West Hartford Youth Football – Week Two Game Summaries

Submitted by John LaSpada

The West Hartford Youth Football League (WHYFL) kicked off its second week of the 2013 season Sunday afternoon at Sterling Field, with a full slate of games at the Flag (5, 6, and 7 year olds) Mighty Mite (7, 8 and 9 year olds), Pee Wee (10 and 11 year olds), and Pony (12,13,14 year olds) divisions.

Mooyah (Green) 26 - West Hartford Firefighters Association (White) 18

Mooyah played an inspired second game of the season for a hard-fought 26-18 win over the West Hartford Firefighters Association team Sunday at Sterling Field.

Mooyah was led by Nick Hall who scored on the second offensive play from scrimmage. Shortly after, Cooper Trantaporn sprinted down the field for another score. Cooper scored two touchdowns in this game making it two games in a row for Cooper to get into the end zone. Way to go Cooper!  Later in the game, Tyler Hazel ran the entire length of the field to score his first touchdown of the season. Tyler also had an excellent defensive game. Lastly, Benji Halpert, while gaining minimal yards, caught one of only two offensive passes this was inspiring for all.

The West Hartford Firefighters had another strong effort this week behind two long touchdown runs by Quinn Moran. Outstanding blocking all game by Ismail Suleim and William Keegan spurred the firefighters' offensive drives, while the relentless defensive play of Charlie Ganey and Burke Reynolds kept the score close for most of the game.

The second week of the WHYFL flag season was a ground battle between Dick’s Sporting Goods and AC Petersen. Dick’s started with two quick scores; a 55-yard touchdown scramble down the left sideline by Brendan Kennedy followed by Michael Griffin-Prado demonstrating his breakaway speed with a 50-TD yard run.  AC Petersen quickly followed with an impressive 50 yard TD run by Jonathan Garcia. Late in the first half, Brady Cersosimo scampered through the middle of the line, eluding multiple defenders for Dick’s Sporting Goods third touchdown of the day. Wiggy Wiggenhauser was a beast on defense with multiple tackles and a pick six to end the first half. 

AC Petersen’s Luke Jones was a defensive leader with multiple big defensive plays helping to limit the scoring in the second half. AC Petersen’s Garcia and Dick’s Griffin-Prado provided the only scores in the second half; each their second of the day. AC Petersen’s Brayden Mangini and Brayden Sohn were strong defensive contributors. Tommy Hussey was great down field blocker providing running room for multiple Dick’s Sporting Good scores.

Fischman Orthodontics Browns 42 – Santoro Construction Steelers 0

Coming off a tough defeat to the Jets in Week 1, the Browns came out with a vengeance in Week 2 against the Steelers - with all cylinders firing on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Browns’ quarterback Jack Brown completed 3 of 4 passes, one for a 30-yard touchdown to Tanner Ostop and one for an extra point to Dajuan Banks. Brown also rushed for a score. 

Dajuan Banks had an incredible game with two scores and over 100 yards rushing. Eli Salomons also had a great rushing game with a score and over 60 yards on the ground.  Fullback Patrick Schwab contributed too with hard nose running and blocking up the middle. None of this, however, could have possible without the tremendous play from the offensive line made up of Xavier Couloute, Gabriel Rooney, Boomer Staunton, Riley McCoy, Simon Levy, William Tonkinson, Mason Wright, James Livingstone, and Tanner Ostop. Ostop also had a great receiving day with his 30-yard touchdown reception and a big 20-yard first down.

On defense, the Browns’ Matthew Farber had an outstanding day at defensive end making multiple tackles and disrupting the Steelers’ pass and outside rushing game. Banks, McCoy, Staunton, and Nick Zaleski also had excellent games on defense for the Browns.

While the Browns played well, the Steelers put up a strong, no surrender effort.  Stand outs for the Steelers were Dylan Swift and Ethan Tiffany.

Next week, the Browns will matchup against the Cowboys, and the Steelers will take on the Jets.

Moe’s Southwest Grill Jets 12 - Macca Plumbing Cowboys 6

The cardiac kids did it again, as the Moe’s Southwest Grill Jets defense turned away the Macca Plumbing Cowboys on the final drive of the game to prevail 12-6 Sunday afternoon at Sterling Field.

The Jet offense was captained by quarterback Ben Brockway, and anchored by the rushing attack of Wyatt “Wheels” Reid, fullback Tommy LaSpada, DJ Romano, and rookies Logan Murphy and Israel Lopez.

The teams exchanged offensive jabs in the first quarter, with both defenses standing strong. The Cowboys jumped out into the lead in the second quarter as quarterback Jack Kennedy ran around the left end 35 yards for the score. The Jet defense turned away the extra point, and the score stood at 6-0 Cowboys.

