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01/21/2018 11:00 PMAnother year equals another solid season for the Valley Regional-Old Lyme football team. Head Coach Tim King’s squad finished with a record of 9-1 during the regular season to earn a spot in the Class S State Playoffs, marking the Warriors’ sixth postseason bid in the last eight years. Along the way, Valley also posted a mark of 7-1 to finish in first place in the Pequot League’s Sassacus Division. In the end, the Warriors took a 34-21 loss to Rocky Hill in the Class S quarterfinals to finish the campaign with an overall record of 9-2.
Coach King felt pleased with the way his team’s season unfolded, especially considering all the talent that graduated from the Warriors’ 2016 squad that made it to the Class M semis.
“I was pretty happy with the season. Prior to it, we lost some good ballplayers. We knew we had to replace some pretty important parts,” Coach King said. “You always wish you could have gone one more, and one more, and one more, but this year, it wasn’t meant to be.”
Even though the 2017 edition of the Warriors had some big cleats to fill, the team still finished with the same regular-season record as the previous year. When Valley lost to Old Saybrook-Westbrook on Oct. 6, the Warriors had their backs against the wall for the rest of the year. Knowing another loss would cost the team a playoff spot, Valley-Old Lyme won its last six regular-season games to clinch its playoff position. Coach King said the loss to the Rams motivated his athletes to have a great second half of the year.
“Old Saybrook-Westbrook definitely lit a fire under us. We knew if we lost, we wouldn’t make it. Every game was so important,” King said. “Every team that came in after that Saybrook game knew we were a playoff team last year and that we were a quality team. You go into every single game with a target on your back. From that point on, everyone came with their A-game.”
The Warriors’ biggest challenge came against a Cromwell-Portland team that was undefeated when the two squads clashed on Oct. 27. It was a knock-down, drag-out contest that needed overtime to decide the victor. In the OT period, senior quarterback Mike Cullina threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to junior Jason O’Brien to give Valley the 34-28 win. A few weeks later, Valley-Old Lyme qualified for the State Playoffs by defeating Haddam-Killingworth 22-7 in the annual battle for the Principal’s Cup.
“The Cromwell game was a very tough game. That’s a game I’ll never forget,” said Coach King. “Even [the H-K game], you take no one lightly no matter what. On paper, it may look one way, but on any given day, anything can happen. I always say it: You have to throw out the record. It will be an absolute dogfight.”
Coach King credited his coaching staff for doing a great job of preparing the Warriors’ athletes. Valley’s coaches traveled the state to scout opposing teams, and all that preparation paid off, according to King.
“I’ve got an incredible staff. That’s a huge part of it. I’ve been blessed. [Offensive coordinator] Kevin Woods doesn’t get enough credit, and [defensive coordinator] Bobby Sanchez and all the coaches don’t get enough credit,” said King. “The work these guys put in with scouting, we drove all over the state...We put in the miles. We put in the time, and that’s important.”
Several players came away from the 2017 season having earned major accolades for the Warriors. Senior Ernest Jean-Pierre had 34 receptions for 683 yards and four touchdowns to go with five interceptions and 48 tackles on defense. He also totaled 817 yards on 27 punts, putting 10 of them inside 20-yard-line. As a result, Jean-Pierre earned the Warriors’ Most Valuable Player Award, New Haven Register All-State Honorable Mention at defensive back, a spot on the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) Class S All-State Team as a defensive back, and the All-Pequot Sassacus Team at wide receiver.
Cullina passed for 2,279 yards and 22 touchdowns to garner All-Pequot honors, New Haven Register All-State Honorable Mention, and the Warriors’ co-Offensive Player of the Year Award with junior Nick Braga, who finished with 585 rushing yards.
The Warriors’ offensive line provided Cullina with plenty of time to operate, led by senior Ian Neviaser, who made All-Division, the CHSCA All-State Class S Team, the Register’s All-State Third Team, and shared the Warriors’ Lineman of the Year Award with fellow senior John Balocca. Fellow lineman Cole Hamparian was named All-Division on defense, and he also received the Warrior Award with fellow senior Cole Ensinger.
Senior Blair Allen went All-Sassacus as a flex player and won Valley-Old Lyme’s Most Improved Player Award. As a defensive back, Jacob Kruszewski was All-Division, received the Teddy Netcoh Award from the Pequot League, and was the Warriors’ co-Defensive Player of the Year with fellow senior Roan Sullivan. Earning Special Teams Player of the Year Awards were junior Garrhett Watrous and sophomore Brian Funk. Additionally, senior Josh Donahue received the Warriors’ Coaches’ Award.
Seniors Colin Stalls and John Visgilio earned the Warriors’ Comeback Player of the Year Awards, and seniors Nicholas Klomp and James Grzybowski were Valley-Old Lyme’s Never Give Up Award winners. Receiving the Rudy Award for Valley-Old Lyme was senior Robert Fusari III. Senior Judson O’Brien earned the Unsung Hero Award, senior Jeremy Rand won the Warrior Tough Award, and fellow seniors Alex Swanski and Cristian Burgio took home the Warriors’ First Year Awards.
With the 2017 season in the books, Coach King feels proud of what his team accomplished and is eager to see what next year brings.
“We’ve got some really good athletes coming back next year. It was an exciting season, and we just came up a couple games short of our ultimate goal. You can’t take away a 9-2 season and being in the playoffs again,” said King. “We were only one of eight teams in the playoffs this year in Class S, and we were one of the last 32 teams standing in the state. It’s pretty neat.”
• The Valley Regional-Old Lyme football team’s 2017 roster included seniors Blair Allen, Jon Balocca, Cristian Burgio, Mike Cullina, Josh Donahue, Cole Ensinger, Robert Fusari III, James Grzybowski, Cole Hamparian, Ernest Jean-Pierre, Nicholas Klomp, Jacob Kruszewski, Ian Neviaser, Judson O’Brien, Colin Stalls, Roan Sullivan, Alex Swanski, and John Visgilio; juniors Jae’len Arnum, Jack Bocian, Nick Braga, Ian Coughlin, Ben Falivene, Nate Johnson, Chris Montazella, Jason O’Brien, Justin Robida, Ryan Santos, and Garrhett Watrous; sophomores Justin Badolato, Jean-Luc Boluc, William Burch, Ben Conrad, Salvatore D’Arena, Daniel Harris, Brian Funk, Jeffy Joshy, and Arick Outma; and freshman John Cox, Kyle Metz, Jeremy Rand, and Anthony Rosario.
• The Warriors’ wins came against Ellington (33-7), Morgan (48-7), Coginchaug/Hale-Ray (41-13), Nonnewaug (48-0), North Branford (23-0), Cromwell-Portland (34-28 in overtime), Rockville (28-6), Lewis Mills (35-3), and Haddam-Killingworth (22-7). With the exception of Rockville and Lewis Mills, these were all Pequot League Sassacus Division games.
• Head Coach Tim King completed his 21st campaign with the Warriors. His coaching staff consisted of Kevin Woods (offensive coordinator), Bobby Sanchez (defensive coordinator), Anthony Pagano (assistant offensive coordinator), Steve Woods (special teams/offensive assistant), Hill Gbunblee (offensive assistant), Jake Bocian (defensive assistant), Brandon Woodcock (assistant coach), and Pete Woodcock (assistant coach).