West Hartford Youth Football Game 5 Summaries

MIGHTY MITE DIVISION

Fischman Orthodontics Browns 22 - Santoro Construction Steelers 7

With the rain coming down in sheets and the players on both sides amped up, Sunday’s match-up of the Browns against the Steelers had all the fixings for a real tough game. The first several possessions saw both teams making great defensive stands. The first quarter ended with the Browns up only 2-0 on a safety. The Browns defensive line, led by Patrick Schwab, Xavier Couloute, Matthew Farber, and Simon Levy pushed hard to make that happen. In the second quarter, the Browns offense began to click with great runs by Matthew Farber, Dajuan Banks and Tanner Ostop. Ostop ran for a 25-yard touchdown on a perfectly executed end around. 

But the Steelers stayed tough with cornerback Ethan Tiffany intercepting Brown's quarterback Jack Brown’s attempted pass to Ostop. After another defensive stop though by the Browns, Brown finally connected with Ostop on an out pattern and Ostop scored his second 25-yard touchdown of the day.

In the second half, the Steelers stayed tough holding the Browns to only one touchdown by running back Dajuan Banks. The Steelers put six points on the board with Dylan Swift running hard past and over Browns’ defenders and then converted the extra point too. While the Steelers offense seemed to be finding its rhythm, time was its only nemesis. The game ended with the Browns winning 22-7.

Browns standouts on both offense and defense were Tanner Ostop, Dajuan Banks, Matt Farber, Jack Brown, Eli Salomon, Patrick Schwab Xavier Couloute, Gabriel Rooney, Boomer Staunton, Riley McCoy, Simon Levy, William Tonkinson, Mason Wright, and Matt Santoro. 

The Steelers put up a strong effort with Dylan Swift and Ethan Tiffany leading the charge.

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

Macca Plumbing Cowboys 14 – Moe’s Southwest Grill Jets 6

On a rain soaked Sunday afternoon, the Macca Plumbing Cowboys edged the Moe’s Southwest Grill Jets 14-6.

The Cowboys received the opening kickoff and were forced to punt after three plays by a tough Jets Defense. The Jets quickly capitalized, mounting a solid three play drive on tough runs by Tommy LaSpada, DJ Romano, and Wyatt Reid. Logan Murphy hit pay dirt on a 15-yard run, and the Jets jumped out to a 6-0 lead. The extra point was denied.

The Cowboys received the ensuing kickoff and marched down the field slowly and eventually punched one in on a quarterback keeper by Jack Kennedy from 15 yards out. Kennedy converted the extra point and the score stood at 7-6.  

The second quarter consisted of excellent defense by both teams jockeying back and forth for field position advantage. The Jets nearly took the lead on the last play of the half, as Romano raced around the left end but was turned away as time expired.

The Jets received the second half kickoff and fumbled on their second possession. The Jets defense dug in on big plays by Walker Beverly, LaSpada, and Romano and stopped the Cowboys from moving the ball eventually forcing it over on downs.  

The third quarter consisted of more back and forth staunch defensive efforts by both teams. The Cowboys started the 4th quarter with the ball and eventually scored on a 4th down and 20 on a pass from Kennedy to Jack Correia.  The extra point was converted on a QB keeper up the middle by Kennedy making score 14-6.  

The Jets then moved the ball down the field utilizing there timeouts effectively to get inside the Cowboys 15-yard line with 30 seconds remaining. On their 4th down, quarterback Ben Brockway’s pass was deflected and intercepted by JP Kennedy intercepted the ball to help seal the game.  

It was a tough, physical, well-played game by both sides. The Jets received outstanding play from Romano, LaSpada, Beverly, Murphy, Reid, Aidan Dorian, Jonny Robinson, and Israel Lopez.

Defensive Cowboy Standouts were: Walker Disque, Declan McCann, and Peter Langevin.  

Next week, the Cowboys move on to face the Browns on Sunday and the Jets will matchup against the Steelers.  

PEE WEE DIVISION

Brewer Paving Packers 12 - Hartford Hospital Rehabilitation Network Vikings 0

On a rain soaked field, the 11-strong Brewer Paving Packers met the 15-strong Hartford Hospital Rehabilitation Network Vikings, proving that small numbers do not equate to a lack of quality. Both of these young teams treated the friends and family gathered on the Field C sidelines to a battle of sound football by 10 and 11 year old players.

The Packers were able to score on their second possession late in the first quarter thanks to strong teamwork by their offensive line. With the point after attempt stuffed, the Packers took a 6-0 lead. Throughout the first half, defense prevailed on both sides, and while the Packers were able to gain yards on the ground, the Vikings strong screen game saw them move the ball through the air. The Vikings were able to stop the Packers deep in the red zone, holding the score to 6-0 at the half.