The Jets responded on their next offensive play from scrimmage as Wyatt “Wheels” Reid sprinted 50 yards for the score to tie the game at 6-6. The Cowboy defense denied the extra point attempt.

With the score tied 6-6 late in the fourth quarter, the Jets mounted a solid offensive drive on the legs of LaSpada, Romano, rookie Israel Lopez, and Murphy. Murphy capped the drive with the score with only 45 seconds remaining, pushing the Jets out in front 12-6. The Cowboys denied the extra point attempt.

The Cowboys took possession at midfield with 35 seconds remaining, but the Jet defense held strong. Kennedy rushed for 15 yards on first down, but the Jet defense forced two incomplete passes (one deflected by Jets’ rookie safety Ryan Smith) to setup fourth down with one second remaining. On the last play of the game, Kennedy was forced out of the pocket and was tackled by Romano, LaSpada, and Jonny Robinson as time expired.

The Cowboys were led by solid efforts on both sides of the ball by Kennedy, Langevin, Fountain, Trevor Tanis, and Ben Woerlen,

The Jets received outstanding offensive line play by Sam Rosa, Charles Dowd, Walker Beverly, Spencer Schwartz, Charles Wang, rookie Thomas Moore, Joey Hassett, and Ryan Bushnell. Troy Griffith also played well at tail back in the second half.

The Jets move on to face the Steelers on Sunday and the Cowboys will matchup against the Browns.  

PEE WEE DIVISION

The Watts Group Giants 19 – Hartford Hospital Rehabilitation Network Vikings 0

The Watts Group Giants earned a hard fought victory over the Vikings 19-0 Sunday afternoon at Sterling Field. The Giants took the opening kick and marched methodically down field, mixing runs between Skye Dolce and Dan Hussey. Dolce ultimately found pay dirt on a short burst up the middle to put the Giants up 6-0. On the second Giant's possession, it was more of the same as Dolce once again pounded into the end zone on a nice off tackle run behind Sekope Colon. The Giants defense proceeded to stymie the Vikings offense completely in the first half and headed to the locker room up 12-0.

In the second half, Richie Aponte became unblockable. Aponte single handily took over the game for the Giants, as he tracked down the Viking ball carriers for huge losses play after play. The entire Giants defense was immense, holding the Vikings to zero first downs. Rebecca Markie and Chris Rodriguez made several big tackles. Sekope Colon and Mike Mancini provided a solid wall in the middle the Vikings just could not penetrate.

Linebackers Sean McNamara, Damien Thompson Kevin Tiernan (linebacker) and Carlos Nunez played very well for the G men, staying disciplined in their assignments. Newcomer Jaden Fuller contributed to the Giants cause at left guard.

Sekope Colon was dominant on both sides of the ball. Skye Dolce was a beast not only on offense scoring 3 TDs, but also at defensive end as well. Dolce played his best game as a Giant to date. Early in the third quarter, Dolce added his third touchdown to make the final score 19-0. Overall, the Giants were brilliant on defense however the G men have work to do on offense as they prepare to meet the 49ers next Sunday.

Sports Authority Colts 14 – Brewer Paving Packers 0

The Sports Authority Colts netted their first win of the season 14-0 against a very formidable opponent in the Packers. The first half was a defensive stalemate with the Packers making two goal-line stances with aggressive play, not allowing any open lanes for the Colt runners. The second half started with the Packers taking possession and marching down the field. A long around the end jaunt brought them within inches of pay dirt until a touchdown saving takedown by Tommy Sullivan. The Colt offense then started to click led by tough up the gut running by Noah “Riggo” Pryzbsbek.  Following his lead, halfbacks Nate Bones and Leo Dioncio made grinding off-tackle gains behind the blocking of Will Culen and Zion “Z” Macias. This drive ended with Colum Flaherty scampering around end on a keeper for the score.  

Once again, the stingy Packer defense played hard and stopped the extra point. The Colt defense then started to click with backfield penetration and takedowns by Joey Dowd, Alex Heath and Tyler Marino. Following this, Mateo Moran made a perfect snap to quarterback Flaherty who then found a streaking Tyler Marino who caught the ball in mid-stride and carried it home for the Colt second score. Tommy Sullivan then hauled in the extra-point pass in acrobatic fashion to close out the scoring. The two teams are to be congratulated for great sportsmanship and tough play.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Patriots 19 - JT Ghamo 49ers 0

The Dick’s Sporting Goods Patriots locked horns with the JT Ghamo 49ers Sunday, with the Patriots coming out on top 19-0 in front of a packed sideline at Sterling Field.

