By Ken Lipshez
MaxPreps.com
SIMSBURY, Conn. – The tone was set on Newington’s first defensive set.
Simsbury elected to receive and tried to do what it did successfully throughout the regular season – pound away with powerful fullback Lawton Arnold. When Arnold was prevented from building up any steam, the Trojans were forced off track.
Quarterback Spencer Parker ran for two touchdowns and third-seeded Newington’s defense stifled No. 2 Simsbury’s vaunted ground game in scoring a 28-7 victory Tuesday night in a CIAC Class L semifinal between two CCC schools at Simsbury High School.
Newington (10-2) advances to its first final since 1991 against top-seeded Monroe Masuk, which buried Windsor, 50-15, in the other Class L contest.
The game will be played Saturday, 7 p.m. at West Haven High’s Ken Strong Stadium.
“It’s amazing,” Parker said. “We came into the season hoping we’d have a winning record and look at us now. We’re going to the state championship.”
Parker guided the Indians 54 yards in eight plays on their first possession and scored on a quarterback sneak from the 3.
With Simsbury unable to move the ball and forced to puntfrom deep in its territory, Shane Leupold’s 25-yard punt return gave Newingtona short field. Parker scored on another sneak from the 4 to give the Indians a14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
On both scoring plays, Parker followed the lead blocks of 5-foot-5 center Matt Piendak.
“We may not be the biggest line but our core of linemen do it all for us,” Parker said. “They’re the reason why we win these games.
“[Piendak and I] live on the same street and we’ve been friends our whole lives. He may be small but he’s one of the strongest kids on the team and he knows what he’s doing out there.”
Simsbury managed just 38 rushing yards in the first half and didn’t pick up a first down until the very last play of the second quarter. Arnold, who totaled 1,621 yards and 18 touchdowns during the regular season, was held to 40 yards, and 21 came on the game’s final play.
“We had to stop [Arnold],” Parker said. “We scouted for him and stopping him is what won us the game.”
Newington opened the second half with a 13-play, 73-yard drive that consumed 6:45. Jimmy Dombrow scored from the 3. Simsbury was flagged for 35 yards on three penalties to extend the drive.
“It was clutch. We got some help from them from the penalties and that was really important for us,” Newington coach Clay Hillyer said. “We have a habit of coming out and being a little flat in the second half when we have a lead and that’s what we talked about at halftime.
“To score really hurt them emotionally.”
Simsbury coach Jeff Osborne called it the turning point. He expected that Newington would key on Arnold but expected others to compensate.
“We expect at this point of the season that they were going to take phase one of our option away,” he said. “They did a pretty decent job.… In three days they put in a great scheme.”
The Indians, by dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, took Simsbury out of its ball-control game. The Trojans had the ball for under 15 minutes compared to 33 for Newington.
“We knew their defensive line was quick and fast and they’re pretty big,” Leupold said. “They have a great defensive end [Arnold]. We really count on the line and they stepped up huge. It was the biggest game I’ve seen our line play all year.”
Simsbury put together its first sustained drive of the game midway through the third quarter but Arnold fumbled on the 1. Leupold picked it up and raced 99 yards and Newington led 28-0.
“He lost control and the ball rolled and was balancing on his back,” Leupold said. “There was no whistle. I picked it up. One kid grabbed me but I got rid of him and took off.”
The Trojans (9-3) scored on a 37-yard pass play from Kyle Decker to Colby Vanderbeck to avoid the shutout early in the fourth quarter.
Parker led the Newington attack with 86 yards on 17 carries.
Windsor Pummeled
Masuk left little doubt about its deserved spot in the Class L final by drubbing Windsor, 50-15, Tuesday night at Trumbull High School.
Windsor (9-3) trailed 50-0 before quarterback Pierre Narcisse hooked up with Courtney Silvera on a 68-yard pass play in the third quarter.
Silvera scored on an 11-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Masuk (11-1), which has lost its last four title games, got three touchdowns from Nico Guerrera and four touchdown passes from Bobby Baker.
Glastonbury Advances
Tailback Jordan Brown piled up all six of his team’s touchdowns and 325 yards rushing as top-seeded Glastonbury remained unbeaten by pounding Newtown, 42-28, in a Class LL semifinal.
Brown gained 210 yards and scored four times in the first half as the Tomahawks (12-0) bolted to a 28-7 lead. But Newtown (9-4) struck back late in the second quarter with a touchdown run and catch by Jake DeVellisto narrow the gap.
Brown’s one-yard touchdown run in the fourth-quarter created some separation. DeVellis returned the favor but Brown scored again to seal the win.
Weaver, Avon, Rocky Hill Fall
The Hartford area took its lumps in three other playoff games.
Hartford Weaver (8-4) was trounced by New Canaan (12-0) in a Class MM semifinal, 34-7. Maurice Campbell scored the game’s first touchdown on a three-year run but the top-ranked Rams rattled off five unanswered touchdowns.
Avon (9-3), playing in its first postseason game, had a 12-7 halftime lead on touchdown runs by Mike D’Onofrio and Andy Livingstone but Brookfield (11-1) rallied for three scores in the third quarter to win the Class M contest, 36-19.
Rocky Hill (10-2) couldn’t compete with top-seeded Seymour (11-1) after a scoreless first quarter in Class SS. Seymour, with retiring head coach Paul Sponheimer looking for another title in his 29th season, scored two touchdowns in each of the last three quarters while the Terriers’ offense remained silent until Fernando Sanchez’s touchdown run in the fourth quarter left the final at 42-7.
Manchester Cheney Tech (10-1), coming out of the technical school league, was no match for Ledyard, as expected. Ledyard (10-2), defending Class M champions, went over and through Cheney, 43-0.
