Rivals meet again, this time with twist

Oct. 13—SUFFIELD — Eleven months ago, the Rockville and Ellington High football teams battled twice in a seven-day span.

One of those games was the annual "Dick Gunn's Battle of Route 83" Thanksgiving game. The second was the quarterfinals of the Class M playoffs.

The teams met again Wednesday afternoon. This time not on the gridiron, but at the Simpaug Farm, which Ellington coach Keith Tautkus helps operate.

It was a day designed by both Tautkus and Rockville coach Erick Knickerbocker to bring their teams together as one, and continue to improve the respect the rivalry has been built on since it began in 2017.

"We thought it would be good if we could get the guys together for one day and not really compete against each other, but appreciate each other in terms of athletics," Tautkus said.

The roots of Wednesday's event can be traced back to last year's playoff game.

"The playoff thing was stressful for Keith and I, and it was stressful for both programs," Knickerbocker said. "But the kids handled it so well. And the respect in both games, and it's easy for me to say because we won the games, but the way that Ellington handled themselves and the way that we did, I think it kind of opened the door for this."

Tautkus said his players were receptive to the idea, but some of his assistants needed convincing.

"(Some) were a little hesitant because the old-school thinking is you have to hate your opposition," Tautkus said. "I understand that part of it, but I think you can have a respect for your opponent. Appreciate where they are and their pursuit of being a good football player. I think you can celebrate that and still be competitive as well."

Following opening remarks from the coaches, players from both teams joined together for games of wiffle ball, volleyball and cornhole. They fed pigs, toured the farm and picked sweet corn to snack on.

"I never thought something like this would ever happen," Rockville senior wide receiver/defensive back Hason Green said. "But it's also one of those things where we are so close together, so it's like when we do see each other outside (of football), it's like now we have a bond with these guys and we know them."

Then they heard stories about leadership, being a great teammate, and how Tautkus' son Austin exemplified both qualities during his lifetime.

"Austin was a special kid," Tautkus said. "He was a great teammate to everybody. The thing that I think is the message that we can get from Austin is that it doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter if you're the best athlete or the worst athlete. It doesn't matter if you're smart or if you're not that smart. It doesn't matter if you're a gearhead or an athlete. He found a way to interact with everyone.

"I think that's what we need more of in the world. So if we can spread that message of working together and having a common goal and still have a healthy relationship with people who you compete against, I think that's a good message for these kids to take for the rest of their lives."

Austin Tautkus was a multi-sport athlete at Ellington High, including playing football under both his dad and Knickerbocker, who was a Knights assistant at the time.

He graduated in 2013 and continued his football career at Western Connecticut State University, playing for one season before succumbing to injuries he sustained in an ATV accident at the Simpaug Farm in June 2014 at the age of 18.

Knickerbocker called Austin "the greatest teammate that I've ever coached."

"I'm so excited to be able to share his story with a group of kids that didn't know him," Knickerbocker added. "We're at eight years (since he passed), so now all these kids on both sides don't know Austin's story. We give out the (Austin Tautkus/Corey Pusey teammate) award on Thanksgiving.

"Now to be able to educate them on the man he was and what he left us, I'm really excited about it and I think as a coach, that's why I'm still coaching and that's why I do it. If I can pass some of that on, then I feel like I've done a good job."

Austin's death strengthened an already father-son-like bond that Knickerbocker and Tautkus shared. Knickerbocker played two seasons of football for Tautkus at Ellington High before joining him on the Knights staff for almost a decade.

When Knickerbocker took the head coaching job at Rockville in 2018, Tautkus came out of retirement and served as his defensive line coach for two seasons until he returned to the Knights prior to last season.

"I think since Austin passed, and really reflecting on his life, my whole coaching philosophy has completely changed," Knickerbocker said. "I think Keith's did too. He and I are so aligned on what we're trying to do out here with the young men and women we have in front of us every day.

"Teaching his story has always been one of the number one things. And to do it this way seems so much more real than just showing them on a board and talking about him."

Green took some of the stories he heard Wednesday to heart.

"I relate to this one story that Coach Knick told me," Green said. "There was a kid that was about to go on stage and Austin literally gave him the shirt off of his back. That really relates to me because it shows that it's more about the team and it's not about you."

Likewise, the stories helped Ellington's senior quarterback and linebacker Dante Mangiafico have a greater appreciation of Tautkus' legacy.

"I feel like that shows us how he was as a teammate," he said. "Not only as a teammate but as a friend to everybody."

Both Knickerbocker and Tautkus recognized that Green and Mangiafico have similar qualities to Austin: Green will complete any job that needs to be done while Mangiafico always has a smile and is willing to help out any of his teammates.

Like Green, Mangiafico also saw the value of Wednesday as a whole.

"I have respect for Malachi (Mapp), Jackson (Torres), Hason, all of them," Mangiafico said. "I respect all their players. I hope they have the same amount of respect for me and my teammates that we have for them.

"So, I think it's going to be beneficial for us to be able to do this. You never really wish to fight anybody, you never wish that anything is going to go wrong. But if it does, now we'd be able to have the leaders of the teams be able to calm it down because we have so much respect for each other."

The teams will meet at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day at Ellington High. Following the game, a player from each side will be awarded one of the Austin Tautkus/Corey Pusey teammate awards.

Both coaches are hopeful that the lessons the players learned Wednesday will carry over to that morning.

"Of course they're going to compete like heck when it comes down to it," Knickerbocker said. "But I think it's a really unique thing that we can have that I don't think a lot of other towns can do. We're proud of our kids that we're able to even do this."

For coverage of UConn football and men's basketball as well as area high school and local youth sports, follow Adam Betz on Twitter: @AdBetz1, Facebook: Adam Betz — Sports Writer, and Instagram: @AdBetzJI.