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09/20/2020 12:00 AMHead Coach Erik Becker and the athletes on the Haddam-Killingworth football team recently heard word that the traditional fall football season was canceled by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC), although the bad news hasn’t dampened the Cougars’ spirits. H-K is still practicing three days a week and staying optimistic that there will be some sort of a modified football season, possibly in the spring, following the CIAC’s recent announcement about how that is now an option.
“I think that the writing was kind of on the wall for a while. We were really up front with our guys that the season didn’t look likely,” said Becker, a first-year head coach. “The blow wasn’t as hard as it could have been. Right from the beginning, the message was, ‘We don’t control our events, but we can control our response.’”
One of the biggest issues for Coach Becker and his team was the back-and-forth that went on between the CIAC and the state’s Department of Health (DPH). After the CIAC football committee and the DPH recommended moving football to the spring, the CIAC Board of Control voted to continue with its plan to play the fall season. The CIAC then changed course and put fall sports on hold, resumed those activities one week later, but then ultimately canceled 11-on-11, full-contact football for the fall after the DPH doubled down on its position of the sport as a higher-risk activity.
The CIAC’s recent decision to potentially allow football to be played during the spring was a reversal of its previous proclamation stating that any sport that’s not played during its usual season won’t be made up at another time of the year.
Coach Becker feels like his athletes have had their season taken away from them on multiple occasions. However, he understands the decision made by the CIAC to call off the fall campaign.
“Obviously, it was tough with the back-and-forth. I think our kids really responded well,” Becker said. “Several of our guys were a part of planning that rally in Hartford. Democracy is not a spectator sport. Our guys did that, and they did it respectfully.”
Like many teams throughout Connecticut, the Cougars were represented by several athletes at a Sept. 9 rally held at the state Capitol building in Hartford to try to save the 2020 football season. Seniors Daniel LaRosa and Brien McNamara and junior Kevin Cavrell were among the athletes who took the podium and spoke at the rally.
H-K features 20 seniors in its program this year, and Coach Becker wishes that they could go out by playing in at least one game. Either way, Becker is planning to hold a Senior Night ceremony for those athletes on Friday, Oct. 16.
The members of H-K’s senior class include captain lineman Thomas Perry, quarterback Alex Riccitelli, LaRosa, and McNamara, along with Gavin Barile, Brandon Bernier, John Bruder, Antonio Calderoni, Anthony Corda, Tristan Hesselberg, Ryan Luther, Sam Luther, Gabe Martone, Jimmy McGoey, Pat Murphy, Brett Nielsen, Jackson Pitts, Matt Thiel, and Ryder Wink, plus team manager Shane Coleman.
“I really feel for our seniors. This is an amazing group. I think they could have been the best team in the league,” said Becker. “Sometimes life throws you curveballs. We have total control of the outcomes of our response, and we’re just going to move forward as a strong, cohesive unit. The question I’ve been asking the guys is, ‘Do we need games to be a team? Do we need games to get better?’ The answer is no. These guys have gotten so much faster and stronger by just practicing.”
Even though his coaching debut at H-K has been pushed back, Becker still appreciates the opportunity that he’s had to be with the team during these times. Becker is optimistic that the Cougars will turn some heads the next time they hit the field, whenever that may be.
“I’m grateful for every day that I have with them. The fact that we’re able to get together and be on a football field in the fall is amazing,” Becker said. “Ultimately, what this is about is giving our seniors the best season possible. I want them to be able to say that we did something special senior year. Even though we don’t have any scores to show that, we will make our own memories.”
In the long term, Coach Becker is looking to shape H-K into one of the top squads in Connecticut. Becker knows that will be a rough road to travel following the departure of 20 seniors, especially if the underclassmen don’t get their chance to play.
“In football, you’re looking to build a four-year dynasty,” said Becker. “We don’t have the line that we were going to have this year. We had five senior offensive linemen, and now we are going to have to adjust. There’s going to be a lot of players that might need to convert positions in order to fill our open holes.”
The Cougars’ seniors are holding out hope that the CIAC will allow teams to play football in the spring. In the meantime, Coach Becker said that the H-K girls’ soccer squad has decided to dedicate its 2020 season to the football team.
“It speaks to the level of community here,” Becker said. “I consider myself a realistic optimist. I felt like the odds of playing this fall were long from the start. I try hard to temper myself. I get phenomenally excited about football. We’ll see what happens.”