Speller is the straw that stirs the drink for Waterford's offense
Howdy,
Chase Speller, a senior running back, had 188 yards rushing and three touchdowns in Waterford’s 41-8 victory over Fitch on Friday night and also added an interception.
“He was making guys miss in the backfield. He had a great game. He’s a good athlete, obviously, a multi-sport athlete,” said Waterford coach John Strecker, whose team had a 20-day layoff prior to the Fitch game due to a forfeit by Plainfield last week.
“He’s a tremendous competitor, not a vocal leader, but he’s out there working. He does it right. He does it every day.”
Strecker said that because of Speller, it also helps open up other facets of the offense for the Lancers (2-4). Mike Rocchetti, for instance, had a 5-yard touchdown catch from Jake Mangual to make it 21-8 in the second quarter and ran in a 5-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for a 27-8 advantage.
“Everyone just comes to stop Chase,” Strecker said. “When he has that many carries and that many yards, likely other stuff will open up.”
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East Lyme coach Rudy Bagos has seen positive growth in senior Evan Tryon.
Tryon caught three touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Dylan Hatajik in a 38-20 loss at Bacon Academy on Saturday in Colchester. His scoring receptions covered 11, 42 and six yards.
“He’s always been a good receiver,” Bagos said. “There were times that he got down on himself if he dropped a pass and kind of lose it in a game for a little bit. We’ve been working on him.”
Tryon showed his improved mental toughness against the Bobcats by bouncing back from a drop.
“He kept his head,” Bagos said. “He dropped one out here. … but he stayed with it.”
This is Tryon’s first full varsity season. An injury sidelined him last year.
Now he’s Hatajik’s most productive target.
“He’s starting to get comfortable,” Bagos said. “Some of the drops early in the year were just nerves. He’s always had the athletic ability to be a go-to-guy.”
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Eight seconds remained Friday night and Ledyard’s 20-0 lead suggested the final play of the game was a formality. Except that during a timeout, Ledyard coach Jim Buonocore was an impassioned as he’d been all game, imploring his defense to preserve the shutout.
“I just wanted them to finish it the right way,” he said. “We’ve had times when we’ve been complacent.”
Ledyard earned its third shutout of the season and second at Bill Mignault Field.
The Colonels have won five straight since a 25-22 loss to Bacon Academy in late September.
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The Eastern Connecticut Conference has been so unstable off the field for the several months, so it's apropos that this football season continues to be the league's most unpredictable year of the millennium. It's the only league in the state without an unbeaten team because nearly everyone has taken turns knocking one another off.
Check it:
New London beat Plainfield (14-12).
Plainfield beat Montville (26-14).
Montville beat Stonington (12-7).
Stonington beat Waterford (21-13).
Waterford beat Fitch (41-8).
Fitch beat NFA (21-9).
NFA beat Windham (13-6).
Windham beat Griswold (22-14).
Griswold beat Killingly (27-22).
Killingly beat Bacon Academy (40-7).
Bacon Academy beat Ledyard (25-22).
Ledyard beat New London (35-6).
That's 12 of the ECC's 14 teams.
CIRCLE OF STRIFE.
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Norwich Free Academy, which plays host to Bacon Academy on Friday night, expects to get healthier this week. Quarterback Jawaun Johnson, among others, is expected to return. … Ledyard’s Luke Saccone, in addition to catching a screen pass that led to a touchdown, also unloaded a 45-yard punt early in the game that changed field position. … More from Strecker on Waterford's Rochetti, a senior: "He's like a Swiss army knife. He's probably played every backfield position you can play. He's the guy you move around everywhere ... he learns them quickly. He's got a giant heart." ... Strecker includes the coaches when he mentions his team's improvement Friday, the Lancers' first victory on the field after an 0-4 start. "It felt good. It's nice to see the guys, to see all of us get close to where our potential is," Strecker said. "This is the team we thought we had."
The annual home game at Old Lyme for the Valley/Old Lyme cooperative has become quite popular. A sizeable crowd gathered on the hill overlooking the field, turning it into what Tim King called “a community event.” … For the second straight year, Valley and Old Lyme officials honored military personnel with a ceremonial pregame coin toss. … Valley/Old Lyme might have the most depth at kicker in the state. Senior Jared Roche made a 26-yard field goal and was perfect on four extra points. Meanwhile, teammate Garrett Burdick, a transfer from New London, made two game-winning field goals for the Whalers as a freshman. Burdick has been converted to a receiver and a cornerback for the Warriors.
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Thanks to TEAM DAY~! staffers Mike DiMauro, Vickie Fulkerson and Gavin Keefe for providing copious amounts of copy for this here Polecat.
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Thanks for reading. More online Tuesday.
Vaya con dios.
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