By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – The Bristol Eastern football program is looking to upset Bloomfield on Friday night as the Lancers’ three game home stand is coming to a completion.
The Kingstreeters are 2-0 over that stretch and a huge victory against the Warhawks would be the biggest win of the campaign.
But Bloomfield will strike early an often in terms of offense and once the backs are in motion, it’s hard to play catch-up.
Eastern junior Jaiden Fore has been a workhorse from the start and if he can find a little daylight against the Bloomfield defensive line, it will be the visitors chasing that evening.
Here’s a sneak peak of the showdown between Bloomfield and Bristol Eastern on Friday:
Bristol Eastern (2-5) vs. Bloomfield (5-2) – CCC Tier III Challenge
Time: Friday, 6:30 p.m. (Alumni Field from the campus of Bristol Eastern)
The Series: It’s the fourth meeting between the programs as the Kingstreeters hold a 2-1 advantage over the Warhawks.
Last Week: Bloomfield spun RHAM in Hebron last Saturday by a 47-7 final while Eastern foiled Plainville 35-6 on Friday.
Last Season: The Lancers fell to the Warhawks back on November 5, 2021, over a 40-3 final from Bloomfield.
Last Eastern win versus Bloomfield: In a slugfest, Eastern was able to topple Bloomfield back on September 17, 2010, by a 42-36 final. The Lancers went 9-1 that season and made the playoffs for the third time in school history.
Fast Facts: The Lancers have won two straight for the first time since opening the 2021 campaign with wins over Edwin O. Smith (35-6) and RHAM (13-7)…But this challenge against Class S power Bloomfield is going to be an epic one…Currently, the Warhawks are ranked fourth in the playoff football standings, currently slated for a home game if the season ended today…Last year at Bloomfield, Eastern gave the program all sorts of fits over first half play. The Lancers were up 3-0 after one period and trailed by just nine (12-3) at the half before the Warhawks broke the game open over the final 24 minutes of play…Bloomfield is certainly offensive and since dropping contests to Killingly (28-22) and Berlin (37-34), the squad has regrouped in a big way…The Warhawks have scored 141 points over their past three games (47.0 points-per-game) and dropped 40 and 49 on Avon and Plainville, respectively…Junior QB Darrien Foster (72-of-107, 1,235 yards, 14 turnovers) can flat out chuck the ball all over the field…Foster’s favorite target is fellow junior Davien Kerr (23 catches, 561 yards, 8 TDs) and once he gets a first step by his defender, look out…Bloomfield runs with the ball with efficiency as well…Sophomore Edwin Rodriguez (50 carries, 344 yards, 4 TDs) is one of many rushers who can punish opposing defenses…Speaking of defense, the Warhawks have allowed just 14.1 points-per-game and will be looking to keep the Lancers right around that tally…Bloomfield is going to have to mark Eastern stud Jaiden Fore from the start. He’s tallied eight touchdowns over the last four games, collecting 4.7 yards-per-carry. Fore has 10 TDs overall and continues to flirt with a 1,000-yard campaign. He’s not far off…Rayshon Andrews and Jack Hartley continues to augment the offense as the duo, along with Fore, nearly scooped in 180 yards on the ground against Plainville…But will Eastern throw the football a little bit more against Bloomfield? Eastern QB Alex Corvo has been able to connect on 62-percent of his passes to date and was able to get passes off to Austin Shorette and Kyle Babin versus the Blue Devils…It’s all hands on deck offensively against Bloomfield…Eastern’s defense has also played better as of late, limiting the Blue Devils to just a 22-percent completion rate on third down situations…Plainville was held to only 43 yards on the ground as Zayeyn Tate, Adam Zavecz (sack) and Shorette all made tackles for losses – wiping 28 yards off the boards in terms of losses…Tate and Andrews both made interceptions last week and look to keep those hands ready for a underthrown Foster pass…This is going to be one heck of a challenge against a squad with speed and quick strike-ability…But off two very good weeks of football, Eastern is confident – looking to topple Bloomfield out of the top of the Class S rankings.
