BY KEVIN ROBERTS

WATERBURY — Chase Collegiate senior Ethan Puc came to Montoe Park on Friday intent on breaking the two-year-old city cross country championship meet record held by former Kennedy standout Kyle Hotchkiss.

Puc jumped into the lead immediately and ran the course in a time of 16:01, easily eclipsing Hotchkiss’ record. Puc won the individual title for the second straight year, and Chase claimed the team crown with 37 points.

Hotchkiss ran a time of 16:15.7 in 2017 when he won the city race for the third straight year. Puc wasn’t far off when he ran the same Montoe Park course a week ago.

“I definitely thought I was going to go under the record today because I ran 16:18 last week here,” Puc said. “I was hoping to get at least the record, but I didn’t think it was going to be by that much because it was a bit windy today. It was the first time running in the cold this year, so it went well.”

The Highlanders finished just ahead of Sacred Heart, which had a score of 42. Five Chase runners earned All-City honors for finishing in the Top 15. Chase’s Rafael Mahario was fourth, followed by Colby Calabrese in seventh, Tommy Lapham in 10th, and Jamal Clarke in 15th.

“My freshman year, we finished fifth or sixth, near the bottom,” Puc said. “Every year, we’ve worked our way up.”

Sacred Heart was able to get four runners into the Top 15, led by a second-place finish from Fujie Lan (17:59), followed by Jesse Breidenbach in fifth, James Bona eighth and Alex Valente 11th.

Holy Cross was third with a score of 65, followed by WCA in fourth (117) and Kaynor Tech in fifth (118).

The top Crusader was Joe Dane, who finished third with a time of 17:59, an eyelash behind Lan.

Sacred Heart junior Melany Boivin outpaced the girls field, finishing first in 22:40. WCA, however, claimed the girls team championship with a score of 40.

The Spartans had four runners in the Top 15, led by a second-place finish from Jessica Coyt (23:06) and a third-place finish from Jonna Pierce (23:12). Kiyarah Watson took sixth place while Fatima Aly was 13th.

Holy Cross was second at 59, followed by Kennedy (74), Sacred Heart (82) and Kaynor Tech (93). Cayla Howard was the top Crusader, finishing fifth, followed by Raquel Rosa in 10th, Kristina Perry in 11th and Alyssa Sarracco in 14th.

The top Kennedy runner was Angelica Pena, who took fourth. Yulissa Navarrete was the top Kaynor runner, claiming eighth place.

Boivin, Coyt and Pierce were 1-2-3 throughout much of the girls race. Boivin finished third in last year’s race and Pierce was fourth.

BY ROGER CLEAVELAND

WATERTOWN — The undefeated Watertown High football team understandably felt great about itself going into Friday night’s home game against undefeated Ansonia, but coach Luigi Velardi also knew the Indians would be challenged at a whole different level by the Chargers.

He was eager to see how his team would respond.

“The thing that we learned I’m not very happy about because I thought we should have competed a little bit more. It’s all about effort and we didn’t have enough of it tonight,” Velardi said.

Watertown (3-1) played Ansonia competitively for the first quarter Friday, but by game’s end the Chargers had run away with a 56-26 win that wasn’t as close as the final score.

“They are a machine,” Velardi said. “They are such a machine that to stay competitive with them for four quarters is so difficult. They are going to wear you down mentally and physically, and they wore us down halfway through the second quarter.”

Led by dynamic running back Shykeem Harmon, the Chargers (5-0) scored on their first eight possessions, only getting stopped on their final possession when the reserves were in the game.

Harmon opened the scoring on a 30-yard pass play from quarterback Sheldon Schuler on the Chargers’ first play from scrimmage, then scored twice on touchdown runs of 6 and 32 yards. He finished with 132 yards on 10 carries.

“I feel like our offense is very good, and I feel like we can score whenever we feel like it, but we just have to put in the effort and put our best foot forward,” Harmon said. “It always starts with the offensive line. We take pride in working hard with the offensive line because without them we wouldn’t get anywhere.”

