Wolcott football has won three straight games since getting thumped at home on opening night by Ansonia.
Next up for the Eagles, however, is another undefeated team, and that is Seymour. The Wildcats have rolled to three straight NVL wins to open the season, outscoring their opponents 161-39. Seymour is ranked 11th in the latest GameTimeCT Top 10 poll. The Wildcats are actually one spot ahead of rival Ansonia in the poll.
Seymour is led by do-everything senior quarterback Jaylen Kelley. Kelley is 21-of-33 passing for 504 yards, seven touchdowns, and zero interceptions, according to the team’s MaxPreps page. Kelley has a ridiculous quarterback rating of 146.8.
Kelley is also the team’s leading rusher with 421 yards and eight touchdowns on 45 carries. Seymour can pound away on drives, or it can beat you with big plays. There’s Kelley, but there’s also Wildcat track sensation Bobby Melms, a junior. Melms has run 22 times for 201 yards and five touchdowns. Melms also has five catches for 83 yards and one score.
Seymour has run the ball much more than it has thrown it (84-33), but a lot of that has to do with the huge leads the Wildcats have established. Alex Massie leads Seymour in receiving with seven catches for 186 yards and three touchdowns.
How can Wolcott match up with Seymour?
- Start by controlling the ball and the clock. Senior running back Ray Iorio leads the Eagle ground game with 595 yards and seven touchdowns on 80 carries. Junior quarterback Mike Polzella has run 31 times for 232 yards and three touchdowns. There’s also Anthony Ligi, who has rushed 12 times for 92 yards and three scores. Wolcott averages 253.8 yards per game on the ground. Controlling the clock would keep Kelley and the Seymour offense off the field. They can’t score on offense if they’re on the sideline.
- Don’t turn the ball over. Wolcott has just three turnovers all season (two interceptions, one fumble lost, all by Polzella). The Eagles need to continue this trend if they want an opportunity to beat the Wildcats.
- Make some big plays. To keep Seymour from loading the box to stop the run, Polzella needs to complete some passes, and some need to be downfield. Steve Urbanski has a 75-yard touchdown reception, along with two other catches for scores. Urbanski also has a kick return for a touchdown. Big plays on special teams would also help.
- Avoid big plays by Seymour. Plays that gain chunks of yards will swing momentum and only hurt the Eagles. Wolcott was pounded by Ansonia on opening night, but it has shutouts in two of the last three games. Those games were against Kennedy and Watertown. No offense to the Eagles or Indians, but they are not the Seymour Wildcats. This game will be a challenge for the Wolcott defense.
What happened last year? A shootout, to say the least. Seymour pulled away for a 61-41 victory on Joe Monroe Field on Nov. 6.
Wolcott has been able to score some points this season, but not at the pace of Seymour. A shootout this year would be a bad idea.
The Eagles and Wildcats are slated to kick off at 7 p.m. this Friday on the turf of Seymour High School. A win could vault Seymour into the Top 10. A win by Wolcott would send shockwaves throughout the state.
