Each week GOOD Morning Wilton will run news of recent results and scores submitted by Wilton Youth sports teams. Please send all stories and updates, along with a photo to editor@goodmorningwilton.com by noon on Monday of each week. Stories received after the deadline may not be included. Results write-ups will be grouped by sport and published in the order they are received.
Wilton Youth Football
Wilton 3rd/4th Grade Blue Loses Championship to Norwalk, 52-54, in Epic Triple-OT Thriller
In a game these kids will remember for a long time, the 3rd/4th Grade Blue Wilton Warriors battled back time and again to match Norwalk score for score, but ultimately came up just short.
Norwalk got on the board first, with a long touchdown run. Wilton got the ball and answered back on its next drive. The offensive line of Evan Ash, Bly Christianson, Matthew Polito, Drew Huntley, Amelia Christianson, Oliver Mills, Lawson Onthank, Alex Trichilo, Topher Jackson, and Peter Wolff were terrific all game, blocking a tough Norwalk line and creating running room for all of the Wilton backs. Brayden Preisano, Andrew Sherman and Sawyer Fasano moved the ball down the field. Then, Finn Snyder took the ball up the middle for 40-yards and the first Warrior touchdown of the game, to tie it up at 6-6.
Three plays later, Norwalk answered back. The Warriors got the ball and answered with a different style of drive–methodically moving the ball 60-yards on 14 plays. Great offensive line play again and great backfield blocking from Henry Leary allowed Fasano, Sherman, Snyder and Max Weigold to march the Warriors downfield. Snyder took it in from short yardage this time for the second touchdown of the day, back to square 12-12 at the half
After halftime, Norwalk got on the board again on its second play from scrimmage. Once again, Wilton took a different approach marching 60-yards on 15 plays. This time, Fasano ran it in for the touchdown, knotting the score again at 18-18. Norwalk responded quickly, needing just two plays to find the end zone, but this time they converted the elusive two-point try. Wilton showed it could flash the big play as well, with Fasano running it in from long distance on just the 4th play of the Warrior drive. But, after missing the extra point, the Warriors now trailed 24-26.
Norwalk scored again on a big play, but a critical tackle on the extra point try by Snyder kept the Warriors in the game, down 24-32 with four minutes to play. Under intense pressure, the Wilton offense took the field and came up big. The offensive line was awesome, creating running room for Sherman and Fasano, who drove the ball down the field. With under a minute left on the clock, the Warriors executed a perfect play with Sherman drawing the defense to the right, then handing the ball to Snyder who rolled left and threw to a wide-open Fasano for the touchdown. On the critical extra point try, Fasano ran it in, tying the score 32-32 at the end of regulation.
Despite all the scoring, the Wilton defense came up big when it mattered most, stopping Norwalk on short yardage extra point tries and on drives before the half and the end of regulation that could have changed the outcome. Liam Brokaw, Aiden Cocca, Vincent Kelly, George DuBrock, Will Kidd, Bly Christianson, Preisano, Liam O’Sullivan, Gemelli, Colton Korpan, Taylor Lishnoff, Cash Kaiser and Jason Scanlan had great tackles and played with intensity on defense.
In the first overtime, Wilton took the ball first and scored on a Fasano touchdown, but the extra point try was no good. Norwalk answered with a touchdown and Gemelli came up big with the tackle on the extra point try, sending the game to a second OT, 38-38.
In the second overtime, Wilton’s defense led by Gemelli, Korpan and Fasano, pushed Norwalk back and had it on its heels at 4th-and-15. But, Norwalk mustered one more big play and got into the end zone and converted the extra point. Wilton answered back with a Fasano touchdown and extra point, tying the game at 46-46.
In the third and final overtime, Norwalk scored first and converted the extra point. Wilton answered back with another Fasano touchdown, but came up just short on the extra point try, ending the game with a heartbreaking 52-54 loss.
This was an amazing first season for the 3rd and 4th grade Warriors, who finished with a 9-1 record overall. They left everything on the field in the Championship game and came up just short, but represented Wilton incredibly well on the biggest stage. We are extremely proud of these kids for all of the hard work they put into this amazing season.
Wilton 7th Grade Blue Earns Spot in FCFL Championship, with 14-0 Win Over New Canaan Black
On Saturday night, the Wilton 7th grade Warriors earned a spot in the FCFL Championship game for the fourth time in their five years of playing tackle football. The Warriors faced a tough New Canaan Black team and used smothering defense to propel themselves into the next round.
The Warrior defense allowed only one first down the entire game and created two turnovers. Cole Siegel, Maja Driscoll, Ray Ferranti and Liam Snyder put consistent pressure on the Rams quarterback. Will Cristini, Ethan Bailey, Charlie Keller and Emmett Kane played great defense in the secondary, disrupting passes and shutting down the passing game. Jack Schwartz, Cael Dexter and Ryan Luchetta added critical tackles, with Schwartz and Kane both coming up with interceptions late in the game to seal the win.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Warriors line of Driscoll, Siegel, Cole Galante, Jack Huntley, Liam McKiernan, Henry Soojian, Jaxon Thomas and CJ Young created nice running lanes for the Wilton backs. Dexter, Schwartz, Ferranti, Snyder, Kane and Keller took advantage, moving the ball downfield. The passing game also helped open up the run, with completions from Snyder to Dexter and Ferranti.
The Warriors put the first points on the board in the second quarter with a long drive capped off by a Dexter touchdown run, putting the Warriors up 6-0 at the half. In the second half, the Rams played tough defense, but the Warrior offense capitalized on great field position following the Schwartz interception. Two plays later, Dexter and Schwartz teamed up for the second touchdown of the game. Dexter extended the lead to 14-0 with the successful two-point conversion. On the Rams’ next play, Kane came up with the interception that ended the game.
The Warriors will face Fairfield in the Championship Game next weekend.
6th Grade Warriors Beat Stamford, 7-0, to Secure 4th Finals Trip in Four Years
With the temperature at the freezing mark at the first snap on Saturday night, the Wilton 6th grade football team beat a big and physical Stamford team 7-0 to secure its fourth trip to the finals in four years. On Stamford’s first offensive play, Wilton defensive lineman Marco Chila caused a fumble and recovered, setting the tone for what would be a turnover-heavy defensive battle all night long.
During the first half, Wilton defenders Evan Christianson, Alan Osta, and Emma Van Heyst each recovered Stamford fumbles. After three straight disappointing Wilton drives, a first down run by Kieran Wiseman led to quarterback Charlie Calabrese launching a touchdown pass to Charlie Roy in the waning minutes of the first half, followed by a Mason Behar extra point. The offense was supported by the foundation of linemen Max Totten, Hunter Lishnoff, Trevor Galligan, Josh Meltzer, and Curtis Jackson, and blocking from receivers Trevien Goldman, Theo Satrazemis, and Brendan Morris.
In a second half peppered with penalties, the Wilton offense did not manage to score but earned hard fought yards and took big chunks of time off the clock. All game, defensive linemen Cayden Stevens, Connor McAndrews, Chila, and Blake Ongley kept Stamford linemen from opening up big holes for their quick running backs. Backers Cooper Buchichio, Craig O’Neil, Jake Padilla, and Will Byrnes made key tackles on the Stamford running game and kept them to short gains. With three minutes to go in the game and Stamford facing a fourth and long near the Wilton 45-yard line, a critical defensive stand gave the ball back to Wilton. Patch Angerame came into the game and ran the final play to send Wilton to its fourth championship game in four years.
