GUILFORD

Kavanaugh Complex, Guilford

Coach: Tom Unger
Conference: SCC
2012 Record: 5-5, 3-1 SCC Division II West
2013 Kickoff: vs. Wilton, Sept. 12, 7 p.m.
Top offensive players: Joe Nault, 5-9, 175, Sr., QB; Ian Robinson, 6-0, 240, Sr., C: David Knapp, 5-9, 170, Sr., RB; Carson Sperry, 6-0, 160, Sr., WR; Eric Zergiebel, 5-11, 195, Sr., RB; Aaron Cowee, 5-9, 220, Sr., OL; Zack Soffer, 5-9, 150, Sr., WR.
Top defensive players: Dane Lawrence, 6-1, 235, Sr., DL; Ford Linell, 6-2, 215, Sr., LB; Fred Trotta, 5-9, 165, Sr., LB; Derek Batick, 5-9, 195, Sr., DL; Anthony Pensa, RB/DB, Jr.
Key losses: KC Horton, rising senior, RB (injured); Colton Schilling, OL/DE; J.P. Peters, OL/DL/LB; Tyler Nelson, WR/DB; Nick Setaro, WR/LB.
Outlook: The return of several talented starters is a promising sign for the Indians, who have the talent to be contenders in the Southern Connecticut Conference Division II West. Nault returns for his third year under center. He’s a mobile quarterback who gained close to 800 yards rushing last season. He also passed for 393 yards and five scores. Zergiebel (pictured above)  ran for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior, while Knapp ran for over 500 yards. Knapp also made 53 tackles. Sperry and Soffer will be Nault’s go-to wide receivers. The offensive line should be improved with the return of Robinson and Lawrence. Linell (59 tackles in 2012) and Trotta (54 tackles) anchor will contribute at linebacker. Pensa made three interceptions as a sophomore. Unger said that Batick showed promise at defensive line last season and they expect even bigger things from him this year.



Previous entries in the Inside The Huddle series:




Morgan
Pomperaug
Sheehan  
Xavier 

Guilford High School will host a six-team weight lifting competition featuring teams from the SCC. Guilford football coach Tom Unger billed it as "the Shoreline/SCC Meet".

The event will feature Guilford, Branford, Lyman Hall, Hand, North Haven and West Haven, and is expected to begin at 3 p.m. on Friday March 8.

This is the fifth year that Unger has run the competition at the school and he hopes to expand the event in the future.

Due to the small space in the Guilford weight room, viewing by the public may be limited, although there is no admission fee.

The two-year agreement between the Southern Connecticut Conference and the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference has been finalized, according to SCC commissioner Al Carbone:


Here are the Week 1 matchups for both the 2013 and 2014 seasons:
Staples vs. Xavier
New Canaan vs. Hand
Darien vs. Hillhouse
Ridgefield vs. Cheshire
Greenwich vs. West Haven
St. Joseph vs. Notre Dame-West Haven
Bridgeport Central vs. North Haven
Trumbull vs. Shelton
Stamford vs. Fairfield Prep
Danbury vs. Hamden
Wilton vs. Guilford
Fairfield Warde vs. Foran
Trinity Catholic vs. Sheehan
McMahon vs. Wilbur Cross
Fairfield Ludlowe vs. Lyman Hall
Bassick vs. East Haven
Harding vs. Law

Westhill vs. Norwalk

There are also additional bye weeks that were filled with SCC-FCIAC matchups over the next two seasons:
Week 2: St. Joseph vs. Fairfield Prep
Week 3: Wilton vs. Branford
Week 4: Ridgefield vs. Notre Dame-West Haven
Week 5: Trinity Catholic vs. Foran
Week 8: Fairfield Warde vs. Sheehan
Week 9: Fairfield Ludlowe vs. East Haven
Week 10: Darien vs. North Haven

check back at here and at www.nhregister.com later this evening for more on this challenge and updates on all of the CIAC state quarterfinals.

FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Hyde returns to Class S state playoffs

Last season’s subpar 4-6 finish might seem like a distant memory for the Hyde football team.

But the Howling Wolves, especially the seniors, never forgot how it felt to miss out on a state playoff berth.

Since becoming a varsity program in 1998, Hyde has qualified for the postseason eight times and won Class S titles in 2000, 2004, 2005 and 2009.

After a year’s absence, the Howling Wolves are back in the Class S field.

“We’re glad to be back,” Hyde coach Melvin Wells said. “We’re glad to be in the mix again. The kids have done a real nice job of sticking to the ground stone. This (reaching the playoffs) was their plan for the start.”

READ MORE

WEEK 10 HIGHLIGHTS

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

♦Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton Sr. RB Kyle Wing: Carried 18 times for a school-record 361 yards and six touchdowns in a 57-28 win over Granby on Saturday.

♦Guilford Jr. RB David Knapp: Rushed 13 times for 212 yards and two touchdowns in a 47-13 win over Foran on Wednesday. Knapp also returned an interception 81 yards for a touchdown.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

♦Ansonia Sr. LB Hezekiah Duncan: Scored on a 35-yard interception return in a 56-26 win over Woodland on Thursday.

♦Oxford Jr. DB Kyle Chudoba: Made two interceptions, including one he returned 23 yards for a touchdown, in a 35-12 win over Bunnell on Saturday.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

♦Ansonia Sr. LB Hezekiah Duncan: Scored on a 35-yard interception return in a 56-26 win over Woodland on Thursday.

♦Oxford Jr. DB Kyle Chudoba: Made two interceptions, including one he returned 23 yards for a touchdown, in a 35-12 win over Bunnell on Saturday.

TEAMS OF THE WEEK

♦Ansonia: Junior running back Arkeel Newsome rushed 23 times for 222 yards and three touchdowns and he also had a touchdown reception in a 56-26 victory over Woodland on Thursday in the Naugatuck Valley League championship game.

♦Barlow: Alex Lockwood had 171 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 29-22 victory over Brookfield on Thursday.

READ MORE



Latest CIAC Pairings
Hand, Staples, Ansonia remain the top 3 teams in the latest Register Top 10 Poll

No. 4 Xavier comes from behind to stun Hillhouse

NEW HAVEN — The Xavier football team responded to its coaches’ challenge at halftime to play more aggressively and as a cohesive unit.

It just wasn’t until early in the fourth quarter, and the Falcons facing an almost insurmountable deficit, that the message finally resonated.

Once it did Xavier, ranked fourth in the Register Top 10 Poll, rallied for a dramatic 50-49 Southern Connecticut Conference interdivision victory over host Hillhouse Friday afternoon at Bowen Field.

Senior DeAngelo Berry scored on a 1-yard run, and then ran in the successful two-point conversion with 51 seconds remaining, to provide the winning score for the Falcons (6-1).

Xavier scored 29 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to erase a 49-21 deficit. Xavier also trailed by 21 points on three separate occasions in the contest.

PHOTOS: Xavier rallies to beat Hillhouse

“There was never any doubt in our minds,” said Berry, who carried 17 times for 90 yards and three TDs. “Every time we come down here it’s always a hard environment; no fans, and they have all their fans. But the coaches let us know that it’s never over until it’s over. We knew we could do it.”


READ MORE

No. 9 West Haven takes out Cheshire 

WEST HAVEN — The Cheshire football team had West Haven right where the Rams wanted it in a Southern Connecticut Conference Division I East contest Friday evening.

Leading in the first quarter and having taken 7 minutes off the clock, momentum was clearly on Cheshire’s side.

Then West Haven, the No. 9 team in the Register Top 10 poll, turned to Ervin Philips and its running game to score 22 unanswered points in a 49-20 West Haven victory in a Southern Connecticut Conference Division I East game at Ken Strong Stadium.

