By Michael Letendre
The Bristol Central football squad has some big plans for the 2021 campaign, looking poised to enjoy its best campaign under head coach Jeff Papazian.
The Rams have some offensive punch and with senior Victor Rosa in the mix, Central can overwhelm any opponent.
A host of additional seniors will also lead this squad and a chance to play a little football in December is certainly not out of the cards for the program.
With the scholastic season upon us, here’s a special look at the Bristol Central football team:
Bristol Central Football – 2021
Head Coach: Jeff Papazian
Career Record: In his seventh season as head coach, Papazian is 37-23 overall
2019 Ledger: The Rams went 5-5 two years ago (3-2 CCC Division II-West), capping off its season with a thrilling 34-32 overtime victory against crosstown rival Bristol Eastern.
Strengths: Speed, size
Weaknesses: Experience (every program is saying that after a season off from 11v11 football).
Vital stat: Bristol Central has yet to post a losing season under Papazian. In all honesty, 2021 will not be any different.
The question: Does the squad from Central have enough firepower to make a run at a Class L playoff berth?
Players to Watch: Victor Rosa (sr. QB/DB/ATH); Dan Lauretti (sr. OL/LB); Mike Thaxter (sr. OL/DL); Malachi Jones (sr. OL/DL); Dan Kitmanyen (sr. WR/DB); Justin Despins (sr. RB/LB); Ashton Zabka (sr. WR/LB); Zack Vanasse (sr. WR/DB); Jaden Goulbourne (sr. OL/DL); Julius Powell (jr. DL/OL); Jarrett Boxley (sr. WR/DB); Damion Glasper (sr. WR/DB).
What to Expect from Bristol Central in 2021: Just hitting the turf once again is a big deal for the Central program after a year away from usual football play due to the pandemic.
And the entire program is extremely excited about the bright lights that Friday (or Thursday or Saturday) night will provide.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” said Papazian about getting back to work. “There’s been a lot of challenges, for sure, but the kids are happy to be out there. The coaches are happy to be back. The year off makes you appreciate some things sometimes.”
And having the best public-school talent on the squad is also a big reason for that excitement.
When you have an elite athlete like Victor Rosa on your squad, you know your team has a chance to do something special on the field every game day.
He might redefine the ATH position in football and Papazian can slot him anywhere on the field which will be quarterback on offense.
Rosa can rush for a 200-yard night like he did in Central’s 34-6 demolition of Windsor back in 2019 or chase down the opponents fastest receiver or running back.
The UCONN bound Rosa is simply a freak of an athlete and will easily surpass 1,000 rushing yards once again.
As a sophomore, Rosa tallied 1,146 rushing yards for 19 touchdowns while tossing the ball for 475 yards on 31 completions that included a couple scores.
Whatever capacity Papazian needs Rosa for, the senior leader will provide it and do it with athletic ability, intelligence and plenty of guile.
“We like him…he’s all right. We’ll keep him around,” said Papazian with a laugh about Rosa. “Especially coming back with the year off, we’re thrilled to have Victor back and everything he brings in terms of a football player and in terms of the experience that he’s got on Friday nights. We’re looking forward to a big year from him.”
But Central won’t just be a one man show this year if a few offensive weapons develop around Rosa.
Expect senior Justin Despins to see some time running with the ball while fellow seniors Dan Kitmanyen, Ashton Zabka, Jarrett Boxley and Zack Vanasse catching a ball or two from Rosa at wide receiver.
That’s a group that can hopefully balance the offense out as all eyes will be fixed on Rosa.
“Part of the season will depend on who else can step up and kind of take some of the heat off” Rosa said Papazian.
And where does x-factor Damion Glasper fit in?
The senior is another jack-of-all trades competitor that can catch a football as the guard from the undefeated basketball squad from 2021 will look to make some gains on the gridiron.
He played football as a freshman and did not try out as a sophomore but Papazian kept in touch will Glasper and the connection was reestablished to compete out on the gridiron once again.