The Packers received the ball in the second half, and with the rain subsiding for the time being, the 11-strong Packers were able to grind out a long drive that found the end zone on a 15-yard run. Once again, the Vikings were able to stop the point after attempt, proving their resilience as a team. The fourth quarter saw the Vikings find their legs on offensive, mixing up the pass and run, but the Packers were patient and willing to bend but not break. The Packers took over on downs one last time deep in their own territory and were able to run the clock out in the fourth quarter. It was at this time that many Packer linemen were given the chance to run the ball as payback for their strong play. While only one team was able to win on the scoreboard, all of these young players should be very, very proud of their efforts today. 

Next week, the Packers take on the 49ers, and the Vikings will match up against the Patriots.  

Sports Authority Colts 18 - JT Ghamo 49ers 6

In a well-played match by both teams, the Colts notched their 3rd victory of the season over the 49ers this past Sunday 18-6.  

The Colts took the opening kickoff down the field on strong off-tackle running by Nate Bones and Leo Dinocio behind the excellent blocking of Joey and Chris Dowd.  This drive culminated in a Dinocio jaunt to the end zone, scoring his first points of the year. The extra point failed due to aggressive defense by the 49ers. On the ensuing 49er possession, great gains were made on nifty running plays by Nico Mazzocco, Jack Tousignant and Gabe Salomons.  Ultimately the Colt defense stood strong lead by Alex Heath and Noah Pryzbek and held the 49er advance. The Colts had to battle down the field against a stingy defense but ultimately Leo Dinocio crossed the goal-line for his second score of the day. The extra points were thwarted once again.  Following this, a perfectly placed tumbling on-sides kick by Mateo Moran was recovered by the Colts.  The half ended with the score 12-0 in favor of the Colts.

Regrouping at halftime, the 49ers came out strong with Gabe Salomons diving repeatedly up the middle frustrating the defenders.  Once this dominance was established, Tousignant joined in on the yard lottery and added gains. This lead to the first 49er score narrowing the margin 12-6.  The Colts regrouped as well, took possession and moved down the field for their third score as quarterback Colum Flaherty found Tyler Marino in the end zone with a well thrown strike. Both teams played extremely well in this closely matched contest.

Next week, the Colts move on to face the Giants, while the 49ers will match up against the Packers.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Patriots 31 – The Watts Group Giants 6

In a battle of the unbeaten, the Dick’s Sporting Goods Patriots leveraged a strong ground game and solid defense to turnback a tenacious Watts Group Giants team 31-6 Sunday afternoon in front of a packed sideline on a rain-soaked Sterling Field.

The Giants received the opening kickoff deep in their own territory and methodically worked up the field on a series of off tackle plays by fullback Skye Dolce and quarterback Dan Hussey. Following a few defensive adjustments, the Patriots’ defense stood strong and forced a turnover on downs on a big fourth down stop by linebacker Robert Parrotta and defensive linemen Luke Hache and Joey LaSpada.

The Patriots took possession and moved down the field quickly, scoring three plays later on a 25-yard run by tailback Dillon Bent, who followed the sound lead blocking of fullback Kenneth J. Shazel, Jr, and quarterback George Andrews, making the score 6-0 Patriots.

Following a turnover on downs by the Giants, the Patriots scored four plays later. Quarterback Matthew Keller had a big run to push the Patriots into Giant territory, and halfback Silas Bridges later scored on a 35-yard run. The Giants denied the extra point attempt, and the score stood at 12-0 Patriots.

The Giants received the ensuing kickoff and, assisted by a Patriot penalty, moved down the field and scored on a solid run by Dolce to make the score 12-6. The Patriots drove to the Giant 20-yard line on their next drive, but were unable to find the end zone as time expired in the first half.  

The Patriots recovered the Giants’ on-sides kick attempt to open the second half and scored five plays later as Bent notched his second touchdown of the day on a fantastic 50-yard run to extend the Patriots’ lead to 18-6.  The Giants would not relent, and mounted a strong drive of their own, but could not find the end zone, and eventually turned the ball over on downs. The Patriots extended their lead to 24-6 as Bridges followed a Shazel lead block and scored on a powerful 40-yard run up the middle. Bridges converted the extra point to extend the lead to 25-6 early in the fourth quarter. Bridges scooped up a Giants’ fumble and returned it 40-yards for the touchdown to cap the scoring.

The Giants received solid play from Skye Dolce, Sekope Colon, Michael Mancini and Richie Aponte, who opened gaping holes for their running backs. On defense, Kevin Tiernan and Jayden Correro stood out.

The Patriots were led by Hache, who played flawlessly at center on a rainy day, Parrotta, who made several big stops on defense, tailbacks Bridges, Bent, and Shazel, and solid leadership by quarterbacks Andrews and Keller, who captained the offense to a solid performance on the afternoon.

