Year two of Tyler Wilcox’s tenure as head coach of the Haddam-Killingworth football team began with a bang as the Cougars posted a 30-0 shutout over Old Saybrook-Westbrook (OS-W) in their season opener last week. With most of last year’s team returning, Coach Wilcox is looking for H-K to rely on its experience as the Cougars try to make a run to the top of the Pequot Conference.

H-K started off its season by playing a Saturday afternoon game against OS-W at Old Saybrook High School on Sept. 10, winning the contest in dominant fashion. H-K set the tone when senior captain quarterback Alex Phipps found fellow senior Zenon Kolcio for a 49-yard touchdown pass to open up the scoring in the first quarter. Kolcio kicked the extra point to make it 7-0.

Junior Wyatt Solosky capped off the opening period by kicking a 30-yard field goal to put H-K up 10-0. Following a scoreless second quarter, the Cougars took their 10-point advantage into halftime.

After the break, Phipps scored on an 8-yard rush to extend the lead to 17-0. In the fourth quarter, Phipps connected with senior captain Tate Callender for a 32-yard touchdown strike. Kolcio kicked his third extra point of the game to make it 24-0. Later in the frame, Kolcio returned an interception 17 yards for a touchdown to put the finishing touches on a 30-0 victory for H-K.

Phipps ended the contest completing 9-of-15 passes for 229 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kolcio had five receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Callender caught 4 passes for 132 yards and a TD.

The Cougars forced 4 turnovers on defense in the win. H-K’s staunch defensive effort included interceptions from by Jacob McGoey and sophomore Ryan Rafferty.

Coach Wilcox was impressed with how H-K performed during its first game of the season. Wilcox felt the performance showed the potential of how strong of a team the Cougars can be this year.

“The team did well. Old Saybrook is a good team. They’ve got good players and a good coaching staff. But defensively, we were able to cause four turnovers and capitalize on those,” Wilcox said. “We really put it together in the second half and took control of the game. We didn’t look back from there.”

H-K’s potential for a solid season largely stems from the vast amount of returning players on this year’s roster. Due to that experience, Coach Wilcox feels that his team is able to do more on the offensive side of the ball this season. Overall, H-K’s roster grew in size heading into the 2022 campaign. As the Cougars prepared for the first whistle of the year, Wilcox said that they were locked in and ready to prove that they could compete against anyone.

“It went great. We have a lot of seniors coming back. The team expanded by about 20 guys during the offseason,” said Wilcox. “It was good having everybody back for the preseason. Everybody is healthy and ready to go.”

H-K is being led by a senior captain trio of Tate Callender, Alex Phipps, and Joe Whiteside this year. The Callender name is well-known within the Cougars’ community, and Tate is the final member of the family who is looking to leave his mark. Coach Wilcox said that he’s natural leader who leads both vocally and through his play.

Wilcox conveyed the same sentiments about Phipps, adding that his teammates are always lined up to follow the senior captain QB. Whiteside comes from a military family, and Wilcox said that he brings that type of attitude to practice and runs a very tight ship.

While leading the team as a captain, Phipps is also serving as H-K’s leader on offense in the starting quarterback role. Coach Wilcox said that Phipps has improved tremendously over the years and has all the necessary tools to guide the Cougars to a successful campaign.

“Alex can pretty much do it all at quarterback. He’s not afraid to run this year.

He has been moving around more than in year’s past,” Wilcox said. “He’s a great decision maker and very accurate with the football. He’s got veteran receivers around him that he has played with since youth football.”

In addition to the captains and Kolcio, H-K’s senior class also includes Andrew Nugent, Orion Inkel, Connor Schipritt, Kevin Gamache, Lawson Doverspike, Caleb Dias, Jayden Fulton, Kevin Fisher, Dylan Coon, Jesse Fazzone, Nicholas Frasco, Jacob Maier, Calvin Napoletano, John Panzera, Logan Rich, and Neal Scheppach.

Inkel is an integral member of the Cougars’ backfield and someone who Coach Wilcox calls one of the best players in the Pequot Conference. When Phipps throws the ball, he will be passing to a receiving corps led by Kolcio and Callender. Wilcox said that Kolcio is a tall, physical receiver, while Callender has the athleticism to play all over the field.

H-K’s offensive line is anchored by Whiteside and fellow senior Kevin Fisher. Juniors Luke Dooley and Cooper Pitts and sophomore Trevor Dixon are also offensive linemen for the Cougars.

Coach Wilcox said that H-K’s offense is looking to move the ball consistently this season. The Cougars know that they have skill-position players who can move the chains. Wilcox feels that the key for H-K’s offense will be to keep opposing teams on their toes and take advantage of any defensive breakdowns or mismatches.

“Distribute the ball around evenly. Keep teams guessing, especially with Orion in the backfield and our receivers,” said Wilcox. “It’s just taking what the defense gives us. We’re looking forward to being able to check in and out of things on offense.”

Many of the team’s leaders on offense are also defensive stalwarts for H-K. Inkel is one of the starting middle linebackers with Wilcox referring to him as the captain of the defense. Callender will be all over the gridiron by playing outside linebacker, cornerback, and safety. Kolcio is a key member of a defensive line that also features seniors Kevin Gamache and Dylan Coon.

On the heels of its season-opening victory, H-K is getting ready to face Morgan on the road for its next game on Friday, Sept. 16. The contest gets underway at 6:30 p.m. at the Peters Complex in Clinton.

As his team progresses through the season, Coach Wilcox and the Cougars are focused on becoming a top squad in the Pequot Conference. With so many returning players, Wilcox believes this year’s team has the ability to reach those heights. In order for H-K to succeed, Wilcox said that his players will have to lean on their experience, while correcting that mistakes that prevented the team from achieving its full potential last season.

“Essentially everybody is returning from last year. We were a 2-8 team last year and lost three games by a total of six points. Those were all self-inflicted wounds,” Wilcox said. “With this experience and learning from those games last year, this crew is hungry. They’re ready to finish it. We’re relying on this experienced group.”

The athletes in the Haddam-Killingworth football program include senior captains Alex Phipps, Tate Callender and Joe Whiteside; seniors Andrew Nugent, Zenon Kolcio, Orion Inkel, Connor Schipritt, Kevin Gamache, Lawson Doverspike, Caleb Dias, Jayden Fulton, Kevin Fisher, Dylan Coon, Jesse Fazzone, Nicholas Frasco, Jacob Maier, Calvin Napoletano, John Panzera, Logan Rich, and Neal Scheppach; juniors Eric Vincent, Jacob McGoey, Lorenzo Rich, Luke Dooley, Cooper Pitts, Jake DePino, Wyatt Solosky, and Kevin White; sophomores Joseph Slane, Ryan Rafferty, Timothy Cavrell, Michael Brooks, Gunnar Howes, Trevor Dixon, Stephen Signore, Jayden Quinones, Colin Castagno, Christopher Frasco, Hunter Leslie, Riley Schipritt, Jesse LaViola, Michael Gaines, James Inkel, Bryce Lacoss, Jacob Lamare, Lucas Lawlor, Thomas Lundgren, and Leo Wolf; and freshmen Lucas Dias, Joshua Frith, Marcel Inkel, Axel Kolcio, Chase Lombardi-Bole, Caleb McLean, Ian McLean and John Moyher.