By Paul Silverman
The Greenwich High School football team righted the ship last weekend against a powerful Trumbull High School squad, coming away with a commanding 44-12 victory Friday night at Trumbull’s McDougall Stadium.
“Every game is important,” said Greenwich High head coach Anthony Morello. “We have been in every game this year. We have had some trouble at times finishing games this season, so it was even more important to have success in the second half against Trumbull. Coach Petroccio and his team are big and fast and will win many more games this season.”
And in that second half, Greenwich exploded. Taking a 13-12 lead into halftime, Big Red came out firing on all cylinders, scoring 17 points in the third quarter and another 14 in the final frame.
Leading the way for Big Red was James Babb, as he scored both touchdowns for Greenwich in the first half and added another in the early moments of the third quarter. After finding the end zone on a short run to the end zone to get things going for Greenwich, Babb took the catch-and-run pass from GHS quarterback Jack Wilson and darted down the field 81 yards for the touchdown with less than two minutes to play in the half.
The duo of Wilson and Babb struck again to start the second half. On the second play from scrimmage, the duo connected on a 49-yard touchdown reception that extended the GHS lead to 20-12.
After a Sergot Boone 23-yard field goal, Greenwich found the end zone again when Wilson called his own number and scampered in the end zone for four yards. Ending the scoring on the offensive side of the ball was Jack Konigsberg, who pick up the 2-yard touchdown to end the scoring for Big Red.
“Offensively we still have areas that we can improve on,” Morello said. “What’s exciting about this group is their eagerness, and willingness to improve week to week. The offense is just beginning to hit its stride, and it couldn’t come at a better time. James Babb had a terrific performance with two receiving TDs and a rushing TD. Jack Wilson is progressing very nicely at quarterback.”
While the offense was clicking, especially in the second half, defensively the Cardinals were tough to handle, holding Trumbull scoreless in the second half. The defensive performance was highlighted by John Scariata, who picked off THS quarterback Hunter Agosti near midfield, sprinted down the near sideline and cruised in for the 56-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“Coach Hocter and his defensive assistants, Erik Lee and Rodney Joyner, do an excellent job of preparing our athletes every week,” said Morello. “They have faced some top tier offenses this year, and held many of the state’s best players in check. John Scarlata has been a jolt of energy to this team every week in the secondary. His attitude, hard work in the off season, and mental toughness has a lot to do with his success this year. He’s been vital to our defensive success.”
With the victory, the Cards kept their sights on the postseason and upped their overall record to 4-2 on the season. Morello said that since the Shelton defeat earlier this season, his team has been mentally tuned in at practice.
“We let St. Joes off the hook two weeks ago, which was unfortunate, but not due to lack of talent on our side or execution with game plan,” the head coach said. “We simply didn’t make enough plays when we needed to. Not a lot has been said about our schedule this year. We have been on the road five out of six weeks, and our last five games have been against current or previous top 10 teams in the state for this year. The resiliency of this team is one of its biggest strengths and it’s a very fun group of guys to be around. They have embraced the challenges week by week and this Saturday will be no exception.”
Despite the victory, Greenwich had little time to celebrate. It seems like the theme of the season has been another week, another top-tier opponent GHS will play and tomorrow afternoon Big Red will host rivals New Canaan High School.
Last week, the Rams were stunned by Wilton, and for the first time since the 1995 season, it was the Warriors that came away with the last second field goal and the 20-17 victory. So to say New Canaan will be traveling to Cardinal Stadium with a chip on their shoulder is an understatement.
“Every game is important from here on out,” said Morello. “New Canaan is a tremendous program with a legendary Coach. We expect them to have their best game against us. It’s a great rivalry game, and the atmosphere should be electric on Saturday. Things didn’t go their way against Wilton, but this is a very good football team and coaching staff coming to town on Saturday. The way this season has gone in the FCIAC, anyone can win on any given week, so we need to be prepared for another slugfest.”
