For anyone that has ever produced the throw away line ‘it is only a game’ they I am sure, will have had a ‘to you it is’ softly said right back to them on the football field or on any rink, mat, court.
We know it is, but the joy, the pain, the competition, the life lessons in microcosm, the — as ABC’s Wide World of Sports put so succinctly back in the day — thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat: When the games are right all sorts of feeling come in gross.
The games are enough, but then other things that make more stupid feelings come in, things like such silly items as social media and planning, and a New Britain-Maloney game where it was alleged that a player’s sister’s photo was used improperly for whatever purpose (seriously?).
Every person who has ever tried to give someone some perspective at a time like that has, hopefully, had eyes rolled at the back of their head for it but if anyone needs some Hamden’s athletic department’s x (ex- twitter) account came through with some Friday night.
There was a graphic with field position of the Green Dragons’ game where the team won against Law 21-14. The only text: “#winforEli.”
So often, after seeing the image, one might probably spend some few seconds in thinking or even make a Google search to be reminded of the story of Elijah Gomez. He was 15 in the spring of 2022 a freshman in Hamden high school and was shot dead on his way from school. The man convicted of his murder was given 35 years imprisonment back in August.
And then it might take a few seconds of algebra to solve it that if he was a freshman then…
“We honored him as he would have been a senior this year On last night we had students senior night and his family walked,” Hamden coach and athletic director Tom Dyer said in a Saturday morning text.
Charles Hebron III scored 180 yards for the Dragons with 22 carries, two of which were touchdowns, one of the touchdowns was the game-winning 7 yard run in the final quarter.
Hamden’s first win of the year was for Eli.
It’s only a game. Except when it’s not.
Some stuff you might’ve missed Friday night:
Say what
When those other teams are putting pictures of our players’ sisters on the back plates, that is not desirable is not something you want to hear from the coach as part of a best game of the night.
My colleague Bryant Carpenter did it in an elegant way, by narrating the events of the game in New Britain where the team triumphed with a 20-17 score over Maloney, moving from the game story to the game around the game.
“There was heat before kickoff when some Spartans said they saw social media posts of photos of a teammate’s sister on the back pads of a few New Britain players, Carpenter wrote. “This resulted to exchanged words between the two squads before the match.”
“Some coaches and players continued with the use of vile language and pointing at each other after the game before other trainers and players intervened.”
Fellas.
You want actual drama: It has been its best season in six years, and the New Britain association is 6-0. Maloney star Jesus Martell caught two first-quarter touchdown passes but then left with an injured shoulder. The Spartans are now 2-4 after their first non-Top 10 loss – and the team that they lost to wasn’t even in the top half of the GametimeCT list at the time.
Perfection
Torrington also stayed unbeaten: They lost to WCA when Micheal Ahou moved for a touchdown and scored with 5.5 seconds left in the game. Our game next week was to have been Naugatuck here against another 6-0 team, Naugatuck took it’s first loss Friday night to Woodland 48-7 and the score tells well the tale of the game. We’ll see how mad the Greyhounds are going to be at Torrington.
This week’s Battle Of Unbeatens was won by Newington that beat Bristol Central. This is also historically true because it was at Hebron that a man named Masuk caused Bethel to record its first defeat.
As former Number 1 and former unbeaten, Greenwich avenged its Week 6 defeat by Wilton to down Trumbull albeit taking time to find the target; the score was tied 0-0 at interval.
Current No. 1 Windsor handled Enfield easily, while current No. 2 Hand had to come back from nine points down with 12:12 to go to beat Cheshire.
Pick it
Interceptions can sue big factors in Friday games, a couple of which could be cited. Nysir Harris of Hillhouse came up with a spectacular pick off in the end zone midway through the third period turning a one-point lead over Amity to figured out the Academics to 33-19.
And Delvin McKnight defended that Newington win over Bristol Central by picking up the ball and swiping out a Central player in the final moments.
What the stats
Seymour is back to.500 with its 22-6 win over Wolcott, and senior back Noah Prodan may’ve had a little to do with it, with 32 carries for 324 yards and two touchdowns, 10 solo tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble.
We could only say that, we were unable to say Hayden Allard doing Hayden Allard things, since Allard things don’t usually amount to 186 yards and three touchdowns on just five carries, but that is what Killingly’s junior back was able to do in Killingly’s 40-0 dismantling of Fitch. Montalvo and Delaura both logged 135 receiving yards to lead East Catholic in the 27-6 victory over Avon. Delaura caught five passes and caught a touchdown pass while Montalvo, who caught three passes, ran for two scores.
Will Brooks was the main show, scoring three rushing touchdowns, recovering a fumble and intercepting a pass, in Woodland’s 48-7 thrashing of Naugatuck. Ty Will Balicki recorded a safety and was a factor in keeping high powered Manchester to 56 yards of total offense in the Redcoats’ 29-7 victory.
Milestone watch
Which brings me to noting that Branford’s 9-8 victory over Hartford Public was the 50th in the career of coach John Limone. Jaeden Konesky was 4 for 5 with four RBI. Ok sorry for the baseball joke; Konesky was good the both ways and Aiden Tracy’s field goal in the last moments of the fourth quarter broke the tie. Engineers hockey victory over through a score of 8-7, but the game also included a score from another sport played by Capital Prep. Hashim Jones caught one for the six and then had a squeeze bunt SORRY, run and a touchdown and PAT. Capital Prep is 6-0, and as of Saturday morning led Class S in one-loss points, albeit in front of Ansonia by just a few.
Looking ahead
It was observed that the winner’s team was scoring 49 points and above in all the first five games in East Hartford. That was only the Yellowjackets once, but they had been averaging at least 20 points in their losses as well. Friday, Southington beat East Hartford 42-38, breaking one streak but charging up the other. Glastonbury, off a loss to Hall, gets the next turn in the EH Fun House Halloween carry-over week.
Amistad’s only varsity contest this week will be on Friday at 4 p.m. at home against Hartford Public. Amistad has not even tried to play six games in a season for the year 2019/2020.
Some fun NVL games on Friday, including as illustrated above: Naugatuck, the team that is assured a chance to get back in the game against unbeaten Torrington. At the same time the ancient Derby-Ansonia rivalry continues; the Chargers are a tough nut to crack for Derby but the latter is much better off than it had been in many prior seasons. And Woodland attempts it the next year by going to Watertown trying to replicate what it did.
Maloney and Manchester both make efforts to try and fix things when they come face to face Friday night in Manchester. There is no rest for the wicked and that brings North Haven against West Haven on Friday night and after their byes.
The FCIAC slate includes the Blue Wave’s Friday-night game at Wilton, which wasn’t able to build on its Week 6 victory over Greenwich when it faced New Canaan this week. Tickets for for Fairfield Ludlowe were played against Darien on Saturday afternoon. St. Joseph swings down there Friday night speaking of Greenwich.
And there are some Saturday games making at least some interest to one extent or another but none could be all that intriguing as Cheney Tech’s game on Danbury ATI. Platt Tech lost to Cheney Tech on Friday but Cheney Tech has not been defeated in the CTC. CTC champion ATI managed to lose this league game only to Platt Tech.
