Hurricanes win season opener with fourth-quarter surge; Southington goes toe-to-toe with Bergen Catholic in Giants Stadium Kickoff Classic; Bloomfield, Bristol Central Get Offensive; Berlin serves notice.
By Ken Lipshez
MaxPreps.com
The clash between New Britain and Conard of West Hartford, perennially two of the better football programs in the CCC, was as much a war of attrition as it was a test of talent.
Conard held a 13-10 lead at the end of the third quarter and when New Britain unleashed its previously dormant running game and top back. Kaiuway Boima, the balance swung in the Hurricanes’ favor.
A 19-yard run by Boima gave New Britain the lead for good and a miracle grab by Tebucky Jones Jr. while he lay on his back in the end zone served as the margin of victory in the 24-19 verdict.
New Britain coach Paul Morrell did not feel that his team’s depth played a major factor.
“Conard’s a very aggressive team and the plan early on was to throw the ball around, and with the freaks we have at receiver, we want to get them the ball,” Morrell said. “But we have a freak in the backfield, too. We are blessed with so many athletes it makes it difficult to call plays.”
In addition to Boima (9 carries, 45 yards) and Jones (3 catches, 60 yards), New Britain quarterback Rafal Garcarz has slot back Markeith Cirenna (4 catches, 46 yards) and 6-foot-4 Tarik Hightower in the arsenal.
New Britain wears teams down in the trenches, too, with massive seniors Emanuel McFadden and Darius Smith, both 6-4, 350 pounds.
The win was neither without fault nor easy but Morrell accepted it as a solid starting point to the season.
“It’s kind of like pizza,” he said. “Any win is a good win. Any piece of pizza’s a good piece of pizza,” he said. “It was a good win and I’m happy.”
Southington’s Night a Productive One at Meadowlands
Southington coach Bill Mella began the season with a 27-6 loss – just his second regular-season setback in four-plus years – but he felt the experience of playing a national power like Bergen Catholic at Giants Stadium will build the Blue Knights’ character.
“I know there are a lot of people that are going to say we had no business being here, but I beg to differ,” Mella told The Herald of New Britain. “We stood toe-to-toe and punched, and I can’t be more proud.”
Southington struck first when senior quarterback Josh Lamson used his elusiveness to set up a short touchdown strike to Ryan Borawski on the game’s first drive.
Lamson rushed 20 times for 77 yards, about half of Southington’s output against the Crusaders.
Bunnell Impresses Middletown coach
Middletown coach Eric Marszalek knew his team had a mountain to climb against SWC member Stratford Bunnell in the opener and he came away impressed.
Bunnell topped the Blue Dragons, 36-17.
“They get after it on every play, and they have tremendous experience and poise,” Marszalek said. “When we seemed able to stand with them toe to toe, they didn't flinch. They kept pounding away until we cracked. They always seemed to be in control of themselves.”
Marszalek had kudos for quarterback Chris Sloat, Rutgers-bound wide receiver/defensive back Mark Harrison and running back/linebacker Oliver Aurelia.
Week 1 Notebook: Bloomfield, Bristol Central Get Offensive
* Offense ruled the day in the CCC interdivisional clash between Bloomfield and Bristol Central.
The teams put up 95 points and combined for over 900 yards in Bloomfield’s 52-43 victory.
Bloomfield quarterback Denzel Jones accounted for 342 yards, 247 through the air and 95 on the ground. Central signal-caller Dymetric Maisonet was responsible for 362 yards, 257 through the air.
Central scored 29 points in the fourth quarter to make it a game. Bloomfield was hit with 10 of the game’s 18 penalties.
* A safety and a late touchdown enabled Hartford Weaver to claim an 8-7 win over Bristol Eastern in its opener. The combination of quarterback Andre Campbell and receiver Maurice Campbell, which produced the game-winning TD with 7:50 to go, gives the Hartford school some compelling “possibilities.”
* Cheshire, tabbed by many to emerge back on the playoff scene this year out of the SCC, dropped its opener to Hamden, 27-20, after racing out to a 20-6 lead. The Green Dragons scored two touchdowns in the last 1:40 of the second quarter.
The victory was sweet for Hamden coach Scott Benoit, a former Cheshire assistant under Mark Ecke.
* Wethersfield got off to a stirring start by easing past East Hartford, 37-16. Junior quarterback Tyler Murphy accounted for over 300 yards and four touchdowns, two rushing and two passing.
* Another sterling performance in the area was turned in by Berlin’s sophomore running back, Max DeLorenzo. The Redcoats, at first glance, would have to be considered in a rebuilding mode after losing 18 starters, four of them all-staters. But their 34-7 inter-conference triumph over ECC member Ledyard – the team that beat them in the state Class M final last year – may indicate otherwise.
DeLo9renzo rushed for 221 yards and two touchdowns.
Southington, New Britain to Kick Off at the Rent
The football game between Southington and New Britain on November 14 will be played at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, largely through the efforts of the Connecticut High School Coaches Association and its executive director, John Fontana.
According to sources, the Office of Policy Management, an arm of the state government, seeks additional high school football usage for Rentschler Field beyond the annual Governors Cup between all-stars from Connecticut and Rhode Island, and approached the CHSCA for assistance.
Central Connecticut Conference commissioner John Tarnuzzer and Larry McHugh were also influential in putting local scholastic football on the big stage, where UConn plays its home games.
Sources also say that the New Britain-Southington game may be televised live on one of the state’s major channels.
Ken Lipshez of the New Britain Herald covers central Connecticut for MaxPreps. He may be reached at kenlip@aol.com.
