Griswold — Melquann Gomez was asked which he likes better, running the ball or throwing it.

"That's a tough question," Gomez said Friday night. "It's good to have both. It's hard to guard someone's arm and legs."

Gomez accounted for four more touchdowns, two passing, two rushing, as the New London High School football team blanked Griswold 50-0 to go to 2-0 on the season. Gomez, the Whalers' senior quarterback, now has four touchdown passes and four touchdown rushes in the two games.

The interesting thing is to hear the coaching staff instruct Gomez during a game. It would seem, at times, as if Gomez had done nothing resembling piling up eight touchdowns so far this season.

Gomez understands that the critiques — "Mel, cover the ball;" "Mel throw that ball;" "Mel, throw that ball away" — are only to make him better.

"Coach (Juan) Roman has known me since I was 8 and coach Arnie (Delio), my offensive coordinator, they know what you're capable of," Gomez said.

"All we're asking him is to execute the offense," Roman said. "Although you might have a result that's favorable, that doesn't mean you made the right decision. ... Mel did a tremendous job in the offseason, working out with Tim Yuhas. That changed him; he's more athletic. I've known him a long time and he's always been sports smart."

Gomez finished 10-for-20 passing for 174 yards and two touchdowns, both in the first half as the Whalers took a 25-0 lead. He ran seven times for 53 yards and another two touchdowns.

Efrain Santiago had seven carries for 127 yards, scoring on back-to-back rushing plays of 51 and 27 yards in the third quarter. Elijah Lawyea caught four passes for 66 yards and Major Roman four for 61 yards, each with a touchdown, while Santiago and Roman had interceptions.

New London scored on its first two possessions of the game on a 9-yard run by Gomez and a 23-yard pass from Gomez to Lawyea to make it 13-0.

"The guys up front all helped me to do that. From the center to the outside receiver, everybody blocks. We're really close as an offense. We just have to polish a lot as a team," Gomez said.

Billy Clark added a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and Gomez threw a pair of completions to Major on the closing drive of the half, once for a 14-yard touchdown with 11.4 seconds remaining.

New London got the ball to start the second half and promptly went 56 yards in eight plays, highlighted by a 29-yard pitch to Santiago and capped by a 1-yard sneak by Gomez. The Whalers scored on their first three possessions of the half.

Clark, however, was injured on Santiago's 51-yard touchdown run with 5:14 remaining in the third quarter and the game stopped for close to a half an hour while an ambulance made its way to the field at Griswold High School to transport Clark to the hospital. Clark was sandwiched by a pair of defenders on the play.

A linebacker who had a sack earlier in the game, Clark implored his teammates before he left not to let Griswold (0-2) score. That resulted in Major Roman still being in the game to intercept a pass with 5:08 to play, when Juan Roman had otherwise emptied his bench.

"I might look like the biggest dope on the field for still having him in there, but he told me, 'Coach, I can't come out,'" Juan Roman said. "My son is one of the nicest kids I've ever met and that's the kind of compassion the kid has. He doesn't want to let his teammate down."

With New London ahead 44-0, Roman replaced Gomez at quarterback with freshman Owen George for the final two series. Sophomore Nick Fleetwood scored on a 47-yard run with 1:35 to play.

The Whalers play next week at home against fellow unbeaten Killingly.

v.fulkerson@theday.com