By Ron P. Coderre

Sports giant ESPN has the knack of creating marketing blitzes by naming weeks when college teams that are matched against each other create a media sensation.  The local football buzz last week was created when the four local teams were matched against each other.  Putnam Town Crier Sports is labeling the week, “Rivalry Week.”

The matchups pitted the Killingly Redmen versus the Plainfield Panthers on Friday night and the Quinebaug Pride against the Woodstock Academy Centaurs in a Saturday afternoon encounter.

Killingly, which was projected to be a solid football team this fall, rebounded from a disappointing loss to Griswold during Week #1 action.  The Redmen “got their act together” as the cliché goes and walked away from Panther Stadium with a convincing 34-12 victory.

In Woodstock at the Bentley Athletic Complex visiting Quinebaug Valley Pride overcame a one-point halftime deficit and pitched a second half shutout over the Centaurs and emerged a 30-15 winner.

Redmen Rebound

After falling behind Plainfield 6-0 at the end of the first quarter, Killingly responded with a vengeance in the 

second stanza, scoring 21 points on its way to a confidence-building 34-12 victory in a game played in Plainfield.

Plainfield quarterback Marcus Robinson gave the home folks something to cheer about in the beginning of the game when he ran around end for a 13-yard touchdown tally in the initial period.  The Plainfield elation wouldn’t last very long.

Spurred on by a bone-jarring tackle by Austin Caffrey on Plainfield running back Tyler Ballard, Killingly used the hit as a momentum builder and raced away to the win.  Caffrey, who is Killingly’s primary running back and linebacker on defense, then scored the first of his three touchdowns on the evening when he raced in from eight yards out for the score.  Freshman Luke Desaulnier’s point after kick knotted the score at 7-7.

The next time the Redmen got their hands on the football they tallied on a 25-yard aerial hookup from signal caller Kyle Derosier to Bret Long.  Another Desaulnier point after kick put the Redmen up 14-7 and on their way to their first victory of the season.

Caffrey closed out the first half scoring with an 18-yard run and opened the second half scoring with a 10-yard touchdown.  On the evening Caffrey toted the pigskin 22 times for 113 yards and three touchdowns.

Killingly closed out the scoring in the final period when junior quarterback Derosier ran to paydirt for a five-yard score.  Derosier acquitted himself well on the evening, running for 12 yards on seven carries and completing 4-of-12 passes for 59 yards.  He was responsible for one touchdown through the air and one on the ground.

Sandwiched between Caffrey’s final score and Derosier’s game closing tally, Plainfield’s Devinn McGale scored on a 70-yard pass interception.  Plainfield’s Robinson had seven completions in 25 attempts for 81 yards and was the Panthers leading ground gainer with 19 yards on three carries.

Long was Killingly’s top receiver with a pair of catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.  Plainfield’s Isaiah Fort also had a pair of receptions, good for 64 yards.  Frosh Desaulnier was responsible for four-point after kicks.

The win lifts Killingly to 1-1 on the season and 1-1 in the Eastern Connecticut Conference Small Division.  The Panthers also stand at 1-1 in the early going and 0-1 in the ECC Small Division.

On Friday, the Redmen resume the ECC competition when they host the visiting Waterford Lancers in a 6:30 p.m. contest.  The Panthers hit the road on Friday when they travel to Montville for a 6:30 engagement with the Indians. 

Pride Remains Undefeated with Win Over Centaurs

Woodstock Academy did all of its scoring in the second quarter and it was enough to give them something they haven’t enjoyed in many moons, a 15-14 halftime edge over the Quinebaug Valley Pride.  Unfortunately for the 0-2 Centaurs they couldn’t sustain the momentum and went down at the hands of the Pride 30-15.

The Pride of coach Joe Asermelly, with Charlie Innes back under center after missing the opening win over Bassick, stormed out in the second half outscoring the hosts 16-0 down the stretch when it mattered most.

Much to the elation of the Woodstock fandom the Centaurs took an early second-period lead when Jared Bouten ran over from 8-yards out and Alden Brennan successfully converted the point-after kick, giving the home team a 7-0 advantge.

Innes, who’s a proven quarterback, responded by going to an aerial attack that produced two consecutive touchdowns.  Saige Louis was on the receiving end of both bombs, the first for 34 yards and the second for 56 yards.

Woodstock closed out the first half scoring and went to the locker room ahead thanks to Kam Janice who scored on a 6-yard run and bulled his way into the end zone for the two-point conversion.

After deciding to get more physical in the second half and following offensive lineman Logan Putnam on the ground, the Pride used rugged running back Jeremee Perez to its advantage.  Perez, who toted the pigskin 23 times for 165 yards, scored behind a big Putnam hole on a 2-yard burst, putting the Pride on top for good 22-15.

Jacob Anderson’s fourth period nine-yard TD run was the icing on the cake for the 2-0 Pride.  Anderson had 29 yards on six carries for the afternoon.

Innes, happy to be back on the gridiron, was 4-for-7 and 121yards through the air good for a pair of touchdowns.  Woodstock’s Bouten was 7-for-13 and 81 yards.  The Acads top ground gainer was Janice, who had 62 yards on 12 carries.  The Prides Louis was the game’s top receiver with three receptions for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Woodstock, which was without the services of co-capt Cahan Quinn also lost its top receiver Mason Defocy, Bouten and Janice to injuries that kept them off the field as the game was winding down.

Next up for the Pride is high scoring Cheney Tech on Friday evening for a 6:30 p.m. contest at the St. Marie-Greenhalgh Field.  The Techsters are coming off a Constitution State Conference 66-38 victory over Thames River.  Woodstock is on the road on Friday for a 6:30 p.m. game under the arcs at Griswold.

 

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