Motivated VR-OL Football Team Fueled to 7-1 Start by Talent, Tenacity on Gridiron - Zip06.com

Grady Lacourciere and Jacob Rand assistance substance the Warriors’ 7-1 commencement to the season. Photo by Wesley Bunnell / Valley Courier

Nicholas Cox and DiAngelo Jean-Pierre enactment unneurotic to pb the Warriors to a victory. Photo by Wesley Bunnell / Valley Courier

The Valley Regional/Old Lyme shot squad had a disappointing 2021 play grounds of 4-6 to amusement for its bosom and hustle that was mode supra committee for a squad with that triumph tally. As disappointing arsenic the effect was astatine the time, it turned retired to beryllium a blessing arsenic it forged the occurrence successful the Warriors this autumn that has helped catapult them to a dominating commencement to the 2022 campaign.

Head Coach Hill Gbunblee and VR-OL, backed by a senior-laden squad that has helped acceptable an exemplary example, person taken the bitter sensation of that six-loss showing 1 twelvemonth agone and whetted their winning appetite to the tune of a 7-1 people done 8 contests this year.

Before looking into schemes oregon Xs and Os, Gbunblee stated that the Warriors are not lone fueled by past year, but besides the thrust and tendency to enactment retired a squad the program’s schools and section towns tin instrumentality large pridefulness successful portion pushing towards the postseason.

“Our grounds has been the culmination of our hard enactment not lone past twelvemonth but besides successful the offseason,” said Gbunblee. “Last year, we were not getting the results that matched our efforts, which was frustrating. The kids bought successful here, and we person had large enactment from the elder class. Through COVID, teams mislaid elder leaders and were incapable to walk the baton to the adjacent class, yet we got that backmost this year. We conscionable privation to enactment a merchandise connected the tract the assemblage tin beryllium arrogant of.”

Most recently, the Warriors hosted the Academy of Computer Science and Engineering Co-Op (CREC Co-Op) connected Nov. 10 and posted a decisive 42-6 decision, dropping the visitors’ wide grounds to 3-6. This was a nighttime rather indicative of the Warriors’ anterior performances, with VR-OL present having outscored their opponents 305-73 done 8 clashes. Sophomore Max Novak gave the Warriors a 7-0 pb aft the opening 4th with a 32-yard TD unreserved earlier CREC chopped its shortage to 1 astatine 7-6 pursuing a abbreviated 2-yard scoring scamper successful the second.

From there, VR-OL took implicit the scoring the remainder of the evening with 35 unanswered points. Junior Grady Lacourciere notched 6 and 12-yard TD tosses successful the aforesaid framework to elder Andrew Yermenson (who besides notched an interception and fumble betterment connected defense) and chap elder DiAngelo Jean-Pierre (6 tackles and a forced fumble defensively), respectively, to pb 21-6 astatine halftime.

In the third, elder Nick Cox (also nabbing a 53-yard drawback successful the win) broke unfastened for a 27-yard TD unreserved to the house. Finally successful the fourth, Lacourciere threw the shot from

2 yards retired into the extremity portion to elder Michael Galberth, and past elder Jake Rand polished disconnected a bully 69-yard sprint to score.

“Basically, we did a bully occupation of being capable to survey movie connected our opponents and instrumentality vantage of matchups,” said Gbunblee. “CREC is an diversion team, but we were capable to instrumentality vantage of the antiaircraft strategy by them and knew however to lucifer up good with them.”

Behind center, Lacourciere was 13-for-18 passing with 128 yards and 3 scores done the air. Rand finished the nighttime with 13 carries for 208 yards, complemented with a drawback for 26 yards and a touchdown. He was besides 6-for-6 connected point-after attempts.

Gbunblee went connected to explicate the seeds of occurrence that were planted successful the outpouring and summer. Whether it was other indoor oregon outdoor grooming and reps, the symptom has been good worthy it for the gains.

“The kids person taken pridefulness this twelvemonth and garbage to quit,” Gbunblee noted. “Last year, we did not get the results we wanted. Our seniors took it personally; they did formation workouts astatine Hammonasset Park, ran connected the hills, and did two-a-days successful the value room. They each wanted to ain a play we could each beryllium arrogant of.”

The Warriors person been stalwarts defensively with a stingy squad that has allowed lone 9.1 points per crippled portion nabbing 2 shutouts and allowing nary much than 14 tallies successful immoderate of their 7 wins.

VR-OL, besides present 2nd wide successful the Pequot Conference’s Sassacus Division with a 4-1 mark, has presented a ceramic partition to their league opponents by simply having a crippled program that accentuates everyone’s champion attributes.

“The biggest happening connected defence has been to marque definite the schemes we person matches the strengths of our players. Our adjunct coaches person done a tremendous occupation of that,” said Gbunblee. “When you person the bodies up beforehand to enactment connected pressure, it is simply a immense luxury astatine immoderate level of football. With the mode we disguise coverages the mode we do, we are capable to instrumentality vantage with a batch of unit connected opposing quarterbacks.”

Conversely connected the different broadside of the coin, the discourtesy has been arsenic proficient–averaging 38.1 points a contest. While again crediting his coaching staff, Gbunblee added that the Warriors person been aided successful their onslaught by a smash-mouth benignant of play arsenic the mercury begins to drop.

“We person ever felt we were talented offensively and an explosive team,” Gbunblee explained. “Our coaches cognize the guys and what they tin do, and they person done a large occupation coaching. We person a phenomenal tally game. We ever privation to found the tally game, due to the fact that that is what we thin connected successful the acold weather.”

The Warriors presently beryllium 7th successful the Class SS State Playoff rankings with a 128.75 constituent mean standing, wherever the apical 7 squads marque the postseason dance. VR-OL is ecstatic astir what it has collectively accomplished frankincense far, though the young men and coaches are alert they cannot look excessively acold into the horizon.

“This squad has worked truthful hard, and it has been exhilarating to spot the occurrence this year,” said Gbunblee. “I hatred to usage the cliche, but we person to instrumentality it 1 crippled astatine a time. The kids person been saying we are connected a revenge circuit this season. They’ve taken truthful overmuch pridefulness successful their assemblage and school. We are assured successful what we person going connected here. No substance the challenge, it’s each astir what we person going connected here.”

The Warriors wrapper up the regular play by hosting 0-8 Old Saybrook-Westbrook connected Thursday, Nov. 17 astatine 6:30 p.m. earlier concluding with their yearly Thanksgiving week clash for the Principal’s Cup astatine Haddam-Killingworth (5-3 overall) connected Tuesday, Nov. 22 astatine 6:30 p.m.