(photo courtesy of the Middletown Press)

 

 

 

Xavier

Palmer Field, Middletown

Coach: Sean Marinan (13th year)
Conference: SCC
2012 Record: 12-1 (Class LL champions)
2013 Kickoff: vs. Staples, Sept. 11, 6:30 p.m.
Top offensive players: Joe Carbone, 6-3, 215, Sr., QB; Andrew Meoli, 5-11, 180, Sr., RB; Nate Gonzalez, 6-0, 180, Sr., WR.
Top defensive players: Gonzalez, 6-0, 180, Sr., DB; Will Garrity, 5-11, 220, Sr., LB; Edwin Luster, 5-7, 145, Jr., CB; Chidi Broderick, 6-1, 220, Jr., DE; Mike Scherer, 5-10, 175, Jr., SS.
Key losses: Tim Boyle, QB; DeAngelo Berry, RB; James Sullivan, WR; Kris Luster, WR/SS; Max Tylki, TE/LB; Jonah Dorsey, RT; Kevin Dean, RG; Zack Creeron, OL/DL; Max Schumann, C/DE; Ben Lisle, LT.
Outlook: The Falcons, who won their third straight Class LL state title last season, lost a bunch to graduation, including Boyle, who will play at UConn. Despite the graduation losses, a talented roster returns. Carbone (picture above) completed just one pass last season, a 48-yard touchdown strike against Amity, according to stats inputted on Max Preps. Carbone, though, caught 18 passes, including four for touchdowns last season, so there's no doubting his athleticism. He may even be more dangerous than Boyle because of his mobility. Meoli is expected to take over the duties at running back after playing behind Berry last season. Meoli rushed for 408 yards and six scores as a junior. Gonzalez is a two-way threat. He only caught 11 passes last season but made 76 total tackles and seven interceptions. Garrity chipped in with 64 total tackles in 2012. Marinan said that developing a work ethic, minimizing mental mistakes and how well the team matures will be keys to this season. With the success Xavier has had in recent years, it's expected that the Falcons will be in the hunt for yet another state playoff berth.

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Previous entries in the Inside The Huddle series:

Pomperaug
Sheehan 

NEW HAVEN — DeAngelo Berry scored on a 1-yard run, and then ran in the successful two-point conversion with 51 seconds remaining, as visiting Xavier, ranked fourth in the Register Poll, rallied for a 50-49 Southern Connecticut Conference interdivision victory Friday afternoon at Bowen Field.

The Falcons (6-1) scored 29 unanswered points in fourth quarter to erase a 28-point deficit. Xavier also trailed by 21 points on three separate occasions in the contest.

Senior quarterback Tim Boyle connected with junior Joe Carbone on a 41-yard touchdown pass with 6:12 left to cut the Hillhouse (5-2) lead to 49-42.

On the ensuing drive, Chidi Broderick recovered a fumble to give the Falcons the ball at the Academics' 27-yard line which set up the winning score.

Berry rushed 17 times for 90 yards and scored three times. Boyle gained 39 yards on six carries and scored twice. Junior Andrew Meoli carried nine times for 106 yards and one score for Xavier.

Junior Harold Cooper rushed 20 times for 198 yards and two touchdowns. Je'Vaughn Moore, James Moore and Andre Anderson also had rushing touchdowns. Je'Vaughn Moore threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Darryn Horner.