Watertown answered each of Ansonia’s first two touchdowns, with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Xavier Powell to Owen Munson and then a 59-yard run by Powell. Ansonia led, 16-13, after the first quarter, but the Indians just couldn’t keep pace. By halftime, Ansonia led, 50-13.

“I thought we played an unbelievable second quarter against a good team,” Ansonia coach Tom Brockett said. “Their kids played hard and Coach (Luigi) Velardi and his whole staff do a great job. When you play a team like that, they are going to cause you problems.”

Velardi said that Harmon makes the Chargers an incredibly difficult offense to defend.

“He has another gear that most kids don’t have,” Velardi said. “He is riding, riding, riding, and you think that is what he’s got, then all of a sudden he puts it into high gear and he’s gone. He delays, delays, delays and then cuts back and hits another gear that is tough to defend. And it is just not him because they have athletes all over the field who are all very good.”

Tyler Cafaro also scored on runs of 25 and 28 yards, and Schuler added a 1-yard touchdown run in addition to his scoring pass to Harmon.

Harmon said he loves the Ansonia offense this season, because of its great balance.

“We can throw the ball now,” Harmon said. “It feels good that we have the ability to do something different just to mix it up again on offense. We can give people a different look right now and let people know that Sheldon Schuler can actually throw. He’s actually a really good quarterback. Coming out on the first play and throwing that touchdown pass let everyone know we can definitely throw the ball this year.”

CHASE COLLEGIATE 7, FORMAN 1
Goals: C—Murphy Malone 3, Aiden Cohelo 1, Joe Scarpetti 1, Matt Connan 1, Conrad Coyanda Parkzes 1; F—Lorenzo Lauria 1. Assists: C—Jaiden Paniagua 2, Joe Scarpetti 2; Saves: C—Rohan Singh, Aiden Cohelo 15 combined; F—Lorenzo Baccetti 20. Records: C 4-4-1, F 2-6.

NEWTOWN 3, NAUGATUCK 1
Goals: Ne—Sophia Guevara 1, Karsen Pirone 1, Katie Rowan 1; Na—Anissa Simones 1; Assists: Ne—Sydney Howard. Saves: Ne—Julianna Stavola, Alyssa Bailey 3 combined; Na—Saige Winslow 10. Records: N 5-2-3; Newtown 5-1-5.

SACRED HEART-KAYNOR TECH 22, CROSBY 20
SH/KT – Mark Williams pass from Alexandre Gonzalez (conversion good)
SH/KT – Josue Salazar pass from Gonzalez (conversion good)
C – Michael Scott run (conversion failed)
C – Scott 20 run (pass good)
SH/KT – Gonzalez 2 run (pass failed)
C – Scott 14 run (conversion failed)
Records: SH/KT 1-4, C 0-5.

GILBERT-NORTHWESTERN 22,                                   OLD SAYBROOK-WESTBROOK 21
OSW 0 7 14 0 — 21
GN 0 10 6 6 — 22
Scoring Summary
OSW — Fernandez 12 run (Pavlovich kick)
GN — Josh Hamel 35 field goal
GN — Anthony Carfiro 1 run (Hamel kick)
OSW — Pavlovich 1 run (Pavlovich kick)
GN — Hunter Sanden 62 run (kick failed)
OSW — McDonnell 5 run (Pavlovich kick)
GN — Marco Folino 7 run (conversion failed)
GN Statistics
Rushing: H. Sanden 6-95; Chase Sanden 3-47; Folino 13-5; Carfiro 1-1. Passing: Carfiro 7-14, 107 yards. Receiving: C. Sanden 4-62; Ryan VanDyke 2-29; Ian Thompson 1-16. Interception: Clay Maloney. Tackles: Cam Mulligan 13. Records: GN 2-2, OSW 1-4.

FORMAN 3, CHASE 2
C—Maddie Patrick 12 kills, 12 digs; Enisa Senkal 13 assists; Kitty Wang 4 kills; Lucy Bird 2 kills, 4 aces. Records: C 1-8, F 1-9.