Halfbacks Brian Kenna, Jacob Torres, Luke Duzan, and Michael Quiros saw extended playing time on offense due to great hustle and sportsmanship during the week.

The Patriots move on to face the Vikings, while the Giants will matchup against the Colts.  

PONY DIVISION

Universal Connectivity Raiders 22 – Farmington Maroon 21

The Universal Connectivity Raiders edged a tough Farmington Maroon team 22-21 Sunday afternoon at Sterling Field.

Farmington Maroon opened the game with a scoring drive to take an 8-0 advantage over the Raiders.  The Raiders’ Jayden Shaw returned the favor with a score on the first play from scrimmage for the Raiders, to cut the lead to 8-6 (extra point pass failed).  Both teams played great defense to keep the score close to start the second quarter.  To end the first half, Maroon scored on a run by Chris Romano and extra point run to go up 15-6. The Raiders defense played hard the entire half and made the necessary adjustments in the second half.

The Raiders defense held Maroon scoreless in the third quarter with a stingy defensive front and hard tackling led by Spencer Witter and Jack Moore. Mario Volpe had several tackles at the line of scrimmage to suffocate Maroon. On offense, Moore orchestrated a scoring drive in the third. Moore finished the drive an extra point pass to Jack McHale to bring the Raiders within one. However, Maroon scored in the fourth to open the lead back up to seven points. The Raiders stopped the extra point score to keep the chance for a win alive. With minutes to go in the game, the Raiders matriculated down the field, but were stopped by the Maroon defense to force a turnover on downs. The hero of the game for the Raiders was safety Matthew Graulich, who intercepted a pass to give the Raiders possession in Maroon territory. Thanks to Graulich, Moore was able to once again take the Raider offense down the field with a bootleg run for a first down. Shaw then scored to bring the Raiders within one behind a great clear out block from James “hard-hitting” Gadue. Gadue’s pancake block set Shaw free for the score. On the extra point conversion, Moore went for the win, scrambling left then right to hit Kevin Manny in the end zone for a Raider score and 22-21 advantage.  The Raider defense stood up to the test and stopped the Maroon offense on downs to end the game.  Moore sealed the game in the victory formation.

Outstanding players of the game: Jack Moore, Spencer Witter, Jayden Shaw, Matthew Graulich, Jack McHale, Kevin Manning, James Gadue, and the offensive line: Colby Jones, Cole Duzan, Miles Reynolds, Jadon Jimenez, James Cheverier, and Alec Rodman.

Congratulation to both team for a game well played and great sportsmanship.  The Raiders (1-3) will play Farmington White (5-0) next week Sunday in Farmington.

West Hartford Chargers 30 - Farmington Blue 13

The West Hartford Chargers improved to 3-1 on the season by defeating Farmington Blue 30-13 (2-3) Sunday afternoon at Farmington’s Westwood Field.

The Chargers held Farmington Blue on their first possession and took the ball on the Chargers 40-yard line. Six plays later, Grant O'Conner went in from five yards out to give Chargers 6-0 lead.

The Chargers defense held again and six plays later, Grant O’Conner scored from 15 yards out to give the Chargers a 12-0 lead.

Farmington Blue took following kickoff and marched down to score, making the score 12-7 going into the second quarter. The Chargers took the ensuing kickoff and, on a big 2nd down and 15, O'Conner hit Drew Booth for a 30-yard pass. On next play, O'Conner hit AJ Fair on a 20-yard pass for the touchdown and an 18-7 halftime lead.

The Chargers received the second half kickoff and marched 70 yards to score on a 20-yard run by A.J Fair to make the score 24-7 Chargers. Farmington Blue marched down field to the Chargers’ 25-yard line, where on 4th down and 4, Chargers were called for pass interference giving Blue first down on Chargers 9-yard line.

On the next play, Farmington Blue's Jordan went in for his second touchdown of the day to make the score 24-13. The Chargers stayed to the ground, and continued to chew up the clock. O’Conner capped the scoring with a 40-yard bootleg to make the score 30-13 Chargers.

The Chargers (3-1) return home next week and will matchup against a tough Farmington Black team (3-2) at 12 noon. Farmington White (5-0) will play the Raiders (1-3).

Farmington White 12 - West Hartford Health and Rehab Wildcats 0

Farmington White remained unbeaten on the season, and turned back the West Hartford Health and Rehabilitation Wildcats (3-1) 12-0 Sunday afternoon at Sterling Field.

Farmington White (5-0) will move on to play the Universal Connectivity Raiders (1-3), while the Wildcats (3-1) will matchup against the Eagles (2-2).

Farmington Black 14 - Wealth Management Group Eagles 0

Farmington Back turned back the Wealth Management Group Eagles 14-0 Sunday afternoon at Westwoods Field.