By Michael Letendre
The question of the day for the Bristol Eastern football team is a clear and plain one: Can the Edwin O. Smith football team – battling the Lancers in a Tier III showdown on Friday night – score against the defensive juggernaut from Bristol?
To date, the Kingstreeters have not allowed a single point away from home and the program puts that tremendous streak on the line against the Panthers.
Eastern is a proud defensive outfit and expect more of that suffocating play on Friday.
Well, fill up your gas tanks (again) and get ready for a huge scholastic football tilt as the Lancers and Panthers lock horns in Storrs.
Here’s the deal:
Bristol Eastern (5-2) at Edwin O. Smith (4-3) CCC Tier III Showdown
Time: 6 p.m. (from the turf field at Edwin O. Smith)
The Series: This is the 12th confrontation between the schools with Eastern holding a slight lead in overall play.
The Edge: Currently, the Lancers hold a 6-5 advantage over the Panthers.
Last Game against Smith: Eastern opened the 2021 campaign with a 35-6 win over Smith from Alumni Field in Bristol. Kamden Laprise was a perfect 3-for-3 (58 yards) that evening and threw his first-ever scholastic touchdown pass to Rayshon Andrews. Alex Marshall ran wild that evening, scooping up 243 yards on 30 carries, leading to four touchdowns.
Last Week: Smith dropped Farmington in a competitive 35-24 bout while Eastern shutout RHAM 34-0 last Saturday.
What to expect: Edwin O. Smith isn’t a pushover in the least and should be a good challenge for the Kingstreeters…Smith quarterback Connor Ouellette (55-for-107, 716 yards, seven touchdowns, three interceptions) is a competent chucker while cashing in on 65 carries for 197 yards and a TD…Senior Sam Dejesus Jr. averages 8.7 yards-per-carry (43 carries, 375 yards, four TDs) while Isaiah Dejesus (44-178) leads the squad in rushing touchdowns with five…The squad has done a great job at home and will this be the first road game in which the hosts actually put points on the board?…Speaking of points (or lack thereof), when was the last time Eastern had three shutouts in a season? Try 2007 when current Eastern assistant coach Todd Krolikowski and the Lancers went 10-0 and qualified for postseason play. The Lancers shutout Fermi, Maloney and Bulkeley but only one of those games (Maloney) came on the road…The Eastern squad from 1973 has the all-time single season shutout record with six, four of those games coming from Muzzy Field. The squad allowed just 41 total points that season, going 7-1-1 overall under then head coach Dave Mills…However, this current squad – with its 34-0 blitzing of RHAM this past Saturday – established a new program record for shutouts on the road in a single season (where else can you get this absolutely critical information other than TBE?!?)…The Lancers have outscored opponents on the road this year 58-0…Eastern’s defense suffocated the Raptors with Ryan Zavecz making a fumble recovery, Noah Albert hauling in an interception, Adam Zavecz tallying two tackles for a loss – same with Sovannara Nuon – while Lincoln Bashaw picked up a huge sack…And what did the Raptors end up for yardage? Just 20 yards on the ground and 94 in the air. That’s a winning combination…Offensively against RHAM, Eastern scooped up 341 total yards with Jaiden Fore’s 200-yard rushing game a tremendous accomplishment. He scored three touchdowns while Adam Zavecz (five carries, 59 yards) and Laprise (6-of-9 passes, 55 yards) made all the right moves offensively…Randy Denoto (three passes, 29 yards) made a huge contribution to the offense, Ryan Corvo caught a ball for a touchdown while Mikey Sherrill, well, somehow got soaked when he jumped into the pole vault pit that was pretty saturated off a rare, missed connection with Laprise…Let’s also give credit to special teams as Laprise dropped in a 41-yard punt that put RHAM behind its own 20 yard-line while kicker Aiden Liseo is holding the fort for Gavin Damboise. Liseo booted two touchbacks while three other balls were kicked deep into Raptors’ territory. He also made 2-of-3 extra points over a very fine showing…Will Eastern keep its road warrior streak going tonight on the road in the looming shadow of the UConn campus?…Can you say, “Pay window.”
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