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12/12/2015 11:00 PMThe Valley Regional-Old Lyme football team graduated several key athletes from last season’s Class S Large Division state championship team and so there was potential for the Warriors to have a down year in 2015. After the squad dropped its first two games, the possibility of that happening looked even greater. Still, Head Coach Tim King remained optimistic, saying his athletes would “learn to play together” and that “by the end of the season, we will play good football.” Truer words have never been spoken as Valley-Old Lyme righted the ship and ended the season on a four-game winning streak to go 6-4 overall with a mark of 3-2 in the Pequot Conference South Division for second place—not bad for a supposed rebuilding season.
“We had a lot of great moments this season. The North Branford overtime game [a 27-21 win] after my father passed is up there with the state title game. Taking home the Principal’s Cup [by beating Haddam-Killingworth 27-13 in the season finale], the victory on Senior Night [a 62-22 win over Canton] was also very special to me. Those guys gave their heart and soul for this program, so to send them off with a win was huge,” Coach King said. “Jared [Roche], Will [Visgilio], Jack [Giaconia], all of them—they deserve a lot of credit for last year and for keeping this team afloat through all the injuries and they finished with a winning record all four years, which is something to be very proud of.”
The Warriors’ slow start could be largely attributed to the team breaking in new players who were learning on the fly, while cutting their teeth at the varsity level, in addition to a rash of injuries to major players like quarterback Matt Sapere. Valley’s season featured a few turning points and the first came in a road game versus North Branford on Oct. 1. At 1-2, the Warriors were badly in need of a win and, just two days prior to the game, Coach King’s father passed away at the age of 92. George King, Sr., was a World War II veteran and the oldest living former Old Lyme football player dating back to the 1942-’43 season. It had been nearly 65 years since Old Lyme kids were able to play football and the Warriors’ biggest fan was a pivotal factor in bringing the game back to town. Before the contest, the Valley-Old Lyme players dedicated the game to Coach King and his family. It was an emotional moment and Warriors’ student-athletes were going to do whatever they could to make sure the man who led them to a 13-0 record and the team’s first state championship last year would have a joyous moment amidst such a difficult time. The game didn’t start out the way the squad wanted as it trailed 14-0, but the Warriors fought back to tie the game at 14 and force overtime. Valley-Old Lyme grabbed the lead in the second overtime on a Sapere 1-yard run and clung to a 27-21 advantage. North Branford took possession and eventually had a 3rd-and-goal from the 8-yard line. The T-Birds called a short pass play and waiting in the flat was linebacker Dan Stecher, who picked off the pass inside the 5 to seal the win, after which Valley-Old Lyme’s athletes celebrated the win with their beloved coach.
The Warriors later hit another crossroads when they dropped to 2-4, but then started to get healthy and used the experience they’d gained to stop making the mistakes that hampered them earlier in the season. Valley brought a three-game win streak into its last game at Haddam-Killingworth with the Principal’s Cup at stake and both squads sporting 5-4 records. Entering the second half tied at 13, the Warriors came out fired up, drove down the field, and faced a critical 4th-and-1 on the Cougars 17. The Warriors went for it and Sapere tossed a touchdown pass to senior captain tight end Visgilio to give them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in a 27-13 win that retained the Principal’s Cup and sent off the seniors with a winning record of 6-4.
“Each week, we got better. Early, we made mistakes. As we got healthy and the younger guys got more plays under their belts, we came on strong. These kids stuck together, the seniors did a tremendous job, and we came through to end the year on a four-game winning streak,” Coach King said. “I think our coaches did an incredible job and really stepped up when adversity hit.”
Valley’s staff featured Kevin Woods [offensive coordinator], Bobby Sanchez [defensive coordinator], Steve Woods [special teams/offensive assistant], Anthony Pagano [assistant offensive coordinator], Jake Bocian [defensive assistant], Pete Woodcock [assistant coach], Brandon Woodcock [assistant coach], Hill Gbunblee [offensive assistant], student managers Erica Vaccaro and Graham Rider, plus trainer Ryan Cobane.