Raekwon James rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries to lead the Wilby football team to its third straight victory Saturday, 32-19 over host Derby in NVL action.
One of James’ touchdowns was a 55-yard reception from his brother, Aaron James, who completed 11 of 15 passes for 140 yards as Wilby improved to 3-2. He also threw a two-point conversion pass to Ronald Rogers.
Raekwon James also scored on runs of 68 and 51 yards. Aaron James ran for a 20-yard score.
“Going into the season, we knew we were on the cusp of having a very good season,” Wilby coach Lamar Kennedy said. “The kids worked hard over the summer. We have a full team and we worked to change the culture.”
Andre Urena caught four passes for 62 yards. Wilby led, 20-6, at the half.
Defensively, Raekwon James had seven tackles and a fumble recovery, and Dashaun Wilson and Rashad Lodge added six tackles and a blocked kick each.
Urena and David LaBoy each had an interception.
The Raiders fell to 1-4.

By KEVIN ROBERTS
WATERBURY — Sacred Heart-Kaynor Tech football senior Josue Salazar came up with big plays in all three phases of the game Saturday against Crosby at Municipal Stadium.
Salazar caught a touchdown pass from Alex Gonzalez to help the co-op build a 16-point lead over the Bulldogs.
When Crosby had cut the deficit to two points in the fourth quarter, a big Salazar punt reversed the field position.
Not long after the punt, Salazar picked off a Bulldog pass.
Salazar’s all-around big day helped Sacred Heart claim a 22-20 victory over Crosby. The co-op improved to 1-4 while the Bulldogs dropped to 0-5.
“It felt wonderful to me,” Salazar said about the big punt and interception. “I’m just happy to be with my teammates and just ball out with them. I’m proud of them.”
Gonzalez also threw a touchdown pass to Marquis Williams, and ran for another score.
The two touchdown passes and subsequent two-point conversions gave Sacred Heart a 16-0 lead.
Two touchdown runs by Crosby’s Michael Scott and a two-point conversion pass from Tanner Leo cut the margin to 16-14 with 7:56 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Gonzalez’s naked bootleg put Sacred heart ahead, 22-14, with 5:35 left in the fourth quarter, but Crosby wouldn’t go away that easily.
Another Scott touchdown run, this time from 14 yards out, brought the score to 22-20 with 4:08 to go.
The teams then traded fumbles, with Sacred Heart recovering a Crosby fumble with 2:58 to play.
A first down run by Takai Coleman with 1:20 to go allowed the co-op to run out the clock.
“I think the linemen helped a lot with us,” Salazar said. “The passes, everything, the whole team did a great job together to come in as a team and play as a family and have fun.”

By KEVIN ROBERTS
In Winsted, Gilbert-Northwestern pulled out a 22-21 Pequot Conference football win over Old Saybrook-Westbrook on Saturday at Van Why Field.
G-N improved to 2-2 while OSW fell to 1-4.
G-N had to survive a field goal attempt by OSW in the waning moments.
OSW drove the ball from its own 40 to the G-N 15-yard line, then lined up for a 32-yard field goal. The kick missed wide left, and G-N was able to come away with the win.
Hunter Sanden ran six times for 95 yards and a touchdown for the Yellowjackets. Marco Folino and Anthony Carfiro scored on touchdown runs, and Josh Hamel connected on a 35-yard field goal.
Carfiro was 7-of-14 passing for 107 yards, and Chase Sanden had four catches for 62 yards. Cam Mulligan led the defense with 13 tackles, and Clay Maloney recorded an interception.
Edward Fernandes Jr. got OSW on the board first with a 12-yard touchdown run, and Cooper Pavlovich added the extra point for a 7-0 lead in the second quarter.
G-N got on the board in the second quarter with Hamel’s 35-yard field goal, then claimed a 10-7 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Carfiro and extra point from Hamel.
Pavlovich’s 1-yard touchdown run and extra point put OSW up, 14-10, in the third quarter.
Hunter Sanden’s 62-yard touchdown run put G-N back in front, 16-14, in the third quarter.
OSW went ahead, 21-16, in the third quarter on Jack McDowell’s 5-yard touchdown run and a Pavlovich kick.
In the fourth quarter, Folino scored from 7 yards out to put G-N ahead 22-21.

