of the helmet has been changed from white to black. The logo is consistent to the logo used by Canton's fledging boys lacrosse team on their helmets.
