The Valley Regional-Old Lyme (VR-OL) football team improved its record to 8-1 on the season after earning a convincing victory versus divisional opponent Old Saybrook-Westbrook (OS-W) last week. On Nov. 16, the Warriors squared off against the Rams at Valley Regional High School and won the game by the score of 46-8 to move to 8-1 overall with a record of 5-1 in the Pequot Conference Sassacus Division. VR-OL is in contention to make the Class SS State Playoffs heading into its regular-season finale with Haddam-Killingworth.

VR-OL jumped put to a 13-0 lead after the first quarter and was up 32-0 at halftime when it hosted OS-W last week. The Warriors added two touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 46-0 advantage into the fourth.

Junior quarterback Grady Lacourciere rushed for a 28-yard touchdown to score the first points of the game in the opening quarter. Senior Jake Rand kicked the extra point to put VR-OL up 7-0. Later in the period, Rand scored on a 26-yard touchdown run to make it 13-0 after one.

Lacourciere connected with senior Andrew Yeremenson on a 7-yard TD pass for the Warriors in the second quarter. Rand hit the extra point for a 20-0 lead. Senior DiAngelo Jean-Pierre followed with a 7-yard touchdown rush later in the frame to increase the lead to 26-0. VR-OL finished off the first half with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Lacourciere to Cox, giving the Warriors a 32-0 advantage at intermission.

Rand added a pair of running touchdowns in the third quarter to blow the game open. Rand first rushed for a 6-yard touchdown and then broke off a 63-yard TD run—hitting the extra point after both scores—to put the final stamp on a commanding win for the Warriors. OS-W scored its lone touchdown of the game during the fourth quarter for the 46-8 final.

Rand had 13 carries for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns to go with a 9-yard reception for VR-OL in the victory. Lacourciere went 13-of-21 passing for 103 yards and 2 TDs and also had 4 carries for 15 yards on the night.

Cox had 6 catches for 48 yards and a touchdown to go along with a 13-yard run in the game. Yermenson grabbed 5 receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown, while fellow Jean-Pierre ran for a 7-yard TD to help Head Coach Hill Gbunblee’s team earn its third-straight win.

Senior Michael Galberth and sophomore Tommy Troy both had an interception on defense to help VR-OL defeat the Rams. Senior Adam Metz recovered a fumble for the Warriors. Sophomore Matt Cooper had 6 tackles, while Cox made 5 tackles in the victory.

VR-OL is currently in the No. 8 spot in the Class SS State Playoff rankings for which the top eight squads qualify. The Warriors are on the road to face divisional rival Haddam-Killingworth in the annual battle for the Principal’s Cup in their last game of the regular season this week. The game takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at H-K High School. The Cougars, who are in contention to make the Class S State Playoffs, enter the contest with an overall record of 5-3 and a mark of 3-2 in the Pequot Conference Sassacus Division this year.

The Warriors’ other wins this year have come against North Branford (13-7), Coginchaug/Hale-Ray/East Hampton (61-12), Morgan (48-0), Coventry-Windham Tech-Bolton-Lyman (57-6), Capital-Achievement (28-0), Stafford-East Windsor-Somers (29-14), and the CREC Co-op (42-6). VR-OL took its lone defeat of the season with a 28-27 road loss to Cromwell-Portland on Oct. 28.