By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – Week 2 of the scholastic football season sees Bristol Central squaring off against a foe looking for its first victory of the campaign.
Last week, the Rams were shutout by Windsor on the road in a special Sunday challenge due to some extremely rotten weather.
And for the second straight week, the Rams will have to compete against a CCC opponent on the road.
Central tangles against New Britain in what could be billed as a CCC Tier I/Tier II challenge.
Just like the Hurricanes, the Rams are also hungry for their first win in 2023.
If the squad from Bristol can get the chains moving, the locals have a chance in this one.
Here’s the deal about Week 2 as Central goes to battle under the lights on Friday:
Bristol Central (0-1) at New Britain (0-1)
Time: 7 p.m. (Veteran’s Stadium, Willow Brook Park, New Britain)
The Series: The battle is the 26th all-time showdown between the two Central Connecticut Conference schools. The programs used to be yearly opponents in the CCC South before the Hurricanes and former coach Jack Cochran ran up the scores on every team, in embarrassing fashion, leading to a reclassification of the entire CCC football lineup (an 89-0 New Britain win over Platt helped which program in the end?).
Series Edge: New Britain leads the all-time series over Central, 14-10-1.
Last Season: On November 10, Central was in it against the Hurricanes but the Rams did not add a second half score over a 41-14 defeat. But Central’s Tre Blair was sensational, rushing for 249 yards on 31 carries.
Last Week: Central fell at Windsor (43-0) while New Britain was foiled by state power Southington (44-23).
What to expect: Central did okay defensively against a stronger, quicker Windsor squad – a team that is now in a prominent Top-10 poll to the surprise of no one…Warriors quarterback A.J. Robinson made 7-for-13 connections against the Rams for 160 yards and four touchdowns. Overall, Windsor compiled 270 in total yards of offense…Defensively for Central, seniors Aiden Lamarre and Jack Jones tallied 20 of the squad’s 51 total tackles as the duo captured 10 apiece…Lamarre also added an interception and a tackle for a loss over a big showing…Jones added two tackles for losses…Fellow senior Jayden Colon nabbed five tackles…Offensively, Central is still a work in progress but the unit will get better and better by the week. It’s just going to take a little more time…New Britain’s secondary was burned by Southington’s All-State QB CJ DiBenedetto last week for nearly 400 yards and five touchdowns…The Knights tallied over 450 yards in total offense and while Central might not bring that type of threat, the Rams will have opportunities throughout the game to notch scores…Don’t count Central out of this showdown because once the offense gets a little confidence, that’s when the winning will start – even in CCC Tier II.