Like all teams, the Warriors are losing some players to graduation, including three of their four captains in Roche, Giaconia, and Visgilio. Mitch Conrad was a junior captain. Other seniors who will be missed are Will Elliott, Sean Hunt, Gus Cummins, Matt Robertson, Austin Guasp, Dillon Rodriguez, and Luke Williams. The cupboard won’t be bare for next year, though, as Valley-Old Lyme returns a lot of talent, especially at the skill positions. Some of the key members for the 2016 squad will be quarterback Sapere, leading rusher Stecher, and top receiver Garrett Burdick.
“I’m pretty excited for next year. Our skill positions will be strong,” said King. “This could be the best core of receivers we’ve ever had and we have some young players who lettered this year as freshman—Jason [O’Brien], Ryan [Santos], and Justin [Robida]—to go along with our juniors, who will become team leaders.”
On offense, Valley-Old Lyme was guided by Sapere, who completed 95-of-179 passes for 1,329 yards with 13 touchdowns and carried the ball 74 times for 250 yards and four TDs; Stecher, who led the Warriors in rushing with 129 carries for 793 yards at 6.1 yards per carry and 11 touchdowns, while catching 21 passes for 129 yards; Roche, who carried 17 times for 119 yards and had 13 receptions for 122 yards and a TD, along with kicking 22 extra points and one field goal; Cummins, who was the team’s leading receiver with 24 catches for 536 yards at 22.3 yards a pop and four TDs; sophomore Ernest Jean-Pierre, who had 21 receptions for 249 yards at 24.9 yards per catch to go along with three scores; Burdick, who finished with 19 catches for 253 yards and three TDs; plus Visgilio and freshman Jason O’Brien, who each caught a touchdown pass.
On defense, Roche finished with 110 total tackles with 20 for loss, one interception, two fumble recoveries, and one sack; Stecher had 110 total tackles that included 11 for loss with one INT and one fumble recovery; Cummins recorded 57 tackles, three INTs, and one fumble recovery; Burdick had four interceptions and 34 tackles; Elliot had 78 tackles and two sacks; Visgilio made 46 tackles and added three sacks; Giaconia had 75 tackles and two sacks; Luke Williams finished with 33 tackles and a sack; Jean-Pierre totaled 20 tackles and one INT; and O’Brien had 57 total tackles.
Valley had several players selected to the All-Pequot Conference South Division squad. The First Team selections were Roche at linebacker, Giaconia for defensive line, Robertson on the offensive line, and Cummins for defensive back. On the Second Team was Stecher at running back and Honorable Mentions were Sapere quarterback and Burdick at defensive back.
Additionally, Valley announced its award winners at this year’s end-of-the-season banquet. They were Judson O’Brien (Warrior Tough Award), Hunt (Senior Award), Guasp (Senior Award), Elliott (Hustle Award), Williams (First-Year Player Award), Rodriguez (Never Give Up Award), Visgilio (Special Teams Award), Roche (Special Teams Award, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Valuable Player), Robertson (Coaches’ Award), Giaconia (Lineman of the Year), Cummins (Most Improved Player), Stecher (Offensive Player of the Year), and Sapere (Offensive Player of the Year).
The Warriors also announced their captains for 2016 in Conrad, Sapere, Burdick, and Stecher.
Valley-Old Lyme’s victories this season came against Enfield (34-14), North Branford (27-21 in double overtime), Coginchaug (31-20), Old Saybrook-Westbrook (27-13), Canton (a 62-22 win that saw the team set a school record for points), and Haddam-Killingworth (27-13). The Warriors lost to Hyde-Career-Whitney (13-0), Morgan (40-0), Granby Memorial (35-6), Ellington (24-0). Valley-Old Lyme also went 3-2 in Pequot Conference South Division by defeating North Branford, Old Saybrook-Westbrook, and Haddam-Killingworth, while losing against Hyde-Career-Whitney and Morgan.