“I’m pretty excited about Damion too,” said Papazian. “He kind of reached out a while ago and said he’d like to come back out. He’s a good athlete obviously but a kid who has kind of played football his whole life too so he’s not totally new to the sport which is really helpful. He’s going to be an important piece for us.”
This squad is going to be big on both lines which means Rosa can operate with a little impunity (try to catch him first) while the defense should be able to make gains on opposing offenses.
That grouping includes seniors offensive lineman Dan Lauretti (6-foot, 200 pounds) who has been in the mix of two varsity campaigns prior to the pandemic.
Lauretti has plenty of experience and will be one of the leaders of the crew.
“Dan’s another one, just like Vic, started from day one for us as freshmen,” said Papazian. “It wasn’t like out of necessity…because the two of those guys were legitimately the best with Dan as a defensive tackle at the time. Those two were legitimately the two best options in the whole program.”
“To have both those guys with twenty games of varsity experience is a big deal,”
On both lines, Mike Thaxter (6-foot-1, 245 pounds), Malachi Jones (6-foot-3 298), and Jaden Goulbourne (6-foot-5, 258) along with junior Julius Powell (6-foot-8, 270) with be critical to the success of Central’s campaign.
Those big men will lead the charge from the line and any time Central can force a three-and-out, it will give Rosa a chance to move the sticks on offense.
All those players mentioned will play both ways on the field and once this group gets a little chemistry, the Rams are going to be in really good shape.
“They’ve been coachable so far,” said Papazian. “We’ve got good kids. They like being around each other, they care about each other so I think [the chemistry] will come. I think a big part will be the first time they get tested under the lights for real.”
Central took on Maloney in the preseason and had some success and “responded the right way.”
“Chemistry is going to be there,” said Papazian. “It’s a work in progress [and] more so with the year off.”
The Schedule
Central moved into the CCC Division III bracket but remains a contender in its new division.
It won’t be an easy start for the locals as state power Bloomfield opens the season for the Rams this Friday on the road.
After that trip, its two home games against South Windsor (September 17) and Wethersfield in Week 3 on September 24 helps to balance the schedule out.
Tolland (October 22) is new to the Central slate this year and after an entanglement at Edwin O. Smith (hope you guys save up your gas money) on October 28, Central won’t be traveling far from Bristol over the month of November.
RHAM comes to Bristol on the fifth of November, Central travels to Plainville the week after (November 12) and finishes the regular season on Thanksgiving against crosstown rival Bristol Eastern from Muzzy Field at 10:30 a.m.
While some of the heavy hitters such as Windsor are off the schedule this year, Central will be challenged and pushed every week none-the-less.
But no one from Central, or anywhere else for that matter, is complaining about the schedule quirks in 2021 as football is back in the Mum City.
“We’re excited we get to go out and play,” said Papazian. “[Some of these teams] are pretty new to us. And some of those guys we’ve played in past years when I’ve coached here. I think everybody is kind of in a weird spot right now. There’s a team or two on the schedule who we might expect to be up that ends up being down and vice versa. It’s really hard to say right now.”
Can this team make a state tournament run?
With the best player in the state attending Bristol Central, the locals absolutely have a shot at a Class L tournament berth.
Windsor, Middletown, Wethersfield, and several old foes will make Class L a very competitive division in terms of playoff qualification but if the Rams could ramble up somewhere along a ledger of 8-2, a chance at a playoff spot is certainly in the realm of possibility.
But until then, it’s simply a one game at a time method for the Bristol Central football program.
“That’s always the goal,” said Papazian about playing in the postseason. “But to get there, it’s going to take a lot of hard work and a lot of perseverance from our kids. We set goals every year and that’s always one of them regardless of what the schedule looks like. For now, we have our hands full this Friday night [against Bloomfield].”
“That’s what we’re looking at right now and we’ll just kind of take games one at a time.”