MANCHESTER — Local cross country runners took on some of the state’s best at the Wickham Invitational on Saturday at Wickham Park.
Wolcott junior Kathryn Rodrigues won the girls championship race with a time of 18:51. Rodrigues finished nearly a minute ahead of Immaculate junior Ailene Doherty, who took second in 19:49.
Wolcott junior Nicholas Bendtsen finished second in the boys championship race with a time of 16:05. The winner was Xavier senior Robert Cozean, who crossed the finish line in 15:35.
In the boys seeded race, Cheshire senior Brendan Mellitt took third place with a time of 16:29. Avon sophomore Jack Martin was first (16:11) while Nashua North (N.H.) senior Joseph Curran placed second (16:25).
The Rams placed fifth.

FOOTBALL
Naugatuck Valley League
Wolcott 28, Seymour 27
Sacred Heart-Kaynor 22, Crosby 20
Wilby 32, Derby 19
Others
Gilbert-NW 22, OSW 21
Brunswick 49, Taft 28
Amistad at Nonnewaug, ppd. to Monday
GIRLS SOCCER
St. Paul 1, Woodstock Academy 1
Newtown 3, Naugatuck 1
BOYS SOCCER
Chase 7, Forman 1
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Forman 3, Chase 2
FIELD HOCKEY
Masuk 1, Watertown 0

By KEVIN ROBERTS

A pair of NVL boys soccer titans will meet on the turf of Ray Snyder Sr. Field Monday evening.

Holy Cross (8-0-2) hosts Naugatuck (8-1-1) in a 6 p.m. game that should be highly entertaining. The Crusaders have outscored opponents 34-3 this season. Holy Cross played to a scoreless tie at Immaculate on Sept. 14 in the season opener, then tied at Seymour, 1-1, on Sept. 20. Jack Villano, Gennaro Genua and Brian Silva are the leading goal scorers for the Crusaders.

The Greyhounds have faced a difficult non-league schedule with games at Newtown and Joel Barlow. Naugatuck lost 4-3 to Newtown on Sept. 14, which was the second game of the season for the Greyhounds. Naugatuck tied Joel Barlow, 1-1, on Sept. 28 in Redding. The Greyhounds have outscored their opponents 36-9 this season. Chris Akinduro, Samuel Daniel and Mateus Filho led a balanced scoring attack for Naugatuck.

Holy Cross is second behind Litchfield (7-0) in the Class S state tournament standings. Naugatuck ranks fifth in the always difficult Class LL. Both the Crusaders (Brass) and Greyhounds (Iron) sit atop their respective NVL divisions.

OXFORD – Naugatuck football junior Denzel Amoako had never played football before this season. In just the fourth game the Greyhounds have played thus far, a 43-6 win at Oxford on Friday night, Amoako made his first start.

By KEVIN ROBERTS

“At first I was really nervous,” said Amoako, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 186 pounds. “The whole day I was thinking about it, because it was my first game. But after the first play, I was good. After that, it was the most fun game I’ve ever had.”

Amoako, who played soccer in the past, is another in a line of Greyhound players who have been part of the “next man up” attitude that the program possesses.

“We really try to promote this, and every week we have somebody who goes down, and somebody’s got to step up,” coach Dave Sollazzo said. “Next man up, and that whole routine. Our guys have done a great job with that, next man up. [Amoako] had never played football in his life, and this kid started tonight at defensive end and did a great job for us because we had a defensive end down.”

When asked why he decided to play football, Amoako said simply: “Because I wanted to.”

“Next man up” is a team-wide concept. Senior running back Paul Marsh was out with an injury against Oxford, but seniors Malachi Gatison and Jeff Schebell did just fine picking up the slack. Gatison rumbled for 173 yards on just 11 carries and scored two touchdowns, and Schebell also ran for two touchdowns.

“I believe that we’re able to trust each other to play any position and we can rely on each other, especially the younger guys,” Gatison said. “They’ve really stepped up this year.”

