It's Pink-Out for West Hartford Youth Football: Week Six

The 2012 season of the West Hartford Youth Football League (WHYFL) continued Sunday, Oct. 14, with the third Annual “Pink Out,” to raise awareness for breast cancer research. Players, coaches, and fans were asked to wear pink to show their support.

MIGHTY MITE DIVISION

Kenneth Namnoum Jets 40 - Center Orthodontics Browns 27

The Jets avenged an earlier season loss with a high scoring 40-27 victory over the Browns Sunday afternoon at Sterling Field.  

The Jets offensive attack was spread evenly as Tommy LaSpada rushed for 120 yards and three touchdowns, Aidan Dorian ran for 65 yards and a score, Wyatt Reid sprinted for 40 yards and a touchdown, and quarterback DJ Romano also scored for the Jets.

Eli Salomons and Dajuan Banks paced the Browns offense. Salomons rushed for 65 yards and two touchdowns, and Banks notched 40 yards on eight strong carries.

The Browns received the opening kickoff and suffered their only turnover of the game as Ged Gengras pounced on a fumble to give the Jets favorable field possession early in the game. The Jets scored seven plays later, as LaSpada broke through for his first score behind the strong blocking of Sam Rosa, Clayton Gengras, Ben Brockway, Jonny Robinson, and Aidan Dorian. Brockway completed the two-point conversion pass to LaSpada to put the Jets up 8-0.

After the ensuing kickoff, the Browns scored on their next offensive play as Salomons reached the end zone after a physical 50-yard run to pull the score to 8-6. The Jets defense denied the extra point conversion.

The Jets quickly responded and marched 36 yards on four plays as Dorian and LaSpada each contributed long runs to push the Jets to the Browns’ 1-yard line. Reid capped the drive with a 1-yard score to extend the Jet lead to 14-6. Brockway was stopped just short of the goal line as the Browns’ defense denied the conversion attempt.

Salomons scored his second touchdown of the day on a tough off tackle play, and Browns quarterback Jack Brown connected with Banks on a two-point conversion pass to notch the score at 14-14.

Once again, the Jets responded with a long scoring drive, as they marched 40 yards on seven plays, as Romano followed the blocking of Troy Griffith, Charles Dowd, and Nathan Gallo en route to a 3-yard scoring dash. Dorian notched the rushing conversion to push the Jets back on top 21-14.

Jack Brown returned the ensuing kickoff 40 yards for a touchdown, and Banks ran in the conversion to tie the game once again at 21-21.

The Jets were able to capitalize on one final scoring drive before the half, as LaSpada rumbled 14 yards for his second score of the day to push the Jets back on top 27-21.  The Browns defense stopped Romano just short of the goal line to deny the conversion attempt.

The Jets received the opening kickoff of the second half and methodically marched down the field. Dorian followed strong lead blocking and found pay dirt for a 5-yard score to extend the Jet lead to 33-21. The Jets’ defense finally forced a turnover on downs and three plays later LaSpada scored his third touchdown of the day with a 40-yard sprint. Dorian converted the rushing attempt to push the Jet lead to 40-21.

Patrick Schwab later capped a five play 30-yard drive with a one yard plunge up the middle to pull the Browns within 40-27. The Jet defense held firm on the conversion attempt.

Both teams should be congratulated for demonstrating good sportsmanship.

Standouts for the Jets included Aidan Dorian, Ben Brockway, Tommy LaSpada, Ged Gengras, Wyatt Reid, and DJ Romano.

Standouts for the Browns included Eli Salomons, Dajuan Banks, Jack Brown, Patrick Schwab, and Mathew Farber.

The Jets will play the Steelers next Sunday, and the Browns will matchup against the Cowboys.

Macca Plumbing Cowboys 31 - Spine & Sports Medicine Associates Steelers 20 

The Cowboys leveraged a balanced offensive attack en route to a hard fought 31-20 victory over the Steelers Sunday afternoon at Sterling Field.

Jack Kennedy rushed for two touchdowns and threw for two more. Nick Urso also scored for the Cowboys.

The Steelers were powered by strong offensive performances by Dylan Swift and Drew Taylor. Swift dipped and dashed for two touchdowns and Taylor also scored for the Steelers.