The Patriots had a balanced offensive attack, led by running backs Silas Bridges, Kenneth Shazel Jr. (1 touchdown), Dillon Bent (2 touchdowns) and rookie Brian Kenna (rushing conversion). Each had solid performances behind solid blocking by Michael Quiros, Robert Parrotta, Bryson Denby, Luke Hache, Joey LaSpada, Luke Duzan, and Will Carson.

The 49ers were led on offense by fullback Gabe Salomons, quarterback Nicco Mazzocca, and tailback Jack Tousignant.

The 49ers received the opening kickoff and after several hard runs, were forced to turn the ball over on downs as Parrotta brought down the 49er ball carrier on fourth down.

The Patriot offense took the field and quickly moved the ball down field on a five-play, 60-yard drive, capped by a 35-yard touchdown run by Bent behind a fantastic block by Shazel. The Patriot passing conversion fell incomplete, and the score stood at 6-0.

The 49ers mounted a solid offensive drive early in the second quarter, but 49er quarterback Nico Mazzocca’s fourth down pass was deflected by Bent, turning the ball back over to the Patriots. Quarterbacks George Andrews and Matthew Keller led the Patriots down field on solid runs by Bridges and Bent. Shazel capped the drive with a 10-yard blast through the right side of the line to push the Patriot lead to 12-0 at the half.

The Patriots extended their lead to 19-0 in the third as Bent notched his second rushing touchdown of the day and Kenna found the corner of the end zone on a nifty rushing conversion.

The 49ers were able to mount several offensive drives, but were unable to notch a score as the Patriots’ defense stood tall when challenged. 49ers linebacker Jack Tousignant played well on defense along with Tolu Adetola who had a solid day at safety.

It was a team effort by the 49ers in the second half on defense as many players took on new positions including Andrew Reicher, Leo Mulready, Justin Goldstein, Zach Martin, and Ethan Vest. The 49ers fought hard and were able to hold the Patriots to eight points in the second half. Both teams were well coached and demonstrated great sportsmanship and tough play.

The Patriots move on to face the Packers, while the 49ers will matchup against the Giants.  

PONY DIVISION

Wealth Management Group Eagles 43 – Beachland Tavern Ravens 0

The Wealth Management Group Eagles defeated the Beachland Tavern Ravens 43-0 Sunday afternoon at Sterling Field.

Tariq Allah started off the game with a 35 yard touchdown run. Andrew Nicklas connected with Dominic Niman for the two-point conversion. Nicklas converted two additional two-point conversions on the day. Allah also had a 16-yard touchdown run later in the game.

Thomas Cravedi had a 12-yard touchdown pass from Nicklas, and also had a 25-yard touchdown interception later in the game. Nicklas had a 6-yard touchdown run and Jeffery LaRosa had a 7-yard touchdown run from the quarter back spot.

Notable players on defense include Brandon Beecher, Adian Stabnick, Pearce Cannon, and Shea Henderson.

West Hartford Health and Rehab Wildcats 34 – Universal Connectivity Raiders 0

Week two WHYFL season saw the West Hartford Health and Rehabilitation Wildcats matchup against their longtime rivals, the Universal Connectivity Raiders.

The Raiders received the opening kickoff and began the drive with handoffs to Jayden Shaw and Otis Donaldson. The stout Wildcat defense held and forced a punt on downs. Max Main took the helm and the Wildcats scored on a quick 25-yard outside run by David Torres.

On their next possession, Raider quarterback Jack Moore connected on a 20-yard pass to Spencer Witter, but the drive was stopped by outstanding line play by Wildcats’ Marcos Cruz, Owen Scigulinsky and Jimmy Sabia. The Wildcats wasted no time, as Ryan Orlowski ran 54-yards into the end zone. The Cats added two more scores by Max Main and Hughie Wells to end the first half.

After receiving the second half kickoff, Wildcat rookie quarterback Franklin Robinson led the Cats on a drive that hit pay dirt with Davis Torres getting into the end zone. The Raiders again tried to get something going but were thwarted despite valiant defensive effort by Spencer Witter and an interception by Andrew Lagoy. The Wildcats defense was a full team effort with Brendan Begley, Zander Boehm and Dan Loftus all making key defensive plays.

The Wildcats will be rewarded with a bye next week, and the Raiders will face off against Farmington Black.

Farmington White 36 - Farmington Blue 8

Farmington White continued their winning streak, besting Farmington Blue 36-8 Sunday afternoon. Farmington White will move on to face the Ravens in Week 3, while Farmington Blue will face Farmington Maroon.