Schebell pointed to the smashmouth mentality that Naugatuck applies on offense. The Greyhounds want to control the line of scrimmage and get as many yards as they can, Schebell said.

“I think we have a lot of diversity and we have a lot of weapons,” Schebell said. “We have people that can put their shoulder down and run through people, and we have people that can get out on the outside and take it to the edge.”

“The fact that we have several good running backs; Malachi, Schebell, and we got a couple other guys also,” Sollazzo said. “Obviously that helps us out and gives us a chance to be very versatile.”

That versatility extends to the pass game, where guys like Gatison and Schebell can also catch passes. Junior fullback Aaron Smith and senior fullback Dante Miranda are both strong blockers that help open holes for the ground game. Sollazzo said the offensive line has been doing a great job, and they worked hard in the weight room in the offseason. Gatison also lauded the leadership of senior quarterback John Mezzo.

“He’s really stepped up this year,” Gatison said. “Last year, he was a great leader as well. He was a little bit laid back, though, but I think this year he really stepped it up in becoming that leader we need at quarterback.”

“Our run sets up the pass, and Mezzo’s been throwing the ball really well,” Sollazzo said.

Mezzo has a big target in 6-foot-3 senior receiver Isaiah Williams that he can get the ball to. Mezzo hit Williams downfield for a big gain in the first quarter that set up Schebell’s first touchdown run. Mezzo and Williams later connected on a four-yard touchdown pass with 10.1 seconds remaining in the first half. The third of five Joe Pinho extra points without a miss put the Greyhounds ahead 21-0 at halftime. Even when an extra point went awry, Mezzo hit Williams for a two-point conversion.

Naugatuck has a bye week for the second time in three weeks. This is the regularly scheduled bye week. The first bye week happened because the Watertown game was postponed due to EEE concerns. The Greyhounds return to the field on Oct. 25 at home against Kennedy at 7 p.m.

FOOTBALL
Amistad at Nonnewaug, 4
BOYS SOCCER
Naugatuck Valley League
Seymour at Torrington, 6
Naugatuck at Holy Cross, 6
GIRLS SOCCER
Naugatuck Valley League
Watertown at Derby, 10 a.m.
Wolcott at Seymour, 6
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Gilbert at Jonathan Law, 4
Northwestern at Holy Cross, 5:15
Pomperaug at Joel Barlow, 5:30
FIELD HOCKEY
Lyman Hall at Cheshire, 3:45
Thomaston at Immaculate, 4

Ahmed Aljamal and Mateus Filho scored second-half goals as the Naugatuck boys soccer team rallied past Holy Cross, 2-1, to hand the Crusaders their first defeat of the season Monday in Naugatuck Valley League action at Municipal Stadium.
David Green made four saves for the Greyhounds (9-1-1), who remained unbeaten in the league at 9-0.
Brian Silva scored for the Crusaders (8-1-2), assisted by Kadin Talho.
Aidan Nixon made 11 saves.
Torrington 1, Seymour 1: Janos Herczeg scored for the Raiders (5-4-1). Kevin Hidrovo made six saves.
Josh Lanzieri had a goal for the Wildcats (4-3-2), and Nick Caruso made seven saves.
GIRLS SOCCER
Watertown 9, Derby 0: Sophia Guerrera, Kailin Farrell, Dani Perugini, Kristina Kyle, Morgan Dodge, Maddie Daigneault, Torri DiStefano, Briana Sadiku and Lily Vilar scored for the Indians (8-1-2).
Dodge had three assists.
Wolcott 4, Seymour 1: Jenna Tracey scored three goals for the Eagles (7-2-1). Alexis Charette made six saves.
FIELD HOCKEY
Cheshire 7, Lyman Hall 0: Lauren Houle scored two goals for the Rams.
Raegan Bailey and Taylor Warburton added a goal and an assist each.
Ava Pulisciano earned her fifth shutout of the season.