On the Steelers first possession, they were forced to punt.  The Cowboys then capitalized on their first possession and scored with a powerful touchdown run by Nick Urso.  The Steelers drove the ball downfield and eventually turned the ball over on downs.  The Cowboys marched back down the field and capped off the drive with a touchdown run by Jack Kennedy.  Before the end of the half, Kennedy scored again, extending the Cowboys halftime lead to 18-0.

To start the second half, the Cowboys received the kickoff and drove the length of the field and scored with a long touchdown pass to Jack Correia to make the score 24-0. 

The Steelers scored their first touchdown of the game on the next possession as Dylan Swift followed the lead block of Ethan Porrino on his way to the end zone to make the score 24-6.  The Steelers defense held strong and stopped the Cowboys on downs. 

The Steelers then scored their second touchdown of the game on a run by Quarterback Drew Taylor.  They converted the extra point on a pass from Taylor to Swift to make the score 24-14. 

To start the fourth quarter, the Cowboys scored on a touchdown pass to Steven Mascolo (his first game of the season due to injury) to extend their lead to 31-14.

The Steelers capped the scoring on their next possession, as Swift rushed 30-yards for a score to pull the Steelers within 31-20.

Standouts for the Cowboys were Correia, Disque, Fountain, Kennedy, Mascolo, McCann, and Urso.  Steeler’s Offensive standouts were Swift, Taylor, Burgos, Kirklin, Porrino.  Steelers Defensive Standouts included Burgos, Hunter, Catanzaro, Deitrick, and Tiffany.

Next week the Cowboys will battle the Browns and the Steelers will face the Jets.

PEE WEE DIVISION

Brewer Paving Packers 28 – Deakin, Edwards & Clark Colts 8

On an awesome October afternoon the Brewer Paving Packers met the Deakin Edwards & Clark Colts met on Field C for a week six Pee Wee divisional showdown. 

The Packers offense started off fast with a sleek 35-yard run by Nolan Tibball and point after run by Pearce Cannon to make the score.  The offensive line, lead by standouts Hugh Wells, Devonte DeLeon, Julian Decampos, Myles Sierra, Jack McHale, Larry Womack and Jack Ledwith, was definitely firing on all cylinders, which would ring true throughout the rest of the afternoon. 

The Colts responded to this quick strike by moving the ball down field, only to be turned away after a couple of solid first downs.  Not to be outdone by a strong defensive stance, the Packers offense hit the end zone once again in their next series with a well-placed pass from Zack Cohen to Tibball.  The point after attempt failed, leaving the Packers with an early 13-0 lead.  

Defense went on to set the tone for the Packers, shutting down the Colts on their next possession, allowing the offense to score quickly with an outstanding run by Tibball.  The offensive line was working well together and the Packers were looking strong with a 19-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Peter Steinle opened the third quarter for the Packers with a nicely timed interception and 15-yard return.  After taking the momentum away from the driving Colts, Steinle wasted no time in finding the end zone with a powerful 25-yard run to the end zone. 

The second half also saw the Colts settle down on defensive lead by standouts Emmett Cocco, Will Cullen, Thomas Sullivan, Dean Edwards and Joe Dowd.  With strong defensive play in the fourth quarter, the Colts were able to put together a solid drive and 15-yard TD run by Edwards, followed by a nicely placed 2-point conversion pass from Sean James to Edwards. 

On another Colt drive, the Packers recorded another turnover with a long pass interception by Cohen.  The game finally ended 28-8, and both teams should be extremely proud of their efforts as they played an impressive, hard-hitting game.

Wealth Management Group of North America, LLC Titans 26 – Edward Connors Insurance Patriots 14

After falling behind 14-12, the Titans scored 14 unanswered points to extend their winning streak to three games with a 26-14 victory over the Patriots Sunday afternoon.

Cameron Wilson rushed for four touchdowns to lead the Titan offensive attack.

The Patriots received the opening kickoff and jumped out to a 6-0 lead on a nifty 15-yard strike to Silas Bridges from George Andrews. Andrews connected with Bridges for the two-point conversion to extend the lead to 8-0 for the Patriots. 