PHOTOS: West Haven takes out Cheshire

READ MORE 

Guilford runs past Branford 

GUILFORD — The Guilford football team came into Friday night’s game wanting to prove that it was better than its 1-4 record.

After close losses to Hillhouse and West Haven, the Indians proved just that by rushing for 483 yards in beating Southern Connecticut conference Division II West rival Branford 41-14 at Kavanaugh Field.

“What I wanted was for our guys to show the fans, their families and the town that they are an excellent team,” said Guilford coach Tommy Unger. “There’s no morale victories, but these kids are really good. I’m happy we got this win tonight.”

PHOTOS: Guilford tops Branford

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ROUNDUP: Amity shocks Fairfield Prep

Guilford’s record entering this past week didn’t quite reflect how talented and competitive the Indians could be.

Guilford suffered losses to North Haven and West Haven, two of the better teams in the Southern Connecticut Conference, during the first two weeks of this season.

But the Indians finally had reason to celebrate after a 56-7 Southern Connecticut Conference Division II West victory over Lyman Hall last Friday.

“It feels great,” Guilford coach Tom Unger said. “It was a D2 West win, and it was a good feeling for our guys to get in the win column.”

LION PRIDE

Foran, like Guilford, posted its first win of the season after earning a 26-7 victory over Sheehan last Friday. The Lions had lost to Hillhouse and Shelton to the year.

“We’ve got a young team, so we needed to play well and get a win,” Foran coach Jeff Bevino said. “I kept telling them they can do it, and now they know they can.”

Bevino credits his defensive coordinator, Jim Esposito, for preparing the Lions for Sheehan’s explosive offensive attack.

Sheehan scored on its opening possession, but was shut out the remainder of the game.  

“Our kids were extremely well-prepared,” Bevino said.

READ MORE OF TUESDAY'S NOTEBOOK

HIGHLIGHTS

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF WEEK

♦Hillhouse Jr. RB Harold Cooper: Rushed for four touchdowns in a 32-18 win over Branford on Friday.

♦Notre Dame-West Haven Sr. RB Cameran Tucker: Rushed 44 times for 323 yards and two scores in a 34-13 loss to West Haven on Friday.


DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

♦Cheney Tech Sr. CB Andre Rose: Made three interceptions, including one he returned 40 yards for a touchdown, in a 36-19 win over Wilcox Tech on Saturday. Rose also scored on an 83-yard kickoff return.

♦Glastonbury Sr. LB Nick Karp: Made 15 tackles and returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown in a 35-6 win over Conard on Saturday.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

♦Newtown Sr. Dan Hebert: Scored on an 85-yard kickoff return in a 43-14 win over Stratford on Saturday. Hebert also had touchdown runs of 13 and six yards.

♦Shelton Sr. Ed Groth: Kicked field goals of 34 and 41 yards in a 34-28 win over Amity on Saturday.

TEAMS OF THE WEEK

♦Nonnewaug: T.J. Meyer blocked a field goal as time expired in an 8-7 win over East Hampton/Vinal Tech on Saturday. The victory was the first varsity win for the Chiefs since 2008.

♦Sacred Heart: Jaquan Overbey rushed 13 times for 203 yards and three touchdowns in a 50-30 win over Whitney Tech on Friday. The win marked the first for Cortez Johnson as the Hearts’ head coach.

MORE HIGHLIGHTS


Xavier, Staples, Hand remain 1-2-3 in Register Top 10 Poll

Bob Barton's annual football column calls for nickname reform.


By Bob Barton, Special to the Register
Twitter: @nhrsports

What does high school football in Connecticut need?

Better attendance? Sure.

Corporate sponsors, especially if playoff finals are to stay at Rentschler Field? You bet.

A “mercy rule” that won’t require coaches to shave points in lopsided games? Absolutely. (Shortening the third and fourth quarters would be a start.).

