WOODSTOCK —The Woodstock Academy football team fought hard in its season opener on the road in Greenfield, Mass., and even had a chance to tie the game in the waning moments, but fell short to the Green Wave, 26-18.
“I told the kids that there comes a time when you cannot overcome all the mistakes and that was what it was all about. It wasn’t necessarily about their effort and the fourth quarter comeback was a testament to their desire to play the full game and win the game. We just made too many mistakes and dug ourselves holes that we ran out of time to get out of,” said coach Sean Saucier.
The Centaurs had a chance at the end.
They scored in the fourth quarter and followed that up with a nice defensive stop. That opened the door for a run at the possibility of overtime.
Centaurs quarterback Derek Thompson got a good look at a potential touchdown pass to Luis Miranda but it sailed over the receiver’s head as time expired.
It was one of the few disappointments for Thompson on the night.
“All around, he was solid,” Saucier said of Thompson. “His demeanor, his attitude, his performance. He scrambled well, stepped up in the pocket and I thought he made good decisions.”
Thompson completed 13 of his 30 pass attempts.
That percentage could have been better had the Centaurs not dropped a number of passes.
Thompson threw for 218 yards and three touchdowns; a 43-yard touchdown pass to Travis White; an 11-yarder to Luis Miranda (3 catches, 48 yards) and a 3-yard score to Caleb Feen (6 catches, 90 yards).
The Centaurs took the 6-0 lead late in the first quarter on the touchdown pass to Miranda.
The defense, however, was a little generous especially to Green Wave running back R.J. Byrd.
Byrd, who finished with over 200 yards rushing, tied the game on a short run and, after Woodstock Academy fumbled the kickoff back to Greenfield, scored on a 45-yard carry.
“Our tackling wasn’t great and that is one thing that we will focus on this week in practice,” Saucier said.
The Centaurs coach is hopeful practices won’t be interrupted by the weather as it has been for the past two weeks.
Hot, humid weather has limited the amount of time on the practice field and the amount of contact drills.
“Not being able to be in pads last week, not an excuse, but a reality. Not being in pads for four days, I don’t know if that is it, but it certainly didn’t help. The tackling needs to be shored up for sure,” Saucier said.
The Centaurs made it 14-12 at the break when White reeled in the 43-yard pass from Thompson.
But Byrd made it difficult on the Centaurs in the third quarter, scoring on a pair of long runs.
“He was a solid running back and I think we made him look better than he was,” Saucier said.
The Centaurs pulled within eight points when they completed a 13-play drive in the fourth quarter that ended in a 3-yard score to Feen.
Ian Welz led the Centaurs in rushing with 48 yards in seven carries while Gavin Savoie also carried the ball seven times for 43 yards.
The Centaurs play the first home game of the season at the Bentley Athletic Complex at 1:30 p.m. Saturday against Amistad.
Amistad struggled in its season opener, a 41-0 loss to Newington.
“I feel good going into this game. The kids were disappointed we lost (at Greenfield), but the kids aren’t down on themselves. They know we made too made too many mistakes, they want to improve and I think we will,” Saucier said. “This is another opponent where, if we play well, we should have the opportunity to win the game. That’s all you can ask for. I’m confident we will rebound and be ready for Saturday.”
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy

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