The Titans responded with a scoring drive of their own as Cameron Wilson scored on a 15-yard run to pull the Titans within 8-6. The Patriots stopped the conversion attempt.

The Patriots took the ensuing kickoff and drove the length of the field, capped with a 7-yard touchdown run by Bridges. The Patriots were unable to convert the extra point, and the score stood at 14-6.

On the following kickoff, Wilson raced 45 yards for the score, but once again was the conversion attempt failed, and the Patriot lead was reduced to 14-12.

Wilson added two more scores on rushing plays of 15 and 35 yards respectively to push the half time score to 26-14. Wilson’s first score was followed by a quarterback sneak by Max Leyland, and Wilson’s second score was followed by a rushing conversion by Matt Schwab.

The teams exchanged drives in the second half, but both defenses held the opposing offense scoreless. Joey Lemieux, Shea Friedman, Brian Ranker and Jimmy Sabia made some key tackles with Cameron Gregory and Aarik Rochester filling in on the line and stepping up with a few key plays of their own.

The Patriots received outstanding play from Michael Quiros – who deflected two Titan passing conversion attempts, and made several key kick returns. In addition,

Matt Keller, George Andrews and KJ Shazel were outstanding all afternoon for the Patriots.

The Titans will have a bye during the final week of the regular season, and the Patriots will face the Giants next Sunday.

Venora Electric Vikings 16 - JT Ghamo 49ers 0

Fans were treated to a defensive show down on Sunday afternoon at Sterling Field as the Vikings improved their record to 3-2 with a 16-0 win over the 49ers. 

The Vikings Neil Gustufson received the opening kick and returned it to midfield to give the Vikings excellent field position.  The Vikings failed to convert on 3rd down and Tim Cotter punted the ball away.  The Niners marched down the field and with a 25 yard pass found themselves in the red zone.   The Vikings defense then dug in and took the ball back on downs with tackles from Griffin Van Rye, Sean Guevara and Alex Dobbins. 

The Vikings offense took to the field and put together an impressive drive capped with a 2 yard touchdown run by Sean Clifford.  A Dobbins to Cotter two point conversion pass gave the Vikings an 8-0 lead.  

The Niners returned the kickoff to midfield. Again, the Vikings defense dug in and with big tackles from Christian St. Juste and great team gang tackling, the Niners were forced to punt.  The Niners defense then shut down the Vikings offense and after three plays it was the Vikings turn to punt.  On a high punt, the Niners were unable to make a clean catch and the fumble was recovered by the Vikings Griffin Van Rye at the Vikings 26 yard line.  

Eight plays later, the Vikings found the end zone with a 6-yard touchdown run from Matt Langevin behind strong blocking by AJ Guevara, Michael Pollack, Ryan Venora and Brock Pizzoferrato.  A repeat two-point conversion gave the Vikings a 16-0 lead nearing the end of the first half.

In the second half, the Niners received the kickoff, and moved the ball to the Vikings 25 yard line.  Big pass blocks by AJ Guevara and Luke Wilson resulted in the Vikings taking the ball back on downs deep in Viking territory. 

The Vikings offense took to the field and despite several penalties found themselves at the Niners 8 yard line after Dobbins connected with Cotter for a 35 yard strike.  The Niners defense stood tall, shut down the Vikings drive and took the ball back on downs.  The Vikings defense would not be outshined and after three plays, the Niners were forced to punt. 

The Vikings regained the ball at their 22 yard line.  After moving the ball into Niners territory, the Vikings fumbled and it was the Niners who recovered the ball. 

At the start of the fourth quarter, it was still a two touchdown game.  Christian St. Juste and Griffin Van Rye came up with huge tackles late in the game to prevent the Niners from closing in.  Late in the game, the Vikings were happy to have the ball back on their 16 yard line.  Matt Langevin aired it out 30 yards to Cooper Silver putting the Vikings within scoring range at the Niners 15 yard line.  The Vikings passed and ran their way to just shy of the Niners goal line before running out of time and leaving the field with a 16-0 win. 

Both teams exhibited excellent sportsmanship in a hard fought game and look forward to seeing each other again in the post-season.