But there’s another need, long overdue for a solution, that ought to be addressed: Nickname reform.

Why? Too many Indians, for one thing. Also too many Panthers, too many Eagles, too many Red Raiders. And that’s just for starters.

Think of it: The Central Connecticut Conference, with 32 members, has four teams that call themselves Indians: Manchester, Farmington, Newington and Northwest Catholic. The Naugatuck Valley League, with 14 members, has two sets of Red Raiders (Torrington and Derby), two sets of Wildcats (Seymour and Wilby), two sets of Eagles (Kennedy and Wolcott) and another team of Indians (Watertown).

It’s tough on sports writers. When Guilford plays North Haven, the headline can’t read “Indians win,” because the Indians also lost. Nobody seems to have thought of that when they both joined the Southern Connecticut Conference.

Via press release.

NEW HAVEN, CT (August 31, 2012) –MyTV9’s High School Football Game of the Week, returns on Saturday nights this fall. The fifth season of MyTV9’s High School Football Game of the Week will feature some of the best of this year’s football match-ups from 10 different locations around the state. 

If you can’t make it to the football field, you still have two chances to watch your favorite teams in action. The High School Football Game of the Week will be streamed live each week on wtnh.com. It will then be broadcast on Saturday night, at 7pm on MyTV9. Keep up with the latest news about the High School Football Game of the Week on wtnh.com.

Date/Time                                          Teams                                                     TV Date/Time
Sept. 14, 7 p.m.                              Hamden at West Haven                               Sept. 15, 7 p.m.
Sept. 21, 7 p.m.                              Foran at Shelton                                          Sept. 22, 7 p.m.
Sept. 28, 7 p.m.                              Derby at Ansonia                                        Sept. 29, 7 p.m.
Oct. 5, 7 p.m.                                 Masuk at Bunnell                                         Oct. 6, 7 p.m.
Oct. 12, 7 p.m.                               Hillhouse at North Haven                             Oct. 13, 7 p.m.
Oct. 19, 7 p.m.                               West Haven at Hand                                    Oct. 20, 7 p.m.
Oct. 26, 6 p.m.                               Branford at Guilford                                     Oct. 27, 7 p.m.
Nov. 2, 7 p.m.                                 Fitch at New London                                   Nov. 3, 7 p.m.
Nov. 9, 7 p.m.                                 Wilbur Cross at Amity                                 Nov. 10, 7 p.m.
Nov. 21, 6 p.m.                               Berlin at New Britain                                    Nov. 24, 7 p.m.

Cortez Johnson was named head coach at Sacred Heart High on Friday. Johnson previously served as that school's defensive coordinator the past two seasons.

Johnson takes over for Chris Ortiz, who stepped down earlier this year. Johnson was formerly an assistant at Guilford.

Johnson graduated from Ansonia in 1998 and made the Register's All-State team as a running back in 1997. Johnson finished his high school career with 4,013 rushing yards.

North Branford gets past Hyde, eyes postseason

No. 3 Hand rolls past Guilford

H-K knocks off Valley Regional

Woodland sinks Seymour

Old Saybrook/Westbrook rallies past Morgan

Follow the action on our football scoreboard

Guilford, Torrington highlight Tuesday's notebook

WEEK 7 HIGHLIGHTS

Top offensive players of the week

Cromwell Jr. RB Derrick Villard: Accounted for all five touchdowns in a 41-33 loss to North Branford. Villard rushed 25 times for 129 yards and four scores, and returned an interception 54 yards for another touchdown.

Hand Sr. WR Nick Vitale: Caught eight passes for 117 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-14 win over West Haven.

Notre Dame-West Haven Sr. RB Javon Grey: Rushed 27 times for 204 yards and four touchdowns in a 27-12 win over Wilbur Cross.