BOYS SOCCER
Naugatuck Valley League
Oxford at Woodland, 3:30
Wilby at Ansonia, 3:30
Kennedy at Sacred Heart, 3:45
St. Paul at Derby, 3:45
Berkshire League
Gilbert at Thomaston, 3:45
Terryville at Housatonic, 3:45
Northwestern at Nonnewaug, 3:45
Litchfield at Shepaug, 3:45
Others
Wolcott Tech at Abbott Tech, 3:30
Platt Tech at Kaynor Tech, 3:45
Lewis Mills at Bulkeley, 4
Jonathan Law at Cheshire, 6
Masuk at Pomperaug, 7
GIRLS SOCCER
Naugatuck Valley League
Derby at St. Paul, 6
Holy Cross at Naugatuck, 6
Berkshire League
Housatonic at Terryville, 3:45
Thomaston at Gilbert, 3:45
Nonnewaug at Northwestern, 3:45
Shepaug at Litchfield, 3:45
Others
Newington at Lewis Mills, 3:45
Cheshire at West Haven, 5
Pomperaug at Masuk, 7
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Naugatuck Valley League
Wolcott at Woodland, 6
Watertown at Seymour, 6
Crosby at WCA, 5
Torrington at Ansonia, 5:30
St. Paul at Wilby, 6
Kennedy at Naugatuck, 6
Oxford at Sacred Heart, 6
Berkshire League
Housatonic at Northwestern, 5:30
Gilbert at Nonnewaug, 6
Others
Hartford Public at Lewis Mills,5
Cheshire at West Haven, 5:30
Terryville at Canton, 5:30
Wolcott Tech at Cheney Tech, 6:30
GIRLS SWIMMING
Woodland at Suffield, 4
Pomperaug at Newtown, 4
FIELD HOCKEY
Berkshire League
Shepaug at Litchfield, 3:45
Nonnewaug at Northwestern, 3:45
Others
Lewis Mills at Newington, 3:30
Sheehan at Cheshire, 3:45
Watertown at New Fairfield, 5:30
Pomperaug at Brookfield, 5:30

FOOTBALL
Amistad 28, Nonnewaug 24
BOYS SOCCER
Naugatuck Valley League
Seymour 1, Torrington 1
Naugatuck 2, Holy Cross 1
GIRLS SOCCER
Naugatuck Valley League
Watertown 9, Derby 0
Wolcott 4, Seymour 1
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Jonathan Law 3, Gilbert 0
Joel Barlow 3, Pomperaug 1
FIELD HOCKEY
Cheshire 7, Lyman Hall 0
Immaculate 9, Thomaston 1

TORRINGTON 1, SEYMOUR 1
Goals: T—Janos Herczeg 1. S—Josh Lanzieri 1. Saves: T— Kevin Hidrovo 6. S—Nick Caruso 7. Records: T 5-4-1, S 4-3-2.

NAUGATUCK 2, HOLY CROSS 1
Goals: N— Ahmed Aljamal 1, Mateus Filho 1. HC—Brian Silva 1. HC—Kadin Talho 1. Saves: N—David Green 4. HC—Aidan Nixon 11. Records: N 9-1-1, HC 8-1-2.

WATERTOWN 9, DERBY 0
Goals: W—Sophia Guerrera 1, Kailin Farrell 1, Dani Perugini 1, Kristina Kyle 1, Morgan Dodge 1, Maddie Daigneault 1, Torri DiStefano 1, Briana Sadiku 1, Lily Vilar 1. Assists: W—Morgan Dodge 3, Maddie Daigneault 1, Emma Kite 1, Torri DiStefano 1, Madison Mancini 1, Gianna Perugini 1, Dani Perugini 1. Saves: W—Makayla Beauty, Alivia Brophy, Sophia Simoes combined for 0. D—Nicole Pracon 15. Records: W 8-1-2, D 0-8-1.

WOLCOTT 4, SEYMOUR 1
Goals: W—Jenna Tracey 3, Ella Vaughn 1. S—Katie Bruno 1. S—Suzana Imetovski 1. Saves:W—Alexis Charette 6. S—Hollie Bomba 9. Records: W 7-2-1, S 4-5.