Ground game

0
71

Woodland, Seymour meet in annual rivalry game

Woodland’s Sean McAllen will lead the charge for the Hawks on the ground versus Seymour. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI
Woodland’s Sean McAllen will lead the charge for the Hawks on the ground versus Seymour. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI

Editor’s note: This article appears in the special Thanksgiving football section published the week of Nov. 28, 2014. It has been updated to include statistics through games played the week of Nov. 21.

Fans of old school, hard-nosed football are in for an early feast.

Two of the Naugatuck Valley League’s more prolific ground attacks will be on display when Woodland and Seymour meet up on the hill in Beacon Falls.

The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday but was moved to Tuesday at 4 p.m. due to the forecast of a winter storm.

The Hawks (3-7) have left the spread offense behind in favor of returning to the wing-T. The change has resulted in a ground game that averages 239 yards per game.

Junior Sean McAllen leads the charge for the Hawks. McAllen has piled up 1,276 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, including a 207-yard, three-touchdown effort in a near upset of Ansonia on Nov. 7.

Junior Dave Bobbie is more than capable of handling the load when McAllen needs a breather. Bobbie has churned up 431 yards with three touchdowns on the ground.

Senior Mike Kenney, who transitioned from the Hawks’ leading receiver last year to quarterback this season, is dangerous with his legs as well with 374 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.

There’s no secret as to who is the catalyst for Seymour’s power-running offense.

The Wildcats (7-3) average 244 yards on the ground and the vast majority of those yards came on the back of senior Joey Salemme.

Salemme has run for 1,642 yards and 18 touchdowns this season and will have an outside chance to break Edwin Esson’s school career rushing record versus Woodland.

Sophomore quarterback Jaylen Kelley is the Wildcats’ second leading rusher with 209 yards and five touchdowns on the year.

“Salemme and Kelley are a great combination in the backfield and I believe that Kelley has gotten better each game he has played,” Woodland head coach Tim Phipps said. “He does not make mental mistakes and is a very strong competitor. Salemme is one of the most consistent players in the league. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards again and is a game-changer on both sides of the ball.”

Neither team goes to the air too often.

Kelley has attempted 130 passes and thrown for 1,189 yards passing and 19 touchdowns. His favorite targets are senior Jack Osiecki (seven touchdowns) and junior Jake Bleau (26 catches, 412 yards).

Kenney has for 558 yards on 96 attempts and five touchdowns through the air. Senior receiver Pat Hale leads the Hawks with 133 yards and two touchdowns.

The Woodland defense will look to put the squeeze on Seymour’s Joey Salemme and the Wildcats’ ground game. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI
The Woodland defense will look to put the squeeze on Seymour’s Joey Salemme and the Wildcats’ ground game. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI

On the defensive side of the ball, the Hawks, led by junior safety Coby Vaccarelli, have held their opponents to an average of 21.5 points. The Hawks held NVL Brass Division champion Holy Cross to 73 yards on 31 plays Nov. 14, but had their wings clipped on four other big plays.

The Wildcats allow 17.5 points per game after holding Watertown to 7 points Nov. 20.

The overall series stands knotted at 6-6, but the Hawks have won the past five games, including last year’s 22-19 come-from-behind victory. Phipps knows to continue the winning streak the Hawks will have to play flawless football.

“The key to the game plan in all phases is to be perfect. You cannot miss an assignment, you cannot make a mistake — mental or physical — you cannot let up one bit because Seymour will play the same exact way,” Phipps said. “Seymour has a great defense and tons of weapons on offense. You have to play a perfect game if you want to compete with them.”

Phipps is more than familiar with the rivalry, having served as an assistant at Woodland for the past 12 years. Wednesday will mark the first time he will lead the team on the field versus Seymour as head coach.

“This year’s Seymour game is different in some ways, but in many ways it is the same,” Phipps said. “The most obvious way it is different is that now I am on the field leading the team into the contest. It is the same, though, in that both sides look forward to this game all year and both sides give their best possible effort to gain a victory.”

More often than not in the short but meaningful history of this matchup there have been playoff implications when the two rivals met. That won’t be the case this year, but that doesn’t mean the energy will be missing from the rivalry.

“I am excited about it because I have always loved Thanksgiving football and I believe our two teams have built up a great tradition of competition. … I am excited about this as well because I believe that the style of football that both teams play is very exciting and consistent with the traditions set by past teams.”

Phipps added the annual game is an opportunity for the Hawks to leave their mark on history.

“This game, it means a lot to us and our two communities because it is our chance to make our mark on the history of the football game,” Phipps said.