Housatonic-Wamogo football 2008

For the Mountaineers football team, made up of students from Housatonic Valley Regional High School and Wamogo High School, this season was the worst of times and the best of times. The season started off slow and ended on a high note: The team was included in an article in Sports Illustrated magazine. Randy O’Rourke, who has covered all the team’s games this year (and last year) shared a post-season wrapup, illustrated with images from the season.

FALLS VILLAGE —The Housatonic/Wamogo Mountaineers’ 2008 season can be broken neatly into three parts: the first four games, which were all losses; the next four games, which were all wins; and the final three games, which were perhaps the best, even though two were losses.

The schedule makers gave Housy a tough start to the season, as the first three teams that the Mountaineers faced — Tolland, Ellington and Avon — finished on top of the standings for the Uncas Division of the Pequot League.

The following game against Old Saybrook was one that the Mountaineers could have won, but let slip away in the third quarter.

The next four games were all lopsided victories for the Mountaineers, with the offense racking up at least 40 points in every game. The team then played its only Friday night game, against an undefeated North Branford. The team was forced into overtime but ultimately lost the hard-fought battle.

Coventry then came to Falls Village, and the Mountaineers extracted some revenge against a Patriot squad that had not lost to Housy in more than a decade. The 20 -14 win was exhilarating, coming just five days before the Berkshire Bowl.  

The day before the Thanksgiving Day Classic, Sports Illustrated magazine hit the stands, with an article about the single-wing offense, which Coach Deron Bayer has been using successfully with this team; the Mountaineer squad was featured prominently in the story.

But despite a great effort by the Housy/Wamogo squad, the players could not overcome the numerous turnovers in the Thanksgiving game, and fell to the Gilbert Yellowjackets 13-8, ending the season on a sour note.

Co-captain Will Kennedy finished up the year with 1,508 yards on 197 carries, averaging a whopping 7.7 yards per carry, scoring 13 touchdowns along the way.  

Sophomore Tanner Brissett was close behind, with 1,348 yards on 186 carries, and 11 touchdowns to his credit.

Co-captain Sam Scwartz ran the rock 51 times, for 323 yards and four touchdowns. Trevor Watts, Pat Kelleher, Eric Avery and Don Wright also contributed to the offense, which rushed the ball more than 3,000 yards in 2008.

But it couldn’t have been done without the rock-solid O-line, consisting of Ed Ustico, Gianpaolo Lodevole, Tyler VanDuyne, Nic Cook, Connor Johnson, Jake Blass and Roger Derosier. These same players also fortified the D-line, with the help behind them of linebacker Mike Hogan and defensive back Sam Cadman.

Fifteen seniors will be hard to replace next year. “This was a great class, and in many key positions we will have to start over,â€� commented Coach Bayer.  But that is one of the advantages of Bayer system.

“The nice thing about the single wing is its flexibility,â€� he said. “There are lots of variations on this offense, and we will run a version next season that matches our personnel.  I’ll be hitting the books this winter to explore some of the other options that the single wing offers.â€�

All in all, the 2008 gridiron squad was a success in many ways. Next year will be a challenge, but the Mountaineers are on the right track, and should be ready for another exciting season in 2009.

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