Colon's Return Stifles New Britain for Unbeaten Conard

NEW BRITAIN – L.J. Colon was the leading ground gainer for the New Britain High football team through the first seven games of the 2010 season.

Colon again covered some prime real estate at his familiar Willow Brook Park haunt Friday night but he was wearing a brighter shade of red.

Colon halted his former team’s vision of a dramatic comeback with a scintillating 80-yard kickoff return as his new mates at kept their record unblemished with a 29-14 victory in a key CCC Division I West clash.

The win was Conard’s first ever over New Britain, evening the series at 1-1. The Chieftains (6-0, 3-0) are just a victory over Hall away from their third consecutive division title. The West Hartford arch-rivals square off Nov. 19 at McKee Stadium.

“I thought that there were two really good teams playing each other in a hard-fought battle in every facet of the game,” Conard coach Rob Cersosimo said. “The kicking game, the offense and defense, punting, every variable came into effect.”

Colon played seven games for the Golden Hurricanes last season and led the team in touchdowns before transferring to Conard.

“I’m sure he had a little extra burst of energy because of that,” Cersosimo said.

Colon hadn’t returned a kick this season prior to the game but saved his best for his old friends. His touchdown capped off a frenetic sequence when New Britain struck for two touchdowns in nine seconds to whittle Conard’s two-touchdown lead to 15-14.

On the ensuing kickoff, Colon veered toward the left sideline and found a clear path to the New Britain end zone. Dominic Spaulding’s PAT pushed the Conard lead to eight.

The Hurricanes (3-3, 1-2), who outgained Conard 125-7 in the third quarter, continued to apply the pressure in the fourth. After Conard’s second three-and-out of the second half, the ’Canes used a 25-yard return by Garrett Shaw as a springboard that carried them to within a yard of the touchdown that could have tied the game.

On a first-and-goal from the 1, a botched snap from center was recovered by Conard cornerback Matt Redman.

The Chieftains embarked on an 11-play, 85-yard drive that didn’t produce points but chopped over five minutes off the clock. New Britain took over at its own 4 and made one first down before Spaulding nailed Martez Newby four yards behind the line of scrimmage on third-and-6.

With under two minutes remaining, New Britain was forced to gamble on fourth down at its own 16 but Colon shut off Shaw’s fly pattern and quarterback Malique Jones was forced to throw it away.

Conard needed just two plays to score the clinching touchdown with Anthony Lugo carrying multiple bodies on an 11-yard touchdown run.

“Lugo does a good job. Our offensive line did a really nice job. Just a lot of good things,” Cersosimo said. “Our team really meshed. I could name every single kid. It was a complete team victory.”

The first quarter was all Chieftains.

Behind quarterback Owen Snyder and a punishing offensive line, Conard used 11 running plays to drive 65 yards. Ricky Cotton, who averaged nearly 20 carries a game the first five weeks but was called on just seven times, scored from four yards out.

Colon made his presence felt on defense, stuffing Devante Gardner on first down and setting the stage for a three-and-out on New Britain’s first possession.

Snyder slipped the offense back in gear at the Conard 16. His 59-yard gain on an option play behind the right side of the Chieftains’ line was the key play of the drive.

New Britain coach Tebucky Jones put a wrinkle in the defense and when the final gun sounded, he wished he hadn’t. He felt it made for a costly first half.

“We put something new in and on [Snyder’s] run, one of our players was in the wrong position,” Jones said. “You should stick with what they know and let them go out and play.”

Lugo pushed it in from the 2 on third down. Spaulding added a two-point conversion and Conard was in total command. Tebucky Jones felt a lack of emotion plagued the Hurricanes at the outset.

“Football is a game of emotion,” he said. “When you’re out there and you look like a deer caught in the headlights, that’s what we were in the first half. In the second half, we came out and we were ready to play.”

Turnovers busted up possessions for both teams in the scoreless second quarter and the pendulum made a complete swing in the second half.

New Britain’s short passing game spread the Conard defense for long gains that led to the Hurricanes’ first touchdown. A 34-yard yard catch and run by Newby and a 21-yarder in the flat to Gardner set up a four-yard touchdown strike from Jones to Larry Garcia with 4:16 left in the third quarter.

On Conard’s next play from scrimmage, linebacker Jared Boddie stripped the ball and raced into the open for a 29-yard score. A conversion pass from Jones to Giovanni Viven closed the gap to one, but Colon sealed New Britain’s fate moments later with the third touchdown in a 30-second span.

Conard 29, New Britain 14

Conard (6-0) 15 0 7 7 – 29

New Britain (3-3) 0 0 14 0 – 14

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

C – Ricky Cotton 4 run (Dominic Spaulding kick), 5:39

C – Anthony Lugo 2 run (Spaulding run), 1:13

Third Quarter

NB – Larry Garcia 4 pass from Malique Jones (kick failed), 4:16

NB – Jared Boddie 29 fumble return (Giovanni Viven pass from Jones), 4:07

C – L.J. Colon 80 kickoff return (Spaulding kick), 3:46

Fourth Quarter

C – Lugo 11 run (Spaulding kick), :40

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Conard: Owen Snyder 11-97, Anthony Lugo 19-70, Dominic Spaulding 6-68, Ricky Cotton 7-41, L.J. Colon 3-31, Sean Carneiro 1-0; New Britain: Devante Gardner 10-66, Martez Newby 3-9, Lamar Bowsky 8-24, Giovanni Viven 3-3, Malique Jones 11-71, Larry Garcia 1-17, Eric Hibbert 1-2.

PASSING – Conard: Snyder 0-1-1, 0 yds. New Britain: Jones 8-21-0, 90 yds.

RECEIVING – Conard: none. New Britain: Newby 3-51, Larry Garcia 3-5, Gardner 1-21, Fitzrism Ingram 1-13.