By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – Last Friday, the Bloomfield football program showed Bristol Eastern – and the entire state for that matter – why the squad is once again a favorite to win the Class S championship.
Off that 61-13 setback, the Lancers tipped their cap to the Warhawks and quickly moved on to Week 10.
And in a special Saturday challenge, Eastern battles up-and-down Farmington.
The programs have become regular opponents over the past few seasons and the Lancers will tackle a group that has dropped five straight games.
After last week, it’s bounce back time for the Kingstreeters and here’s what to expect in Farmington over a special Saturday challenge:
Bristol Eastern (2-6) at Farmington (2-6) – CCC Tier III Tilt
Time: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. (Farmington High School Turf)
The Series: It’s the 11th all-time showdown between the programs. Farmington holds the advantage in series play, 7-3.
Last Week: Bloomfield dropped Eastern by forty-eight points while Farmington fell at home to Berlin last Friday, 39-21.
Last Season: Eastern ran wild all over the River Hawks, scooping up a season-high 54 points back on November 12 in a 32-point romp (54-22).
Fast Facts: We’re going to forget about last week as quickly as possible…Eastern faced superior competition against playoff bound Bloomfield and was nearly shutout offensively…The Warhawks limited the Lancers to just five yards in total offense while scooping up 567 of its own between the ground and air…But Eastern just didn’t sit by and watch…The home team made its run defensively as Josh Aubin and Rayshon Andrews each made interceptions (Andrews turned his into a 52-yard touchdown play) while Kyle Babin made a slick 80-yard kickoff return for a TD…Eastern trailed just 28-13 midway through the second period and tried to make a game of it…But injuries caught up with the Lancers and the Warhawks buzzed through the locals until the final horn sounded…Eastern quarterback Alex Corvo managed to connect on two passes and has shown a willingness to stay in the pocket to make connections…And you can be sure that Eastern back Jaiden Fore is looking to attack the Farmington defense with zest…Austin Shorette and Adam Zavecz once again played well on defense against Bloomfield but the victor’s quick strikes and speed to the outside was no match for Eastern…Now, Farmington is in the Lancers’ way and you can be sure the River Hawks haven’t forgotten about last season’s blowout from Alumni Field…However, Farmington’s defense can be taken advantage of – allowing opponents 253 total points over that five game losing skid. That’s an average of 50.6 ppg and the River Hawks would be hard pressed to win any game allowing that kind of showing…Overall this season, Farmington has surrendered 327 points…Luke Watson was leading the early season rushing attack for Farmington while Kevin Ives can pass the ball a little bit…Farmington’s Thomas Keough zipped up 100-plus receiving yards against Avon…If he’s in the mix, Keough is one of the featured athletes the Lancers must slow down…The River Hawks last won a game back on September 23, defeating Pomperaug 39-21. The week before, Farmington squared away Avon by a 30-8 final – leading to its first win since 2019 and a promising 2-1 start to the campaign…However, Farmington has failed to duplicate any of that success since mid-September…This is more than a winnable game for the Lancers on Saturday…The showdown is the final game for the Lancers before that annual holiday extravaganza against Bristol Central on Thanksgiving and the Kingstreeters would like to head into that battle with a little momentum. A win at Farmington can help that situation come to pass…It’s once again time to hit the pay window over at Eastern.
