Submitted by Eric Anderson.
2018 Haddam Killingworth Youth Football Week 5 vs. S. Windsor/Simsbury
Pink socks, ribbons and pom poms where on display at Eric Auer Field at Killingworth Recreation Park on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 as HKYFA begins recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). The B, C and D squads hosted South Windsor and the A squad hosted Simsbury.
Timely defense and outstanding run blocking propelled the Cougar A squad to a 24-16 win over Simsbury in a battle of teams with 2-2 records. Tate Callender had a career rushing day with 239 yards and Kevin Gamache recorded a pair of consecutive sacks, one for a safety, to close out the game and highlight a stellar performance for the Cougar defense.
HK would strike first, a 2 yard run up the middle by quarterback Alex Phipps with an extra point kick by Cavin Napoletano. The Trojans countered with a 65 yard pass play and successful extra point kick of their own to tie the game but Callender would rush in from the 15 yard line on the next series to put the Cougars back on top 14-8. A 65 yard run play put Simsbury in scoring position late in the first half but Callender and Jayden Fulton recorded tackles for losses and Fulton pressured the Simsbury quarterback to force a turnover on downs. An HK fumble on the next play gave the Trojans another chance on the Cougar 35 yard line but after a pair of Trojan first downs, Orion Inkel and Kevin Harrison snuffed out the drive with great pass defense and HK took a knee to run out the clock.
The duo of Callender and Harrison teamed up to score a touchdown on HK’s first possession of the 2nd half with Callender rushing for 51 yards on 4 carries and Harrison capping off the drive with an 11 yard pass reception for the 22-8 lead with 9:22 left in the 3rd quarter. Simsbury would mount an 11 play drive nearly the entire length of the field to pull within 6 points (22-16) and HK was poised to score again to put the game out of reach but an interception in the end zone gave the Trojans one last opportunity. The Cougar defense allowed no breathing room for the Trojans in the comeback attempt as Lee Harwood would record a tackle for a loss and Gamache would bring down the curtain on Simsbury with a safety for the 24-16 final.
HK gave up 197 yards of total offense in the first half but limited the Trojans to only 60 total yards in the 2nd half on only 2 possessions. Despite scoring only a single touchdown in the 2nd half, the HK offense kept charge of the ball and controlled pace of play with long time consuming drives on the ground to move the chains and run down the clock.
The aforementioned defense stuffed the stat sheets with several players recording multiple tackles and the team combining for 10 tackles for a loss. Tackle leaders were Callender (6), Lee Harwood (4.5), Fulton (3.5, 1 sack), Bryce Anderson (3.5), Harrison (3.5), Gamache (3, 2 sacks), Inkel (3), Jacob Maier (1.5) and Nick Fox (.5). The Cougar offensive line helped Callender and Lee Harwood (56 yards) dominate the ground game. Nick Fox had 2 kick returns for a total of 23 yards.
The team faces Berlin (4-1) at home on Sunday.
The B squad defeated South Windsor 32-0 to remain undefeated on the season at 5-0. The team faces Berlin (2-3) at home on Sunday.
Cougars battle Panthers, win 4th Straight
The HK Cougar C squad hosted the South Windsor Panthers this past Sunday 10/7 at Auer Field at Killingworth Recreation Park. The Cougars wasted little time in getting started as Axel Kolcio angled the kickoff downfield and Josh Frith outran the Panthers to recover the kick. Two plays later, Josiah Bourne was in the end zone to give H-K a quick 6-0 lead. After a three-and-out from the Defense, the Cougars scored on their next snap with Owen Jones hitting Josh Frith for a 45-yard TD pass. John Moyher ran in the PAT to give the Cougars a 13-0 lead.
The Panthers started to get rolling on their next drive, earning two first downs. However, the Cougar defense held strong with big tackles from Jack O’Brien, Garrett Whitmer, Stephen Bonczek and Marcel Inkel. The offense took possession at their own 27 yard line and reeled off a 5-play, 73-yard TD drive. Big runs from Eli Hamman-Shay and a reception from Alex Karber set up the 23-yard TD run from Axel Kolcio. The Cougars stopped the next Panther drive and took a 19-0 lead to halftime.
In the second half, the Cougars began with the ball on their own 35 and executed an 11-play drive behind runs from Noah Soucie, Kyle House and Tyler Napierkowski, capped off by a 6-yard TD run from Jake McGrath. A pass from Owen Jones to Axel Kolcio for the PAT finished the scoring on the day and the Cougars took the win 26-0.
The Cougar offense was in high gear, gaining 262 yards on 31 snaps and the defense played well, only allowing 2 first downs. With the win, HK moves to 4-1 on the season and will face a strong Berlin squad at 1pm on Sunday 10/14 at Killingworth Recreation Park – please come out and support the boys!
Andrew Soucie scored a pair of touchdowns for the Cougar D squad in a 19-12 loss to undefeated South Windsor. HK played hard all day and had last possession of the ball but could not score the equalizer. The team faces another tough opponent as Berlin (4-1) visits Eric Auer Field at KRP on Sunday.
HKYFA hosts Berlin at KRP on Sunday. Games times for B, A, C and D squads are 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. respectively.
