Printer Friendly Version - Valley-Old Lyme Football Reloads in Quest for More Success

Seniors Sean Hunt (left) and Will Visgilio are two of the key returning athletes for the Valley Regional-Old Lyme football squad, which is looking to follow up last year’s historic season with another quality campaign.

Reaching the top of the Connecticut football mountain hasn’t changed things for the Valley Regional-Old Lyme football team. The coaches’ office looks the same as always, while the Warriors’ gritty mentality remains. In fact, the only visible reminder of Valley’s first title is Head Coach Tim King’s 2014 Class S Large Division champions T-shirt. Clearly, the celebration and fanfare are finished and the Warriors are back to work.

Valley opens 2015 at Hyde-Career-Whitney Tech on Saturday, Sept. 12, marking the first time the Warriors will take the field as defending state champs following last fall’s landmark campaign that saw them go 13-0 and pull off a stunning comeback to upend Ansonia 21-20 for the state crown. However, the triumphs from 2014 haven’t inflated any egos in Deep River—they’ve just fueled the fire for King and company to try and do it again.

“[The offseason] has been pretty exciting. A lot of congratulations, cards, emails, and texts. A lot of people are very happy for the program and the coaches,” said King. “On graduation day, when those [seniors] walked out of here, reality set back in and it was time to get started. Over the summer, the weight room, passing leagues, and linemen challenges and all that—that was our focus.”

One big challenge for the Warriors this year will be navigating a beefed-up regular season schedule. By virtue of its success last season, Valley’s docket is packed with some stiff out-of-division competition. In addition to their games against fellow Pequot Conference South Division squads, the Warriors have matchups with Ellington, Canton, Granby, and Enfield.

“We’ve got a target on our back week in and week out,” King said. “There is always someone who wants to knock the champ off the pedestal.”

There’s no denying that Valley-Old Lyme lost a ton of talent on graduation day. All-State standouts and team co-MVPs Chris Jean-Pierre (on the squad at UConn) and Justin Cheverier (the state’s all-time leading tackler) are gone. Offensive weapons Evan Smith and Andrew Tuscano have moved on, as have defensive staples Tyler Cheverier, Dan Figuenick, Tajhay Marshall, and Justin Burgess—leaving a lot of holes for King to plug before this week’s opener.

Much will be asked of the Warriors’ four captains—seniors Jared Roche (kicker/wide receiver/linebacker), Jack Giaconia (two-way lineman), and Will Visgilio (two-way lineman), plus junior Mitch Conrad (two-way lineman/linebacker)—to help get the newcomers on the same page and headed in the right direction.

“[The captains] are linemen and they bring that good work ethic every single day,” said King. “Jared is our speaker of the house—very verbal. Mitch is only a junior so he and Jack are pretty much show by example. Jack shows by large example. He is a big part of the program.”

Valley’s greatest strength this year rests in its experience in the trenches. While green at quarterback, linebacker, and a few other skill positions, the Warriors expect to dominate the line of scrimmage to give them a chance in every game.

“Our front is pretty much back from last year. We have to fill in all the other pieces,” Coach King said. “In almost any league, if you have an offensive line and a defensive line coming back, that’s going to help you immensely.”

The Warriors’ line will be given the job of protecting starting quarterback Matt Sapere, who takes over for Jean-Pierre. King compared Sapere to 2013 starter Phil Cohen, but added that the junior possesses some of the same athletic abilities Jean-Pierre brought to the Valley attack last year. However, Sapere is currently limited with a leg injury and may miss the season opener.

The experience of the Warriors’ offensive line should also open running lanes for tailbacks Sean Hunt (senior), Dan Stetcher (junior), and Jacob Kruszewski (sophomore). For now, Stetcher is penciled in as the primary back with Hunt also slowed by injuries, yet according to King, the ground game will be guided by all three throughout the year.

Roche, the Warriors’ All-State kicker, will also see time at outside linebacker and receiver with hopes of anchoring units that need time to develop.

“Linebacker and the secondary are areas we are very young at, but I don’t call them weaknesses,” Coach King said. “The receivers are coming along. They’re young, too. That’s the big thing is when will these kids start to jell with everyone else.”

King concluded by discussing the expectations for his Warriors in 2015 once everyone gets up to speed.

“You always start out wanting to have a winning record. Then you want to win the division. Then you want to make the playoffs. You want to win in game to get past the semis into the finals. Then you want to win it. There is a ladder you have to climb. You can’t say you want to play in the state championship or [the season] is a bust,” he said. “We set our goals high, but realistically, we take it one step at a time, one game at a time, and, right now, our biggest thing is to go out and play Hyde.”