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Huskies Make Playoffs by Defeating the Rams, 46-8

After taking a close loss to Ellington in its second-to-last game of the regular season, the Morgan football team needed to defeat Old Saybrook-Westbrook (OS-W) in its finale in order to qualify for the Class S State Playoffs. Mission accomplished.

Morgan claimed a 46-8 home victory versus the rival Rams at the Peters Complex on the night before Thanksgiving on Nov. 24. With the win, the Huskies finished the regular season with a record of 8-2 to secure the No. 8 seed in the Class S State Playoffs, edging out Sheehan (7-3) for the final spot.

Morgan also went 6-1 in the Pequot Conference Sassacus Division to take second place in the standings in its first year with Head Coach Kevin Sullivan. The Huskies opened up the State Playoffs by playing a Class S quarterfinal game at top-seeded Bloomfield earlier this week.

“It’s a fantastic accomplishment for the team. The kids are getting an opportunity to play meaningful football games after Thanksgiving,” Coach Sullivan said. “It’s what every team in the state is looking to do. We are one of 32 teams still playing, and it’s awesome for the kids. It’s fantastic for them. They put in the hard work, and it’s paying off.”

OS-W scored the first touchdown of the game when it faced divisional foe Morgan, but the Huskies responded by scoring 46 unanswered points en route to their win against the Rams, who finished the year at 0-9 overall and 0-6 in the Sassacus Division. Morgan senior captain quarterback Andrew Nye continued his sensational season by throwing for 436 yards and six touchdowns in the victory. Fellow senior captain Garret Garbinski had six receptions for 152 yards and three TDs to spur the Huskies’ offense.

OS-W scored the first touchdown of the game on a 12-yard TD run from junior quarterback Vinnie Naccarato during the first quarter. Morgan came right back when Nye threw a 52-yard pass to Garbinski for a touchdown later in the frame. Sophomore Casey Corrigan ran in the 2-point conversion to tie the score at 8-8, which was how it stood after the first quarter.

Morgan scored three touchdowns during the second quarter to take a 30-8 lead into halftime over OS-W. First, Nye tossed a 17-yard TD pass to Garbinski to give the Huskies the lead for good. Nye then caught the 2-point conversion pass from fellow senior Nick Schmidt for a 16-8 advantage.

On Morgan’s next drive, Nye completed a 15-yard scoring strike to Garbinski with one minute left in the opening half. Nye followed by completing the 2-point conversion pass to his brother, sophomore John Nye, to increase the Huskies’ lead to 24-8.

On OS-W’s ensuing series, Morgan sophomore Tyler Baldwin forced the Rams to turn the ball over when he snagged an interception. Andrew Nye then threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to John Nye to give the Huskies a 30-8 halftime advantage.

Morgan put the game away by scoring the only touchdowns of the second half during the third quarter. Andrew Nye threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to senior captain Alex Fratamico early in the third. Later in the frame, the senior captain QB found Ranaudo for a 21-yard TD pass. The Huskies took a 46-8 lead into the fourth quarter and went on to win the game by that final score.

Nye went 21-of-25 passing for 436 yards and six touchdowns for Morgan on the night. In addition to Garbinski’s six-catch, 152-yard, three-score performance, Fratamico had seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown to aid the Huskies’ passing attack. Ranaudo caught five passes for 77 yards and a TD, while John Nye had the 65-yard touchdown catch.

Corrigan had two carries for 20 yards and also reeled in a 16-yard reception. Schmidt added an 11-yard catch for Coach Sullivan’s club.

“I’m extremely proud of this group—their resiliency, their work ethic, the want to get better every day. We lost our first game of the season, but we put our heads down and kept working every day,” said Sullivan. “It was about getting better and putting ourselves in a position where we can achieve our goals and make the playoffs. We wanted to make Morgan relevant again, and they have done a great job of that. It’s a great group of kids, and they are the ones who put us in this position.”

The 8th-seeded Huskies played at No. 1 seed Bloomfield (10-0) in the quarterfinals of the Class S State Playoffs on Nov. 30 (after press time). If Morgan won that game, it will face the winner of No. 4 Holy Cross and No. 5 New Fairfield in the semifinals on Sunday, Dec. 5 at 12:30 p.m. The championship game is on Saturday, Dec. 11.

On the other side of the tournament, No. 2 seed Cromwell-Portland played No. 7 Notre Dame-Fairfield in one of the Class S quarterfinal games, while No. 3 Ansonia faced No. 6 Seymour in the other quarterfinal contest. One of Morgan’s two losses on the season was a 36-8 defeat versus Cromwell-Portland, which went on to win the Pequot Conference Sassacus Division.

Before it faced OS-W in its regular-season finale, Morgan took a 28-26 road loss to Ellington on Nov. 19. Andrew Nye went 26-for-45 with 303 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. Garbinski had nine catches for 118 yards and a touchdown, Fratamico had 10 receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown, and Schmidt caught three passes for 65 yards and a TD.

Prior to playing Morgan, OS-W had taken a 40-8 road loss against Coventry-Windham Tech-Bolton-Lyman on Nov. 19.