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Score!

Jeremee Perez of the Quinebaug Pride scoring a touchdown in the closing seconds of the Thanksgiving Day game versus Killingly Nov. 26. Photo by Joe Voccio, Brooklyn.

 

 

 

 

Football Wrap-up

Killingly last 

one standing 

as football 

season moves

to postseason

By Ron P. Coderre

The local high school football regular season came to a halt on Thanksgiving Day morning with the playing of three traditional Turkey Day classics.

The granddaddy of all the games, Killingly versus Quinebaug Valley Pride, which formerly was Redmen versus Clippers, was nothing compared to the days of yore.  Killingly broke out early and often and romped to victory in a laugher.  The win concluded the regular season for the Redmen at a sparkling 9-1, while the Pride closes the books with a satisfying 6-4 record.

The victory assured coach Chad Neal’s charges the top ranking in the CIAC Class M playoffs.  Killingly with 135.00 playoff points squared off at home against #8 seed Stratford on Tuesday under the lights.  Stratford with 97.00 playoff points plays in the SWC Colonial.  They had a regular season 7-3 record.

Plainfield surprised most prognosticators by putting up a valiant effort before falling in the final seconds against archrival Griswold.  Most of the contest looked like a Panther victory but a bizarre punt play turned the game around for the Wolverines.  It was the 13th Thanksgiving Day in a row that Griswold has taken the measure of Plainfield.

In Woodstock, the Centaurs of the Eastern Connecticut Conference faced off against Thames River of the Constitution State Conference.  The Centaur faithful were hoping for a victory but the Crusaders had different ideas.  They left Woodstock with a win, holding the home team scoreless.

Killingly Easily Gobbles The Pride

It took Killingly only a few seconds to establish the fact that they were the better team in its Thanksgiving Day 40-8 romp over The Quinebaug Valley Pride.  The game resembled a Muhammad Ali vs. Chuck Wepner heavyweight battle from the past.

Killingly began throwing the knockout punch very early, and with the exception of substituting reserves regularly, continued to pound the Pride into submission.  The Redmen carried a 40-0 advantage into the locker room at intermission, as the game was all but in the record books.  The only fear was that the famous “Cochran Rule” might be invoked.

For those unfamiliar with the “Cochran Rule” it’s a CIAC ruling instituted to avoid teams running up scores against lesser opponents.  If a team wins a game by more than 50 points the winning coach is in jeopardy of being suspended for the next game.

In this game, coach Chad Neal showed respect for coach Joe Asermelly and his outmanned and battered troops.  The win gives the VFW Commander’s Trophy to Killingly for another year.  The question still remains in the minds of Pride fans; will they ever be able to assemble a team to compete against the Redmen?

Fittingly, the scoring opened on an Austin Caffrey 5-yard touchdown run, which opened the flood gates.  Eastern Connecticut’s top runner, Caffrey, who was chosen Killingly’s Most Valuable Player, had 80 yards on five carries as he played sparingly.  His touchdown gave him 21 on the season and a total of 1618 yards of rushing offense.

Killingly quarterback Kyle Derosier showed off his arm for the next score as he connected with tight end Jake Gauthier for an 11-yard touchdown.  Vasileios Politis, noted for his pass catching, followed by running back a Pride punt for 46 yards and a touchdown.  Derosier then went back to work, connecting with Bret Long on a 24-yard scoring play.  The final score of the first quarter was another Derosier aerial.  This time he hooked up with Chace Wood on a 34-yard pass-run tally.  

When all was said and done, Killingly had a 33-0 first period lead and the Pride was on the ropes and hanging on for survival.  Killingly’s final score came when coach Neal rewarded big defensive end Josh Angel for a great season by inserting him at fullback.  The big guy took advantage of his opportunity and bulled over from four yards out.  Luke Desaulnier, who had four point-after kicks closed out the scoring with the extra point boot.

Derosier was 6-7 and 83 yards with three touchdown tosses.  Caffrey (5-80) and his sophomore running mate Spencer Lockwood (11-89) dominated the ground game.

The Pride finally broke through in the final seconds of the contest when Jeremee Perez, who played both ways, as most Pride players did, scored on a 2-yard plunge.  Perez, who was selected the Pride MVP, had 76 yards on 16 carries.  He finished the season with 12 touchdowns and 1077 yards on the ground.  Saige Louis (9-32) ran in the two-point conversion.

Plainfield Drops Heart Breaker

Heavily favored Griswold hung on for dear life in posting a 27-21 win over a courageous Plainfield Panther team that dominated the game except for the final score.  

The turning point in the game occurred on an unusual double punt situation.  Plainfield punter Marcus Robinson, under heavy Griswold pressure drove a low punt off the helmet of one of his lineman.  The kick was retrieved by the Panther’s Cameron Gonsales, who then sent another low punt downfield.  

At that point, the confused players watched as Griswold’s Jordan Baker scooped up the ball and took it to the 18-yard line before being pushed out of bounds.  With the score 21-19 in favor of Plainfield, Griswold had 52 seconds to push the scoring play over the goal line.  

The winning score, with time running down, came on a 4-yard pass from quarterback Cole Mileski to Brandon Yeaton.  The Wolverines sealed the victory with a two-point pass conversion from Mileski to Trent Gilbeault.

Baker opened the scoring for Griswold with a two-yard burst.  The first period ended 7-7 as Plainfield retaliated with a Tyler Ballard 35-yard run.  Plainfield scored first in the second period when quarterback Robinson found Isaiah Fort, who had five catches for 178 yards on the day, for a 33-yard touchdown toss.  An Alex Gaudreau to Gonsales two-point pass conversion put the Panthers up 15-7 at that juncture.

 Griswold responded when the starring Yeaton intercepted a Robinson aerial and raced it back 69 yards for a touchdown.  When the conversion run failed, Plainfield held a slim15-13 halftime edge.  

The sure-handed Fort opened the second half, putting Plainfield up 21-13 when he hauled in a Robinson aerial and carried it 91 yards for a spectacular score.  Griswold’s Yeaton then scored on a one-yard burst to make the score Plainfield 21- Griswold 19, before all the final second heroics took place.

Plainfield signal caller Robinson was 8-18 for 194 yards and two touchdowns.  In addition to Fort’s five catches for 178 yards, Gonsales had two receptions for 17 yards.  Ballard was the top rusher with 97 yards on 23 carries. 

Plainfield concludes the dramatic season at 3-7 and 1-5 at the bottom of the ECC Small Division.

Woodstock Shutout

Thames River’s quarterback Jared Neal came into the Thanksgiving Day game against Woodstock as the area’s top touchdown passer with 17 touchdown tosses.  He left Woodstock with 21 scoring passes and a 32-0 shutout victory over the host Centaurs.

In the initial Thanksgiving Day game between the two teams, the CSC Crusaders dominated the ECC Centaurs, despite 147 yards on the ground by sophomore running back Cameron Janice.  Woodstock was simply unable to get the ball into the end zone against the stubborn Thames River defense.

The loss concludes another season where Woodstock was hard pressed to pick up a win.  The Centaurs finished at 1-9 overall.

 

 

 

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