Windsor displays potent spread in opener

Opening night of the football season offered a contrast in offensive styles in one Central Connecticut Conference matchup — the new vs. the traditional.

Windsor (Conn.) brought a spread offense, an attack that keeps catching on with more and more schools around the state each season, against Simsbury's run-oriented veer offense.

It was never really a contest. Windsor (8-2 last season) pounded Simsbury (9-1), 42-6.

Warriors junior quarterback Alton Smith (14-for-18, 232 yards, two TDs, one INT), making his first start looked poised and relaxed as he took his time to find open receivers even under a fierce pass rush at times. Once he delivered, his receivers showed sure-handedness and an ability to make yardage after the catch by spinning, juking and outrunning the Simsbury defense.

No early reception was bigger than the 12-yard turnaround to senior Brian McClain (four catches, 103 yards), who turned it into a 70-yarder by breaking several tackles to set up Windsor's first score on senior running back Milton Jackson's 3-yard run up the middle.

"Our job is to have the right game plan and help our kids be responsible and dedicated young men," Windsor head coach Rob Fleeting said. "It starts in practice, we do a lot of drills on working with our kids and their hands, and our footwork, running good patterns. We get on them hard. We tell them 'When it's game time it's time for you to perform. We step back and see what you can do.' "

Jackson (11 carries, 112 yards, two TDs), a transfer from South Windsor who scored 15 TDs last year, would score again midway through the third quarter on a 50-yard romp. Junior Aaron Berardino (six catches, 70 yards) caught both TD tosses, 16 and 17 yards, and sophomore Ryeime Moore added two late receptions for 37 yards.
Windsor's defense was just as impressive with senior middle linebacker Jah-son Johnson [5-11, 185] seemingly in on almost every play.

"He just flies around. He loves hitting," said Fleeting, in his second year after coming over from Weaver (Hartford). "Our [senior] defensive ends did a good job, Malcom Archibald [6-1, 190] and Tyrick Thomas [6-0, 240]. It was all about containing [Simsbury QB Kyle] Decker and making sure we didn't let him beat us. And our D-backs did a good job of rotating with the motions."

Decker carried on 19 of Simsbury 48 plays, gaining 47 yards [2.5 yards a carry], as the Trojans were held to 120 yards on the ground. The Trojans passed only once, down 42-0 late in the game, when backup QB Steven Steijn hit Joe Jevnik for 45 yards to the Windsor 27, setting up Simsbury's only score.

"We had trouble tackling their skills, very fast team and they executed well," Simsbury head coach Jeff Osborne said. "Their speed on defense hurt us, they were playing multiple phases of the options. We got beat schematically and physically."

Simsbury senior captain Josh Helmkamp, a defensive back/slot back whom Osborne calls the Trojans' best athlete, went out on the first play of the game with a broken left clavicle.

This victory established Windsor as a strong contender in the predomantly large school CCC Division I as well as the CIAC Class L Division playoffs.

"We have a lot of potential. We have to put the hard work in every day," Fleeting said. "Today is very rewarding because every team in the state has been working for this moment to come."

In other top games:

* Xavier (Middletown) did it again. The Falcons handed last year's consensus No. 1 and Class L champion Notre Dame (West Haven) its only loss 29-28, and Friday they beat the Green Knights 22-15, picking off ND QB Sean Goldrich three times. Xavier's Kosy Broderick returned one pick 30 yards for a TD, and coach Sean Marinan's son, also Sean, stripped RB David Rose and returned it 24 yards setting up the winning score.

* Norwalk shocked perennial FCIAC power Greenwich, beating the Cardinals for the first time in 33 years, 19-7. Norwalk's David Klein scored twice, once on a 75-yard fumble return.

TOP PERFORMERS

* MacKenzie Hollenbaugh (Glastonbury soccer): Scored the game's only goal in a victory over Hall (West Hartford).

* Jackie Nicholas (Nonnewaug-Woodbury cross country): Set a course record of 17:59 over 5K in the girls Varsity 3 race at the 32nd Haddad Windham Invitational.

* Dan Nester (Hand-Madison cross country): Won the Varsity 2 race in the best boys time of the day (15:21) at the Windham Invitational.

* Randy Stratton (Trumbull soccer) scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal in Trumbull's upset of top-ranked Staples, 3-1.

* Mateusz Dziubek (New Britain soccer): Scored on a header in the Golden Hurricanes' upset of Farmington, 1-0.

* Jordan Chapman (Southington football): Returned two interceptions of 15 and 77 yards for touchdowns in the fourth quarter of a 19-8 victory over South Windsor.

* Brian Castelot (Bunnell, Stratford football): Passed for 348 yards and four TDs in a 54-27 victory over Bethel.

* Montrell Dobbs (Ansonia football): Rushed for 213 yards on 35 carries and scored three TDs in a 41-36 victory over Woodland (Beacon Falls).

LOOKING AHEAD

* In football, Staples (Westport) a 31-16 winner over Trinity Catholic (Stamford) travels to meet Norwalk in a game with suddenly much more importance after the Bears' upset of Greenwich.

* Perennial girls volleyball power Darien plays New Canaan (Tuesday) and Norwalk (Thursday) this week.

* Ellington, No. 2 in the first coaches small school boys soccer poll, meets No. 5 Granby Memorial on Friday.

BRIEFFLY

The Connecticut High School Coaches Association will induct eight coaches and one media member into its Hall of Fame on Nov. 18 at its annual dinner at the Aqua Turf in Southington. Inductees include coaches Peter Barbarito (Wilbur Cross-New Haven), Jim Canty (Tourtellotte-Thompson), Steve Filippone (Hand-Madison), Robert Michalski (Xavier-Middletown), Steve Norris (Darien), Patrick Spinola (Norwalk), Leo Veleas (Berlin) and Chris Webster (North Branford) and media member Matt Buckler.

Paul Rosano, the former assistant sport editor of The Hartford Courant and sports editor of The New Haven Register, covers Connecticut for MaxPreps.com. He may be reached at pjrosano@cox.net.