Whips look to break into win column tonight against Tolland

Mike Sypher, The Chronicle, Willimantic, Conn.
·4 min read

Sep. 24—A few missed tackles and a questionable call by an official have flipped what could have been a 2- 0 start for the Windham High football team into an 0- 2 hole in the wake of season-opening losses to Woodstock Academy (40-27) and Waterford (27-24).

Count Whippet head coach Randall Prose among those who have already experienced just about enough, thank-you very much, with the hoarding of moral ' victories' two weeks into the 2021 campaign.

"We just need a win. These kids need a win," Prose said after his Whips almost came back to beat Waterford on the road last Friday night.

"Our kids don't give up, they battle hard and they've made mistakes at key moments, but they've also done enough to get rewarded.

" They just need to go out, play the way we know they're capable of and get a win."

Opportunity No. 3 to gain a victory arrives tonight at 6 p.m. when the Whippets host Tolland ( 1- 0) at Ferrigno Field.

The Eagles, whose season- opening game against Avon on Sept. 10 was postponed due to a number of positive COVID- 19 test results within their rival's program, kicked off their campaign last Friday night with an 18- 7 home victory over East Catholic.

Prose is well aware that his Whips will need to pare down the number of mistakes and take advantage of their own opportunities when they possess the ball if they hope to topple Tolland.

" Tolland is a really athletic club with a good running back and we'll be chasing receivers and a mobile quarterback again," said Prose. " They all run that spread offense and Tolland executes really well."

Junior quarterback Nathan Bowes completed 12- of- 20 pass attempts for 189 yards and hooked up with three different receivers — junior Blake Alexander ( 3 catches, 51 yards), junior Malik Diaby ( 3, 38) and senior Thomas Sheehan (3, 74) — for touchdowns against East Catholic.

Alexander also kept East Catholic's defense honest while carrying the ball nine nine times for 94 yards out of the backfield.

Windham's defense, shredded by Waterford's hurry-up offense during a third quarter last week that saw the host Lancers run 23 plays from scrimmage compared to Windham's three and pile up 116 of their 204 total rushing yards, will again need to adjust on the fly while tackling the assignment of taking on Bowes and Co.

" We changed our scheme on them a little bit," Prose said of his squad's defensive adjustments against Waterford that included committing four down linemen at the line of scrimmage.

" We had to man up and shut the box down, but the kids still had to come up and make tackles."

Tackling could be a problem for Tolland tonight given the success that Windham's run game has enjoyed through two games.

Senior speedster Jayden Villafane ( 19 carries, 236

WHIPS, Page 10

Our kids don't give up, they battle hard and they've made mistakes at key moments, but they've also done enough to get rewarded. They just need to go out, play the way we know they're capable of and get a win.

Randall Prose

------

Whips host Tolland

Continued from Page 9

yards) knifed through, around and past Waterford's defense en route to a 12-carry, 160yard effort a week ago, an effort that included touchdown runs covering six and 70 yards to give him four TDs overall.

Junior running back Dustin Solensky has carried the ball 18 times for 79 tough yards and junior quarterback Zachary Robinson- Smey (7-of-14 passing, 134 yards, 2 interceptions) is also a threat to run with 13 carries producing 75 yards and another score for the Whips.

Prose appreciates all the production, but the sixthyear leader of the Whips knows that his players are chasing a ' bottom line' goal tonight.

"They work so hard but they really need to get rewarded for all that hard work," said Prose. "We've been right there twice for a win. It'd be nice to get one so they could have that feeling they deserve."

TODAY'S GAMES

FOOTBALL Tolland at Windham, 6 p.m.

Coventry/ Windham Tech/ Bolton/ Lyman Memorial at Stafford/ East Windsor/Somers, 6: 30 p. m.

Bloomfield at E.O. Smith, 7 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER South Windsor at RHAM, 3: 45 p. m.

Parish Hill at MLC-Bloomfield, 3:45 p.m.

Windham Tech at Lyman Memorial, 6:30 p.m.

Coventry at Ellington, ppd. to Oct. 1 BOYS SOCCER Ellington at Coventry, 5:15 p. —Parish Hill at Civic Leadership, ppd. to Oct. 7 GIRLS SWIMMING E.O. Smith at Bulkeley/HMTCA, 4 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL Coventry at Suffield, 6: 45 p. m.