Joel Barlow and Brookfield are an even 4-4 against one another since October of 2014, but not for long. The Joel Barlow Falcons will look to defend their home field on Saturday against the Brookfield Bobcats at 1:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Joel Barlow is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Killingly just ended the team's three-game winning streak last Friday. They fell 42-32 to the Redmen. While losing is never fun, the Falcons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Connecticut football rankings (they are ranked 66th, while the Redmen are ranked tenth).
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Scott Romano, who rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.2 yards per carry. He has become a key player for Joel Barlow: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least 100 rushing yards, but 1-2 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Gilbert, who rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Even though they lost, Joel Barlow was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 300 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 258 rushing yards in eight consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Brookfield put another one in the bag last Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past East Lyme, posting a 43-0 win. Fans of the Bobcats have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
It was another big night for Michael Walters, who rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries, and also picked up 40 receiving yards. His longest rush was for an impressive 64 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Another player making a difference was Nyzir Torres, who rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown on only six carries.
Brookfield didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Brad Sollose, Matthew Ackerly, and Danny Ciriello picked up one apiece.
Brookfield pushed their record up to 7-0 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. Those good results were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 4.8 points per game. As for Joel Barlow, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-3.
Saturday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Joel Barlow has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 301.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Brookfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging 298.3. It's looking like Saturday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Joel Barlow came up short against Brookfield in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, falling 14-6. Will Joel Barlow have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