MIDGET DIVISION

Sinatro Agency One Wildcats 14 - Eastern Rehabilitation Network Chargers 0

The feature Midget game of the week had the undefeated Wildcats verses the Chargers in a rematch of their closely contested week three battle.

The Chargers received the opening kickoff and were reintroduced to the stout Wildcats defense. After some tough running by AJ Fair, the Chargers tried to convert a 4th down from their own 25 yard line. Wildcat John Kirkland came up with a huge stop and the Wildcats gained possession. A quick handoff to Griffin Smith resulted in a 20-yard sprint into the end zone. Max Main then converted the extra point to make the score 7-0 Wildcats. 

The Chargers took the ensuing kick and Grant O'Connor tried to lead the team on a drive but again the Wildcats defense yielded little.  This time Mohammed Codjo stopped Spencer Merkel on another 4th down giving the ball back to the Cats. David Torres then converted a long pass to Ryan Orlowski for a 35-yard gain on a half back option. Main then took the ball into the end zone for the second touchdown of the game and again running the ball for the extra point. At the end of the first quarter the score was 14 - 0.

As the second quarter began, both defenses took control. Wildcat linemen Carter Horton, Dominic Mongillo and Elijah Bryan Henriques - along with defensive end Cullen McCaffery - gave no ground. Safety Mike Farley and cornerback Chris Chukwura knocked down Charger QB passes. The Charger defense returned the favor.

This was a fiercely contested battle with some outstanding defensive play. Looks like this could be a preview of this year’s playoffs. 

West Hartford Firefighters Association Eagles 46 - West Hartford Rotary Club Raiders 6

The Eagles leveraged a balanced offensive attack en route to a 46-6 victory over the Raiders Sunday afternoon at Sterling Field.

Dominic Niman scored six touchdowns to lead the Eagles. Thomas Cravedi also scored on a 50-yard pass from Andrew Nicklas.

The Eagles were led by strong performances from Aidan Stabnick, Matt Marino, Jimmy Shepard, and Jimmy Christ.

The Eagles will move on to face the Wildcats next Sunday, and the Raiders will face the Chargers.

PONY DIVISION

Wiremold Legrand Chargers 36 - Sinatro Agency One Wildcats 0

Universal Connectivity Raiders 13 – West Hartford Police Association Eagles 2 

In exciting Pony football action Sunday, the Raiders defeated the Eagles 13-2 in a real nail-biter. 

The first half exhibited gritty defense by both sides as evidenced by the only score being a safety inflicted by the aggressive Eagle defense.  The Eagles pinned the Raiders deep in their own territory.  In desperation to move the ball forward, Declan Flaherty dropped back, finding no receivers, he scrambled but was brought down in the end zone for a safety, pushing the Eagles to a 2-0 lead.  The teams retired for the half with the score 2-0 Eagles. 

In the second half, the Raiders finally got on the board with a rollout pass by Flaherty to Kevin Vaughan in the flats who took it to the house for the score.  Alex Haggerty then added the extra points coasting into the end-zone off-tackle to push the Raiders into the lead 7-2.  The Eagles then screeched back behind the surefire arm of Burke Martindale - marching down the field with surgical precision passing - but again it was that aggressive Raider front that hampered further advances. 

On the day, Raiders Vaughan had five sacks, Jacob Ryor made five tackles for losses, Evan Duzan and Joseph Morrissey contributed greatly with a forced fumble and recovery, and Jacob Conran deflected all runners back.  Also on defense, linebackers Flaherty and Jonathon Lagoy stuffed the run and Silas Rivers played excellent at cornerback. 

In the fourth quarter, when it was still anybody’s game because of the depth of talent on both sides, Joseph Morrissey buried a punt deep in Eagle territory.  After a change of possession, Sean Keating thundered to pay dirt for the day’s last score, extending the Raider lead to 13-2. 

The Eagles did orchestrate a strong response as Martindale connected with Sam Lefante at midfield.  On the following throw, it was Raider Jonathan Lagoy who came down with the ball essentially to end the game. 

Standouts for the Eagles included signal caller Martindale, backs Andrew Cravedi and Stephen Bintz, and a stingy, talented defensive unit led by Brandon Beecher, LJ Luba and Jake Larosa.