‘Canes Lose on Homecoming Day
By Ken Lipshez | Sports Correspondent at November 4, 2023 | 5:37 pm | Print
New Britain High’s homecoming festivities featured tradition that reached across the gulf of time.
Smiling seniors – players, cheerleaders, marching band members and Canettes – were escorted to the home sideline at Veterans Memorial Stadium by ecstatic parents and siblings beaming with pride. Halftime belonged to the homecoming king, queen and their court.
As the youngsters reveled in the attention, old-timers stifled their lament for what was missing.
Attendance was reduced to family and friends, unlike the days when Homecoming was the social event of the season and the Willow Brook Park lot was filled to capacity. The other source of frustration was that the football team was unable to mount a challenge.
The discrepancy in size along the line proved far too overwhelming Friday night, particularly in the second half, as visiting Manchester maintained an open path to a Class LL playoff berth with a convincing 32-8 victory in a CCC Division I crossover before thousands of empty seats.
Manchester (6-2), its front lines bolstered by the massive bodies of Yale-bound Chris Simmons, Jevon Lawrence and Chris Isaac-Sanchez, pushed the smaller Hurricanes into oblivion.
“We’ve been much bigger than most teams we play. It’s just a matter of are we executing the way we should,” Manchester coach Marco Pizzoferrato said. “The biggest thing for us is our consistency.”
New Britain staunchly held its own in the first half, but the Indians ran up 137 yards on the ground in the third quarter while stuffing the ’Canes at minus-9.
“They just physically beat us up front both ways,” ’Canes coach Tebucky Jones said. “We couldn’t even drop back to pass. They were a better team all the way around. They’re big and their skill players are quick. There’s no getting around it.”
Manchester, which had 100-yard rushers in Roy Richards and quarterback Marquis Little, gained seven yards per handoff on the game’s first drive. Little, who earned a scholarship to play outside linebacker at Boston College, rifled a 10-yard touchdown strike to Quan Soyini.
Tight end/defensive end Andrew Isaacs, who will be greeted by Maryland coach Randy Edsall at his next gridiron stop, stuck a six-yard loss on Marcus Torrez that eventually forced a three-and-out. Six plays later, Isaacs was snaring a four-yard TD pass and slam-dunking the ball through the goal posts, which at the high school level draws a major penalty.
The ’Canes offered resistance in the second quarter. Quarterback Malique Jones’ fake pitch drew the defenders off and he sliced over left end for a 37-yard touchdown. He added the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 12-8.
The New Britain defense responded. Linebacker Isaac Smith and sophomore defensive end Alex Swaby make plays behind the line and forced a punt. But the game turned on New Britain’s next offensive snap when Isaacs stripped Malique Jones and bolted 32 yards for an 18-8 lead.
The ’Canes (2-6) faded in the second half. A 17-yard pass from Malique to freshman Kyle Anderson accounted for the lone first down of the third quarter.
Manchester was handed two points early in the fourth quarter when New Britain’s center snap in punt formation went over Malique’s head and out of the end zone. Ben Fischbein alertly recovered the ensuing free kick and Malique hit Daequone Clark for 13 yards and a first down but three straight incompletions blew up the drive.
“They took it to us, it’s that simple,” Tebucky said.
New Britain travels to South Windsor Saturday before ending the season at Veterans on Thanksgiving Eve against playoff-hopeful Berlin.
Manchester 32, New Britain 8
Manchester (6-2) 12 6 12 2 – 32
New Britain (2-6) 0 8 0 0 – 8
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
M – Quan Soyini 10 pass from Marquis Little (pass failed), 8:47
M – Andrew Isaacs 4 pass from Little (pass failed), 4:09
Second Quarter
NB – Malique Jones 37 run (Jones run), 10:10
M – Isaacs 32 fumble return (run failed), 6:09
Third Quarter
M – Little 80 run (pass failed), 5:59
M – Roy Richards 14 run (pass failed), 4:03
Fourth Quarter
M – Safety, center snap went through end zone, 9:04
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Manchester: Richards 16-104, Elijah Udoh 15-83, Little 13-124. New Britain: Jones 15-22, Lamar Bowsky 3-13, Marcus Torrez 1-(-6).
PASSING – Manchester: Little 5-16-0, 32 yds. New Britain: Jones 7-26-1, 119 yds.; Toby Taradeina 2-5-1, 35 yds.
RECEIVING – Manchester: Ashton Grant 2-13, Soyini 1-10, Quincy Thomas 1-5, Isaacs 1-4. New Britain: Kyle Anderson 2-39, Juan Usuga 2-30, Daequone Clark 2-23, Fitz Ingram 1-54, Eric Hibbert 1-13, Torrez 1-(-5).
