TORRINGTON — Edit Krivca and his Woodland High teammates had a special gift for the Hawks’ offensive line Saturday morning before practice — an assortment of doughnuts from Dunkin’ Donuts in Seymour.
“We have a tradition at Woodland,” said Krivca. “When the offensive line blocks like they did tonight (Friday), they deserve a special treat.”
Krivca was the beneficiary of the Hawks’ line stellar play. He rushed for 278 yards on 21 carries and four touchdowns on runs of 29, 1, 65 and 84 yards to lead Woodland to a 35-0 win over Torrington at the Robert Frost Athletic Complex on Friday night in the Naugatuck Valley League season opener.
“This was a great morale boost to win the first game on the road,” Krivca said. “Everyone played well. It was a great way to start the season.”
Throughout the game, Krivca was bothered by leg cramps due to the humid conditions, but that didn’t deter him.
“Despite the leg cramps, Edit found a way to keep pounding,” said Woodland right tackle Josh Hassan. “He stayed tough and he showed that tonight.”
Hassan said he and his line mates — left tackle Peter Rosato, left guard Alek Tolboe, center Ryan Knobel, right guard Joe Shea and tight end Jason Hicks — were all on the same page.
“We’re all working hard for (Krivca),” Hassan said. “We’re all trying to execute our blocks well to open the holes.”
Holding a 14-0 lead at halftime, Krivca scored on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. He took an inside handoff and cut up the middle for a 65-yard scoring run.
Defensively, the Hawks held the Red Raiders in check throughout the game. A key play occurred when Hassan intercepted a deflected pass at the Red Raiders’ 20 in the third quarter. On the next play, Woodland quarterback Tyler Bulinski threw a 20-yard TD pass to Justin Marks to up the lead to 27-0.
“We were as intense as I’ve ever seen the team play,” Woodland linebacker Carter Amore said.