Valley Regional/Old Lyme Sr. RB Jordan Saintil: Rushed 18 times for 254 yards and three touchdowns in a 32-0 win over previously unbeaten Coginchaug.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Haddam-Killingworth Jr. LB Nate Cruz: Returned a fumble 32 yards for a touchdown in a 40-6 victory over Morgan. Cruz also scored two rushing touchdowns.

Hillhouse Jr. DB Andre Anderson: Scored on a 100-yard interception return in a 35-7 loss to No. 1 Xavier.

North Haven Sr. LB Jason Cancel: Made 10 tackles and a sack in a 53-28 win over Bridgeport Central.

Shelton So. DB Eddie Kochiss: Returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown in a 28-17 win over Amity.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Pomperaug Sr. Matt Paola: Kicked a 54-yard field goal, which tied a state-record, in a 58-20 win over Notre Dame-Fairfield. Current Notre Dame-Fairfield coach Rico Brogna, and Fermi’s Tyler Timion, each kicked a field goal from that distance in 1987.

Ridgefield So. Griffin Jones: Kicked two extra points, including the eventual game-winner in the fourth quarter, in a 14-13 win over McMahon.

Sheehan So. Jeremy Gannon: Scored on an 81-yard kickoff return in a 37-12 win over East Haven.

Stamford Sr. Jake Demetros: Returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in a 45-0 win over Fairfield Ludlowe.

TEAMS OF THE WEEK

Bethel: Defeated previously unbeaten, and then No. 9, Bunnell 56-46.

Fitch: Defeated then No. 6, and previously unbeaten, New London 14-0 to earn its first win over the Whalers since 2001.

Kennedy: Defeated St. Paul 29-14 to earn its first win of the season.

North Branford: Defeated previously unbeaten Cromwell 41-33 to improve to 5-1.

GET OUT AND GO

Fairfield Prep (5-2) at Shelton (5-2), Friday, 7 p.m.: These two teams are likely playing for second place in the Southern Connecticut Conference Division I West. Division leader Xavier plays Hamden on the same night and a victory by the Falcons would clinch the division. Still, Fairfield Prep and Shelton can continue successful seasons with a victory here.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST TOP 10 POLL

Valley Regional/Old Lyme remained unbeaten after a 41-7 victory over Hyde on Saturday.
Check out the highlights below:



In other Week 5 games, Hillhouse defeated Law 46-7.



And, Shelton survived against Guilford 17-12.

By Mike Pucci and Joe Morelli, Register Staff
mpucci@nhregister.com; jmorelli@nhregister.com / Twitter: @nhrfootball; Twitter: @jmorelli44

With the regular season less three weeks away, there’s a real possibility that some area high school teams will lose this entire week of practice due to the destruction caused by Tropical Storm Irene.

The shoreline towns were hit particularly hard. Hand football coach Steve Filippone says there’s uncertainty as to when his team can take the field again.

“We’re prohibited from practicing, arguably, until next Tuesday,” said Filippone Monday.

Filippone said he was directed by school officials not to practice because of poor road conditions due to fallen trees and down power lines. The electrical power in Madison has yet to be restored.

“It’s still pretty bad down here,” Filippone said.

Read the full story here.

Read Tuesday's notebook here.

Matt Hoey rushed 19 times for 80 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Indians to this SCC interdivision win in the season opener for both teams.

Will Stitilis caught a touchdown pass from Ethan Curry for Guilford (1-0).

Mike Vessicchio caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Niko Fiorillo for East Haven (0-1), which has lost 32 straight games.

The Guilford at Amity football game, originally scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. at Woodbridge, has been postponed due to an outbreak of the H1N1 Flu at Guilford High School.

The game will now be played on Nov. 19 at 6 p.m.

Senior defensive back Rick Festa blocked an extra point with 5:05 left in the fourth quarter as Foran hung on for an SCC interdivision win.

Festa also caught a 72-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Tucker Schumitz. Festa caught six passes for 100 yards for the Lions (2-0).

Matt Hoey rushed 18 times for 137 yards and two scores for the Indians (0-2).