Wolcott football sent shockwaves through the Naugatuck Valley League and the state with Friday night’s 33-30 road win over undefeated Seymour at DeBarber Field.
I gave some keys to the game in a post earlier this week, and suffice to say the Eagles nailed most of them.
Here they are again, in order:
Start by controlling the ball and the clock
CHECK. There were several long drives by Wolcott, including one that tallied a whopping 99 yards. The Eagles were able to pick up first downs, whether it was Ray Iorio running the ball, or Mike Polzella running the ball, or Polzella throwing the ball. The offense was effective, and it kept Seymour’s defense on the field.
Don’t turn the ball over
CHECK (for the most part). The Eagles did muff a punt, but the Wildcats were unable to capitalize.
Make some big plays
CHECK. Steve Urbanski caught a 67-yard touchdown pass from Polzella, and Justin Fernandes had a huge 34-yard reception before scoring a 15-yard touchdown of his own. Polzella threw for four touchdowns in the game. And of course, there’s the big fourth down run by Ray Iorio that sealed the game.
Avoid big plays by Seymour
The Wildcats had just one real big play in the first half, a 29-yard TD pass from Jaylen Kelley to Alex Massie. Those were the only points of the half for Seymour. The Wildcats did connect for touchdowns of 33 and 69 yards in the second half though. Still, Seymour scored those touchdowns when having to play catch-up from a big deficit. Can’t really give Wolcott a check on this one, but the Eagles did avoid big plays until the second half.
BOTTOM LINE
Wow, what a win for Wolcott. The Eagles have come a long way from the team that got smacked in Week 1. Wolcott has won four straight games since the lopsided loss to Ansonia.
Statistical information from the game stories of Kyle Brennan (Waterbury Republican-American) and Doug Bonjour (Connecticut Post).
