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09/18/2016 12:00 AMFootball
The Morgan football team is now 2-0 after defeating Pequot Conference Sassascus South Division opponent Haddam-Killingworth 33-27 on the road on Sept. 16. Morgan stopped H-K on 4th-and-goal from the 3-yard line with under a minute to play to seal the win. Madden Ward was 11-of-14 passing with 148 yards for the Huskies.
The game went back and forth throughout with Morgan leading 20-14 at the half. The Huskies needed a final defensive stand to stop H-K on the Cougars’ last drive, which started at the Morgan 25 with just under three minutes remaining.
Also scoring touchdowns for the Huskies were Isaac Eriksen on a 2-yard run, Harry White with a 28-yard reception, Sam Hauser on rushes of two and 31 yards, plus Zak Johnson with a 5-yard catch. Hauser’s 31-yarder put Morgan ahead for good at 27-21 in the third quarter.
Morgan next battles another division rival in Valley Regional-Old Lyme (2-0, 1-0) on Friday, Sept. 23 at the Peters Complex with kickoff slated for 6:30 p.m. Morgan defeated the Warriors 40-0 last year.
Volleyball
Morgan took a 3-1 loss to Haddam-Killingworth on Sept. 12, but then grabbed its first win with new Head Coach Paige Trusty by a 3-1 final over Old Lyme two days later. The Huskies then improved to 2-2 thanks to a 3-0 victory over North Branford on Sept. 16.
Boys’ Soccer
The Huskies tied Old Lyme 1-1 on Sept. 12 and then defeated North Branford 3-0 three days later to move to 2-0-1 for the year.
Against Old Lyme, Jhan Carlos Bermeo scored in the 40th minute with an assist from Calvin Jackson. Anes Gadun had three saves with Morgan outshooting Old Lyme 9-5 in a rematch of last season’s Shoreline Conference final.
“We came in with a chip on our shoulder. Old Lyme had stolen the Shoreline Tournament from us last year and, with the majority of our team back, it wasn’t something that they took lightly,” said Head Coach Ross Demay. “We were clearly missing [captain Juan Avila] out there, but I am pleased with how they stepped up after their last game. If we continue and learn not to rely on one person, we will continue to grow in the right direction.”
In the North Branford shutout, Tyler Newfield, Zach Tuccitto, and James Saturno scored for the Huskies, plus Ford Pender assisted on two scores and Pat Markovics also had an assist. Gadun made four saves with the Huskies outshooting North Branford 23-12. Morgan opened up their scoring off a header from co-captain Newfield in the 12th minute that was quickly followed by a slot from Tuccitto in the 18th. Both goals came off the foot of Pender. The final goal of the match came from Saturno, who struck the ball home in the 40th minute just before the halftime whistle blew.
“I could tell from the start we were not ready to play. Our game speed was way too slow and we played down to our opponent’s level. That cannot happen with our goals for the season,” said Demay. “It seemed as though we are missing something and it is more than just Juan these past couple weeks. I changed things up in practice, trying to see if they would grow more having to be more self-motivated. We will see in the coming weeks if going back to the way we did things last year helps more.”
“It seems as though it will as our practice after the North Branford game was much better than the game itself,” Demay continued. “We need to look forward and grow. Hopefully, this is an eye opener as we move forward. We cannot take any team lightly. Even though we got the win and a shutout, this team is capable of much more and, hopefully, we can prove that in the coming weeks. One major positive of the game, however, is getting the entire bench in and seeing how they can hold their own when I need them to. The bench really stepped up, especially Alex Kadlof, Nick Muratori, Carter Skidmore, and Zach Tuccitto.”
Girls’ Soccer
The Huskies took a 5-2 defeat to Old Lyme on Sept. 12. Morgan then bounced back on Sept. 15 with a 2-0 shutout of North Branford to move to 2-1.
Field Hockey
Morgan took a 4-0 loss to North Branford on Sept. 15 after taking a 5-1 defeat to Valley Regional two days earlier.