Huntington Herald

Groth, Gaels drop Dragons

Written by Tom O'Reilly, Correspondent
Wednesday, 12 October 2011 14:21

After seeing his Shelton High football team shut out for the first time in nearly seven years a week earlier, coach Jeff Roy made some changes offensively.

The changes paid off, as the Gael offense sprung back to life in a 29-8 Southern Connecticut Conference Division I West victory over Hamden High at Joseph Bruno Field in Hamden on Thursday night.

“We looked like a different team tonight,” said Roy, whose team amassed 326 yards against Hamden, more than three times what it accumulated in a 28-0 loss to Notre Dame of West Haven the week before.

“I told the kids it was gut-check time. The kids really responded.”

The primary change Roy made was inserting junior Ed Groth at quarterback for senior Frank Camerino.

With senior tailback Connor O’Brien sidelined with an injury, Roy used Camerino and sophomore Jagger Kalagian at tailback.

Roy’s moves all worked out perfectly against the Green Dragons.

Groth completed 7-of-7 passes for 52 yards and a touchdown.

With the Hamden defense having to respect the pass, it opened up things for the Shelton running game, which gained 274 yards on 45 carries, with Camerino accounting for nearly half of those yards.

“We needed a spark on offense,” Roy said. “Eddie came in and gave us that spark.”

The victory keeps Shelton (3-1 overall, 1-0 SCC Division I West) alive in the Class LL playoff race, where it currently stands tied for 10th.

The top eight teams make the playoffs. The loss kept Hamden winless at 0-4, but the Green Dragons have played four of the better SCC teams in Shelton, Cheshire, North Haven and West Haven.

Shelton hosts Guilford (2-2) Friday night at 7 at Finn Stadium.

One of Guilford’s losses was to Sheehan (36-20), a team Shelton defeated 24-17 in week two.

Against Hamden, the Gaels used a 77-yard, 12-play drive spanning the first and second quarters to take a 7-0 lead.

Groth led his older brother, Jeff, with a perfectly thrown ball into the back right corner of the end zone for a 13-yard pass and Jeff added the PAT.

Shelton doubled its lead on its next possession.

Starting at its own four-yard line after a Hamden punt, the Gaels quickly moved into Green Dragon territory on a 70-yard run by Kalagian.

Three plays later, Camerino scored from three yards out behind Robert Rose, John Nacovitch, Austin Rose, Mike Dellolio and Joe Ortoli to make it 14-0 Shelton with 7:24 left in the first half.

Hamden struck back one play later, with strong-armed quarterback Tim Dube finding Derrick Atkinson in the flat, and Atkinson dodging a couple would-be Shelton tacklers on his way to a 66-yard touchdown catch-and-run.

The Green Dragons also converted the two-point try to cut the Shelton lead to 14-8 with 7:02 left in the second quarter.

Hamden now had the momentum, but Shelton’s Gary Thompson quickly changed that, returning the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to the Hamden 38, thanks in part to a key block by sophomore Alex DeLuca.

On third-and-eight, Camerino ran for the necessary eight yards, and a Hamden penalty after the play moved the ball down to the Green Dragon 14.

Shelton got a first down at the Hamden four-yard line, and eventually faced fourth-and-goal at the one.

Thompson took the handoff and nudged his way into the end zone behind Dellolio and Ortoli for the touchdown.

Ed Groth completed a pass to Thompson for the two-point conversion, and the Gaels led 22-18 1:35 before halftime.

After the Shelton defense forced Hamden to punt after the first three plays of the second half, the Gael offense went to work at its own nine-yard line.

Camerino capped an eight-play, 91-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown run to give Shelton a 29-8 lead midway through the third quarter.

The Gaels were never in danger after that.

Offensively, the Gaels focused on its running game, with Camerino (22 carries, 125 yards), Thompson (seven carries, 19 yards) and junior Matt Fiegenblat (three carries, six yards) getting the bulk of the work.

Kalagian left the game late in the first half with an undisclosed injury after carrying seven times for 99 yards.

Defensively, Thompson led a balanced effort with five tackles.

Nick Coppola recorded Shelton’s lone forced turnover with a fourth-quarter interception, while Scott Zbendon added a sack.

Roy hopes the impressive victory over Hamden becomes a turning point for his Gaels, who have hopes of qualifying states for the first time since 2007.

“We didn’t play very well last week,” said Roy of the 28-0 loss to the Green Knights. “We did a lot of soul-searching and the kids really responded.

“Hamden is a pretty good football team and I thought we were dominant on both sides of the football.

“We can be an excellent football team,” continued Roy, whose team probably needs to win at least eight games to qualify.

“We had a great week of practice, and I think that started it.”

Gael notes

Before Notre Dame of West Haven blanked Shelton 28-0, the Gaels had not been shut out since Oct. 8, 2004, when host Branford shocked a third-ranked Shelton team 22-0.

The Gaels would go on to finish the season 8-2, but did not qualify for the state playoffs.

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