VR-OL Football Takes Loss to Joel Barlow in Class SS State Final - Zip06.com

Senior Jacob Rand recorded 33 crushed yards connected 11 unreserved attempts successful VR-OL’s Class SS Championship nonaccomplishment to Joel Barlow. Photo by Wesley Bunnell/The Courier

Junior Grady Lacourciere went 12-of-25 passing for 128 yards and a score, portion besides adding 32 rushing yards connected 4 carries, arsenic VR-OL fell abbreviated of a Class SS authorities title. Photo by Wesley Bunnell/The Courier

In returning to the biggest signifier successful the game, the Valley Regional-Old Lyme (VR-OL) shot squad did not travel distant with the expansive prize. Yet successful the totality of their campaign, the Warriors surely showed wherefore they are and volition proceed to beryllium a unit to beryllium reckoned with done their ascendant surge to the summit.

After a 9-1 regular play and taking down Foran and Gilbert-Northwestern-Housatonic successful the Class SS State Playoffs portion allowing lone 13.5 points per crippled successful those 2 postseason showdowns, the 6th-seeded Warriors earned lone their second-ever travel to a authorities final.

There, they faced disconnected with No. 5 Joel Barlow for the crown connected Dec. 10 astatine Arute Field astatine Central Connecticut State University. Unfortunately for VR-OL, it was not a title ending to its campaign, arsenic the Warriors suffered a 61-6 decision to the Falcons. The Warriors, who mustered lone 4 wins a twelvemonth ago, finished their twelvemonth with an wide people of 11-2, which was besides the last grounds for the Falcons.

Junior Grady Lacourciere finished the time 12-of-25 passing for 128 yards and a score, portion helium added 32 rushing yards connected 4 carries. Senior Jacob Rand contributed 33 crushed yards connected 11 unreserved attempts. In the receiving department, elder Nick Cox was the Warriors’ starring subordinate with 5 catches for 95 yards and a TD reception.

VR-OL drove down to conscionable extracurricular the Falcons’ reddish portion and attempted a 27-yard tract extremity to effort and gully archetypal humor successful the contest, but it sailed wide left. Barlow past had a misfortune of its own, arsenic it fumbled pursuing an enactment play, which was scooped up by the Warriors with 3:29 remaining successful the archetypal quarter. However, Barlow regained possession of the shot pursuing a scoreless VR-OL thrust and went up 7-0 aft a 5-yard touchdown rush.

In the 2nd stanza, the Falcons’ defence past struck 11 minutes earlier halftime to marque it 14-0. VR-OL had a blocked punt that landed successful the endzone and was fleeced by the Falcons. Just implicit 7 minutes later, Barlow accrued its bid to 21-0 with different TD scamper from 12 yards distant to marque it a three-score contention astatine 3:53 anterior to intermission. The Falcons past went to the locker country up 28-0, arsenic with 48 ticks remaining successful the period, Barlow struck connected different TD sprint pursuing different violative thrust aft recovering a kickoff fumble by the Warriors.

The Falcons continued wherever they near disconnected successful the archetypal fractional aboriginal successful the third. With 10:36 connected the clock, they went up 35-0 acknowledgment to a 20-yard TD run. Barlow past added TD rushes of 2 and 22 yards with conscionable nether six minutes to play for the 3rd to yet pb by 48 heading to the fourth.

Defense came done for Barlow points again successful the last 4th with a 68-yard interception returned to the endzone. Later, the Falcons tacked connected different touchdown with a 29-yard sprint arsenic 7:12 remained connected the night. The Warriors negated the shutout bid erstwhile Lacourciere recovered Cox connected a 20-yard TD flip with 1:52 to play to bring it to the last 61-6 decision.

In the regular season, VR-OL finished an awesome 9-1. The Warriors defeated North Branford (13-7), Coginchaug/Hale-Ray/East Hampton (61-12), Morgan (48-0), Coventry-Windham Tech-Bolton-Lyman Memorial (57-6), Capital Prep-Achievement First (28-0), Stafford-East Windsor-Somers (29-14), Computer Science and Engineering Academy of Aerospace and Science (42-6), Old Saybrook-Westbrook (46-8), and Haddam-Killingworth (28-8). VR-OL’s lone nonaccomplishment came by a slim 28-27 borderline against Cromwell-Portland, which was defeated by Barlow successful the semifinals, 40-35.

For their earlier bouts successful the Class SS State Playoffs, the Warriors archetypal won connected the roadworthy 26-13 facing 3rd-seeded Foran connected Nov. 29 successful the quarterfinals. VR-OL past took down No. 7 Gilbert-Northwestern-Housatonic 26-14 astatine location successful the semifinal circular connected Dec. 4.

Hill Gbunblee was assisted connected the sidelines this autumn by coaches Brandon Woodcock, Jake Bocian, Jim Metz, and Phil Cohen.

The 2022 Valley Regional-Old Lyme roster was comprised of seniors Rand, Cox, Andrew Yermenson, Michael Galberth, DiAngelo Jean-Pierre, Justice Glidden, Stefen Ryer, Joseph Montazella, Samuel Bourez, Ford Macadam, Adam Metz; juniors of Jacob Volkerts, Shane Gagne Lemay, Lacourciere, Maxwell Nickel, Jonathan Gosnell, Joshua Richardson; sophomores successful Cameron Atkinson, Thomas Troy, Peter Kuhn, Max Novak, Matthew Cooper, Liam Sarafin, Rigo Chirinos, Jovanie Molina, Joseph Medel-Herrera; and yet freshmen with Churchill Roberts, Jackson Pannier, Dickson Conor, Chase King, Jayden Vasquez, Michael Spencer, Julius Wilson, CJ Zapatka, Jack Knudsen, Reed Schmelzer, Eli Torres, Rason Cobbs, and William Sicignano.