Mixed Results for Local Teams in Week 1

Football wins and losses:

The season did not begin the way Fermi coach Bill Beeler wanted it to. Middletown defeated Fermi 45-0 Thursday night in Middletown.

But Beeler managed to teach all of his players a lesson anyway. Beeler, a Manchester police officer, was shot in the left shoulder during a hostage situation in May, was honored before the game.

Jim Bransfield, who has been doing public address work for Middletown High School for decades and who may well be the best PA man working high schools in this state, mentioned the shooting during the pregame ceremonies, drawing an ovation from the Middletown crowd.

Beeler has shown that he takes both parts of protect and serve to heart. On Thursday, his players got a chance to see that other people notice.

For Windsor, the season got off to a better start on the field when compared to their Fermi peers. The Warriors rode quarterback Quinn Fleeting to a 33-0 victory over Wethersfield. Fleeting threw for 263 yards and four touchdowns and Aaron Berardino showed why he has been getting so much pre-season hype. He scored two touchdowns.

Despite all this, Windsor coach Rob Fleeting was concerned. The Warriors committed five turnovers, which will not do in Week 2 against Bristol Central.

Cheney Tech also got off to a solid start with a 48-16 victory over Wilcox Tech. DeShawn Smith rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns and took a punt back 50-yards for another score. D.J. Hawkins ran for a touchdown, threw for a touchdown and returned an interception for a touchdown.

In Rockville, it’s time to try to rebuild after a two-win season a year ago. The Rams lost to Rocky Hill 41-12 but were in the game for most of the first half. Akeem Thomas and Gabe D’Alatri scored touchdowns for Rockville, while Kevin Lucas anchored the defense.

The joint tam of Stafford/East Windsor had an early lead thanks to a Zach Rollins run of 64 yards but could do nothing with Avon’s Colin Moore, who rushed for 234 yards.

And Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby may have found a star in Tristan Cauley, who rushed for more than 200 yards and two touchdowns but the Raiders were unable to stop Housatonic/Wamogo and lost 36-20.

Unbeaten No More:

For some reason, tradition carries unbeaten streaks from one season into the next, though, obviously, teams change from one season to the next. So it’s worth noting that the Suffield girls’ unbeaten streak was stopped at 41 Friday night. Avon defeated the Wildcats, who won the 2010 Class M state championship and shared the title in 2009, 2-0. The only thing to take from the game is that Suffield is not as dominant as it has been the past two seasons. Gabija Pileika, Brianna Bishop, Ashlie DaCruz and the rest of the Suffield team meet Ellington on Tuesday.

The Purple Knights of Ellington are off to a 2-0 start after a 2-1 victory over Bolton on Friday. Emily Cohen, Kelly Conley, Kelly Mulka, and Hannah Naumec and Gigi Rubino provide a solid foundation that will be tested against Suffield.

200:

Somers boys’ soccer coach John Pantuosco earned his 200th victory Friday in a 6-0 win over Canton. The Spartans, who won the Class S championship a year ago, seem ready for a run at a repeat based on a 2-0 start with Jake Alvaro, Don Whittle and Joe Pantuosco working in front of senior goalie Alex Geas.

E.O. Smith in Mansfield has shown that last season’s return to glory was not a fluke. A 0-0 tie at Farmington offers more proof that Luke Melody and Mitchell Taintor are looking to match last season’s fine work. The tie against Farmington is, perhaps, better evidence than a 7-0 victory over Rockville.

At The Net:

A year ago, Tolland made a spirited run to the quarterfinals of the Class M tournament. This season, the Eagles opened with a victory over Fermi. The Eagles also took a game from powerful RHAM-Hebron, which won the Class M championship a season ago. Kristin Schatzlein, Kelsey Lewis and Kayla Higgins seem intent on proving the run was not a fluke.