A crystal clear Labor Day morning with temperatures in the 60s provided an ideal setting for a matchup between last season's Class LL football finalists.
In front of about 400 spectators, LL champion
Cheshire hosted the team it defeated 28-21 in overtime for the state title last December,
Staples (Westport), at Cheshire's practice facility. Class M school
Seymour was also in the mix, making it a tri-team scrimmage Monday.
Though each team had its moments, Staples clearly held the advantage on both sides of the ball. They played well in the red zone drill and in the open field scrimmage, during which each offense had the ball for 15 minutes. The Wreckers scored multiple times against both opponents.
"One thing we wanted to do today was come up here, compete and improve from where we were on Wednesday (scrimmage vs. Bunnell-Stratford)," Staples head coach Marce Petroccio said. "I think we got that done today. The kids played their tails off. We minimized our mistakes, we ran the ball well, we threw the ball well and we played good defense. This is an intense scrimmage here. You're talking about playing a bunch of guys who beat us in overtime last year. But there's an awful lot of respect for both teams, and today we grew up a little bit."
Staples received good performances from players it needs to produce this season. Senior quarterback Chester Pajolek ran a fluid spread offense, showing that he runs as well as he passes. Senior Tyler Jacobs was an effective rusher and senior Chris Coyne made some key catches at wideout and big stops on defense from defensive back. Seniors fullback/linebacker Robert Gau and tight end/linebacker Pat Murray also stepped up.
"We really worked hard on getting our act together offensively because it was ugly in the beginning," Petroccio said. "They've made a commitment to make themselves better every day and we had a great week of practice. If they play up to their potential, we'll be fine. I told them today, last year was last year, go make your own history."
The big question for Cheshire remains the quarterback competition between senior
Max Slade and junior
Michael Ecke, who is head coach Mark Ecke's nephew. Both looked sharp early in the scrimmage, but neither could move the Rams downfield very far against Staples in the open-field portion of the day's workout.
"We did some good things and there's a lot of things we've got to work on," Mark Ecke said. "Defensively, we've got to do a better job tackling. We did not tackle the way we're capable of doing. Offensively we flashed. We did some real good things and then we would have breakdowns. It's a learning experience and in the big picture this is nothing more than a glorified practice right now.
"I'm still undecided," Mark Ecke said about the starting quarterback position. "It's a good problem to have. We've got two kids who can make plays for us."
One of Cheshire's big bright spots was the play of 6-1 junior wideout
Sebastian Little, who made a number of outstanding catches in traffic over the middle.
"He's a special kid. He's big, he's fast, he's athletic, his hands are unbelievable," Mark Ecke said. "We're excited. I think Sebbie's going to have a great year for us."
Perhaps it was just a practice but you wouldn't have known it from the reaction of the players on touchdowns, particularly by Staples, and by the crowd reaction, many of whom made the trek from Westport, nearly an hour away.
"I can't deny it. They were excited about it," Petroccio said.
LOOKING AHEAD*
Notre Dame (West Haven), last season's consensus No. 1 football team, opens with one of the top games of Week 1 when it hosts to Southern Connecticut Conference rival
Xavier (Middletown) on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. ND, last season's Class L champion at 11-1, lost a lot but returns three outstanding skill players in quarterback Sean Goldrich (1,645 yards, 20 TD passes), running back David Rose (590 yards, 14 TDs), and wide receiver Tirrell Young-Williams (10 catches, 284 yards, 7 TDs). Xavier (an LL semifinalist at 9-2) should as usual be solid on defense with Division I recruit (Boston College) and inside linebacker
Graham Stewart (6-2, 215), who made 68 tackles last year, and safety Austin Ahern (21 tackles, four interceptions). Xavier won the Week 2 matchup last season 29-28 to give the Green Knights their only loss.
* Cheshire (11-1) opens at SCC opponent
Hamden in Week 1 on Sept. 16. The Rams lost QB Greg Palmer, WR Brian Havlicek and RB Dan Sweeney, but have potential on offense with Slade, Ecke and Little. Hamden (7-3) brings back Tony Martone at head coach, who led the Green Dragons from 1992-2002, after the departure of Scott Benoit to an assistant's job at the University of New Haven. Jordan Teague, who rushed for 1,119 yards and 10 touchdowns, will lead the offense.
* Staples (12-1) gets Fairfield County Conference foe
Trinity Catholic (Stamford) in Week 1 (Sept. 17, 3 p.m.). A seemingly improved Trinity (4-6) features Division I wide receiver prospect
Shawn Robinson (12 catches, 250 yards, four TDs). Staples should be in contention once again for the conference title.
* In cross country, the 32nd Haddad Windham Invitational, a premier early season meet, will be held on Sept. 18 at Windham High School. Meet director Charles Olbrias said runners will wear the MyLaps Bib, which has an integrated microchip for timing and finish line results. Hamden won last year's varsity I race, while Norwich Free Academy took the girls Varsity title.
BRIEFLYThe United State Marine Corps is sponsoring an award to be given to the No. 1 boys and girls teams from 2009-10. Each of the Connecticut High School Coaches Association sports committees recommended one team from its sport, and a committee appointed by the CHSCA made the selection. "The No. 1 Team" awards will be revealed at the CHSCA's Hall of Fame dinner on Nov. 18. ... According to CIAC Director of Continuing Education Fred Balsamo, since May more than 5,000 coaches have taken a course on dealing with concussions through a special program administered by the CEP. Passage of a state law in the spring requires any coach with a permit for intramural or interscholastic sports to receive periodic education on how to recognize and treat head injuries.
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.
