SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The
Pelham/Windham Razorbacks’
stifling defense stopped the
Connecticut champs cold in a
20-0 win that delivered the Junior
Pee Wee squad the American
Youth Football League’s
New England crown.
With the victory on Nov.
22, the Razorbacks head to
Orlando, Fla., for a chance at
the AYF’s national title. That
tournament takes place Dec. 6
through 12.
Both Pelham/Windham
and the New Britain Raiders
entered the contest with 11-
0 marks, but the Razorbacks
jumped ahead, 2-0, on Zach
Masiello’s safety. That play set
the tone on a bone-chilling day
at Bryant University’s frozen
field in Rhode Island.
The Pelham/Windham offense
then heated up, with linemen
Mitch Hullihen, Masiello,
Jack Harrington, Nick DeCarolis,
Josh Gallagher and Ryan
Cloutier pushing New Britain’s
defense around. Ultimately,
Kurtis Jolicoeur broke through
for a touchdown, and the Razorbacks
took an 8-0 lead into
intermission.
If anything, the defense,
which has yet to allow more
than one touchdown in a
game, improved in the second
half. New Britain had trouble
recording a first down as defensive
end Joe Frake handled
the Raiders’ outside ground
game, and pressure from Kevin
Anderson, Michael Goglia,
Gallagher and Harrington denied
New Britain’s attempts to
pound the ball up the middle.
Frustrated, Connecticut’s
best tried to pass the ball, but
safety Kellin Bail’s interception
thwarted that route as well.
P/W quarterback Brendan
McInnis and running back Bail
handled the ball well on a subsequent
drive. Jolicoeur bulled
his way to a second score after
a McInnis-to-Frake pass play
drew an interference penalty,
giving the locals a first-and-goal.
On the ensuing kickoff,
Pelham/Windham put the contest out of reach when Goglia
caused a fumble that kicker
Bail pounced on at New Britain’s
12-yard line. Two plays
later, McInnis bounced off
two defenders and stretched
to reach the end zone, capping
the scoring.
Game notes
Harrington’s hard-nosed
running helped the team control
the clock in the fourth quarter.
Brendan Mullen aided the
offense with his strong blocking
on Jolicoeur’s 40-yard jaunt
early in the game.