By MICHAEL LETENDRE
STAFF WRITER
BRISTOL – Week 5 has come alive for the squads in Bristol and October won’t be any sort of picnic for any of our three teams later in the month.
Bristol Central travels to Farmington for a CCC Interdivisional encounter while Bristol Eastern has another opponent of doom in the form of undefeated Windsor.
And on that same Friday night, St. Paul Catholic takes on Torrington in a Naugatuck Valley League engagement on the road.
What’s the deal this week? Take a quick look at the week’s gridiron preview:
Bristol Central (2-2) at Farmington (1-3); CCC Division II West match-up
Location: at Farmington high school
Day and Time: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last Season: The two squads did not square off. With Bulkeley leaving the schedule, picking up Farmington was a huge upgrade in terms of competition.
All-Times Series: Central and Farmington will play the seventh game in this building rivalry in which the Indians carry the all-time lead in the series, 5-1.
Last Week: Central defeated Wethersfield on the road 28-21 while Farmington jobbed to Windsor 41-12.
Casual Facts: Wethersfield is a big team with more than a little speed but Central has speedsters of its own and it’s not a surprise the Eagles lost the challenge…After averaging seven points-per-game during the first two weeks, the Rams are scoring 28 per since and that’s a credit to both the offense and defense…Sure, Central had to come from behind against the Eagles but when things are working, and off the bad luck from previous weeks, it’s not surprising the Rams’ fortunes have turned around…The speedy combination of back Luis Medina and Isaiah Miller zipped up 140 total yards in offense and when Alex Lape made a fumble return for a score, the game was all but sealed…The squad also needs credit for reversing a first period 21-7 deficit as the locals never gave up…Farmington defeated Eastern during Week 2 but then was shutout by Edwin O. Smith 28-0? Really? The Indians haven’t done anything since thumping the Lancers…The Indians will mix up a ton of play action and the Central defense will have to defend everything…But Central in the favorite coming in to this one…Farmington will truly have trouble slowing down the Rams…Clearly in this instance, one team is rising and the other is falling. It’s not a hard one to figure out.
And the winner is…Central pulls out a 35-14 win for a third straight victory.
Bristol Eastern (0-4) vs. Windsor (4-0); CCC Division II Interdivisional showdown
Location: from Muzzy Field, Bristol
Day and Time: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last Season’s Game: Back on Oct. 9, the Lancers hung around for a quarter-and-a-half but ultimately fell 48-6 on the road in Windsor.
All-Time Series: It’s game seven between the CCC Division II foes with the Warriors holding on to a 5-1 series edge.
Eastern’s Last win versus the Spartans: On Oct. 25, 2014, the Lancers snuck out a 30-28 victory as a late field goal sank the visitors that evening.
Last Week: Bristol Eastern dropped a tough 28-10 decision to Maloney while Windsor battered Farmington 41-12.
Casual facts…One of these squads is headed for the playoffs while one is still putting all the pieces together…Windsor doesn’t rebuild, it reloads and apparently, the squad hasn’t skipped a beat to open the 2016 campaign…Against hapless Farmington last Friday, which hasn’t won since beating Eastern during Week 2, Jason Pinnock had four touchdowns, including three receptions for a score and making a 70 yard interception for the other one…Pinnock had seven catches for 140 yards overall in the contest against the Indians…In fact, the Warriors made two interceptions for TDs, so you know Windsor has speed on its side…And QB Brooks Mihalek is a talented chucker as well…And don’t be fooled by the final score as it was a 41-0 game through three periods so the Windsor defense didn’t allow any kind of real scoring by Farmington…Give Eastern some credit in its game against Maloney as the squad rolled out over 160 yards in offense – easily a season best – that allowed the Lancers to keep it a close game until the latter stages of the final period…“We had some explosion on offense tonight which is something we lacked the first few weeks,” said Eastern coach Anthony Julius after the Maloney game. “To see us execute and perform on offense was exciting tonight for going forward.”…Mike Barrett had over 100 yards in rushing – his career best – while QB Justin Marshall also made gains on offense as well…Mike Massarelli had a big 23 yard reception and Jaden Laprise made a critical catch as well…Defensively, Tyler Mason led an impressive charge, helping to get Eastern that safety, and making other tackles for losses in the contest…Andrew Consolvo, Marshall, Trinidad Gonzalez, Ariza Kolloverja all played a tough brand of defense while Laprise certainly had the team’s best night in the backfield this season…Will Eastern beat Windsor? Maybe not but if the Lancers continue to grow, that first victory is right around the corner…Eastern showed plenty of growth against Maloney and “It’s a credit to the kids that they keep showing up, that they keep working hard and they keep improving,” said Julius. “As a coach, that’s all you can ask for.”
And the winner is…The Lancers fall to the Warriors by a 47-13 final from Muzzy Field in Bristol.
St. Paul (3-1) at Torrington (1-3); Naugatuck Valley League contest
Location: at Torrington High School
Day and Time: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last Season’s Game: The schools did not meet in pigskin battle in 2015.
Last Week: St. Paul Catholic defeated Derby 36-