By Dave Stewart
MaxPreps.com
RIDGEFIELD, Conn. – With all the wild games and unpredicatbility in the FCIAC this season, perhaps no team took it on the chin harder during the first few weeks than the Ridgefield Tigers.
During their first five games, the Tigers squared off with New Canaan and Darien, both of whom entered week five undefeated, and perennial powers Staples and Greenwich. And when Ridgefield lost to both New Canaan and Darien and fell to 1-2 with the Wreckers and Cardinals on deck, the ship appeared to be sinking.
Two short weeks later, the Tigers are above the .500 mark and even with two conference losses on the ledger, are back in the thick of things in the wild and wacky world of FCIAC football.
Ridgefield finished off a remarkable double when it toppled Greenwich, 21-14, last Friday just one week after trouncing Staples, 37-6. Both games were held at Tiger Hollow.
Senior quarterback Matt White completed 10-of-16 passes for 110 yards and one touchdown a 32-yard strike to Geoff White. That TD capped a 65-yard scoring drive, and when Sean O’Dea nailed the extra point, the Tigers had knotted the score at 14-14 with 4:34 remaining in the third quarter.
Ridgefield then took the lead, and the game, when Mike McKnight scored on an 8-yard run with 1:01 to play in the game.
The Tigers other touchdown was another McKnight run, again for eight yards, which tied the game at 7-7 in the second quarter.
Greenwich took the lead twice, first at 7-0 after Matt Grant caught a 9-yard TD pass from Justin Warzoha, and then 14-7 when Erik Camacho scored on a 2-yard run early in the third quarter. The Cards threatened to take a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, but the Tigers’ defense held on fourth-and-1 at the Ridgefield 2-yard line.
Both Ridgefield and Greenwich are now 3-2.
Knights Hand Cadets First Loss
St. Joseph fell from the ranks of the unbeatens with a 38-27 loss to the Stamford Black Knights Friday night at Stamford’s Boyle Stadium. The Knights (2-3) have been one of the more infuriating teams to figure out in the league, as they’ve played tough with numerous strong teams but have been unable to grab many wins the last few years.
Friday night’s game was a different story, however, as Jalen Holmes capped a long scoring drive with a 1-yard run to give the Knights the lead for good with 1:55 remaining. A 2-point conversion run by Khairi Fortt made it 32-27, and Fortt then intercepted a pass on the Cadets’ first play of the next possession and returned it 42 yards to the house to seal the win.
Stamford quarterback Mitch O’Meara and receiver Chris Evans had a highlight-reel night to lead the Knights to their first FCIAC victory in 2008. O’Meara threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns, while Evans caught nine passes for 127 yards and TDs of 57, 27 and 9 yards. Renard Desir had the other touchdown catch, for 28 yards, and finished with seven catches for 111 yards.
Fortt, Carrington Beckford and Richall Rinvil had interceptions, and Beckford and Patrick Atkinson led the Knights with eight tackles apiece.
The game was a roller coaster ride, as St. Joe’s (4-1) and Stamford exchanged touchdowns in the first half before the Knights took an 18-14 edge into the break. The back-and-forth battle continued in the second half, with the Cadets regianing the lead early in the third and the Knights ripping it back later in the quarter.
St. Joe’s took its final lead after that Stamford score, as Sam Ditchkus, who had scored earlier with a 68-yard run on a fake punt, returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a TD.
Stamford, however, had the last laugh when Fortt’s interception put the exclamation point on the win.
Wilton Perfection Ends Against Westhill
The Westhill Vikings also did some damage to the FCIAC standings over the weekend, as they handed the Wilton Warriors their first loss of the season, 31-21, on Saturday.
Quarterback Adler Florian had the hot hand, and feet, as had 284 all-purpose yards. Florian threw for 131 yards and ran for another 153 to lead Westhill.
Danny Bersiha also starred for the Vikings, racking up 130 yards on the ground.
Wilton QB Vinnie Cannon threw for 155 yards and ran for 115, but also threw two interceptions in the loss, which dropped the Warriors to 4-1.
Rams Dismiss Norwalk to Remain Perfect
New Canaan overcame a big conference obstacle as the Rams blanked the Norwalk Bears, 25-0, on Saturday in Norwalk.
The Rams offense usually steals most of the headlines, but the defense pitched its second straight shutout this week and has allowed only five touchdowns and 32 points through five games. New Canaan held the Bears to just 158 yards of total offense, the majority of which came from running back Chris Hines, who had 80 yards on the ground.
New Canaan quarterback Nate Quinn had 161 passing yards and two more TDs, giving him 15 for the season. Receiver Kurt Ondash, who had nine TD receptions this fall, caught fourt passes for 57 yards and scores of 15 and 18 yards against Norwalk. Halfback Sean Simmons ran for a pair of touchdowns.
Bobcats Claw Panthers in SWC Showdown
The SWC hasn’t been without it’s share of surprises and had a mild one Friday night when the Brookfield Bobcats surprised the Masuk Panthers, 31-24, on the Panthers home turf in Monroe.
The loss was the first of the year for Masuk, which fell to 4-1, while Brookfield climbed to 4-0.
Brookfield quarterback Jordan Burandt had a fantastic day with 364 yards passing and four touchdowns. He also orchestrated a comeback which saw the Bobcats erase a 24-9 third-quarter deficit.
Burandt connected with receiver Scott Benzing on a 3-yard TD and then hit Matt Snyder for two points to make it 24-17 in favor of the Panthers. In the fourth quarter, Burandt and Benzing hooked up again, this time on a 60-yard scoring strike to tie the game at 24-24.
The decisive drive turned out to be a short one, as Brookfield got the ball back at the Masuk 35-yard line with under three minutes to play. The Bobcats were knocked back by a sack, but on third down Burandt tossed a 40-yard touchdown to Nick Cacace with 1:27, giving Brookfield the win.
Benzing caught six passes for 118 yards, Matt Snyder caught four passes for 96 yards, Trevor Treibt had five catces for 80 yards and Cacace had four catches for 60 yards. Brothers Travis and Trevor Treibt led the defense with 13 tackles and one sack apiece.
Bunnell Bulldogs Continue to Growl
The Bunnell Bulldogs continued to roll as they improved to 5-0 with a 33-20 victory over New Fairfield on Friday.
The Bulldogs’ QB Chris Sloat had two touchdown passes, 225 yards passing and a 67-yard rushing TD, while Tyler Navarro and Mark Harrison each had touchdown catches. On the ground, Chanse Wilkie had 155 yards and scored twice.
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps.com writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com