Sometimes in sports, and very much so in life, you have to stumble a bit in order to get ahead to the next tier of success. In that rebound period, you must look inward and see the missing links that slowly progress. For the Valley Regional-Old Lyme (VR-OL) football team, it is quite optimistic that its offseason full of reflection will display prominence this fall.

The Warriors took a bit of a step back in 2023, after posting a 1-9 mark, which came on the heels of a state championship game appearance in 2022. Head Coach Hill Gbunblee reflected that last year, the boys got away from the type of football this program and community certainly identifies with. For this fall, though, the boys have returned with a grander sense of perspective after taking great reflection on some shortcomings in the body of work put out on the gridiron.

“The biggest goal is that we want to get back to playing Warrior football. The way we played last year did not reflect our program or community,” said Gbunblee. “We want to get back to basics and put something on the field we can be proud of. We did not like how things looked at the end of last year, so we will preach discipline and respect and understand that losing is part of the process.”

Leading the charge back to prominence will be a captain in junior Reed Schmelzer, serving as a two-way lineman in the trenches. Joining him will be another now two-time captain of senior defensive end and running back Max Novak–making a comeback after missing last year with an ACL tear. Running back and lineman junior Chase King is back for another go-around, plus one final captain is senior Giovanni Winters-assuming the quarterback role as the signal caller in only his second year on the roster.

“Reid is a great leader who has started since his freshman year. He is a solid kid with great character. Max was a great leader when he was hurt last year off the field. He has put in amazing work in the weight room, and he will be a key contributor,” said Gbunblee. “Chase is a legacy player, as his older brother was on the team. He has been a great contributor since he joined the team and has put countless hours in. Gio is a great character guy; he is incredibly positive and a fierce competitor. All of them bring a lot of experience and that Warrior mentality.”

Reigning team MVP and senior Jovanie Molina is back at guard and defensive line and will look to leave every ounce of energy on the field. Junior Conor Dickson looks to be the Swiss Army Knife for VR-OL. Lastly, senior lineman Rigo Chirinos is ready to use his speed and raw athleticism to swiftly surge the Warriors.

“Jovanie is possibly the hardest worker on the field. He gives you everything he has got, and then some,” said Gunblee. “Connor is one of the more versatile guys on the field. He is our Taysom Hill. You name the position, he can do it. Rico is someone we are seeing strength and a burst of speed out of. We know our boys are ready and willing to give it everything they’ve got.”

Gbunblee explained that after such a disappointing season, it is always hard but necessary work to find out what pieces need to be left aside in all facets in order to forge ahead. He added that this year it is not just solely on the players to work collectively to improve upon 2023’s mark, but it is also on the master motivators of coaches to find the right formula to push them to their fullest potentials.

“Coaching can be hard when you are coming off of a losing year because you have to re-assess what you are doing and what changes need to be made,” said Gbunblee. “We are trying to push something out there we can be proud of. It is about changing the culture here from last season. It also involves bringing in the right coaches that can push the kids to help them grow. So far, they have responded well, and we felt good about our scrimmages. Again, we want to be happy and proud of the product we put on the field each week. But what really matters is that we will have left it all out on the field when it is done. We just have to do our best, and then keep on pushing.”

The 2024 Warriors’ roster is comprised of seniors Thomas Troy, Cam Atkinson, Alex Kruzel-Boxwell, Winters, Novak, Matt Cooper, Molina, Peter Kuhn, Chirinos, Joseph Medel-Herrera; juniors of King, Garrison Nankee, Rowan Wyrebek-Brasky, Dickson, Jackson Pannier, Jack Knudsen, Mike Spencer, Churchill Roberts, Mike Chirinois, Jayden Vasquez, CJ Zapatka, Quinn Hadarik, Tesering Samphel, Will Sicignano, Eli Torres, James Preston, Schmelzer; sophomores Charles Edwards, Kevork Shegirian, Alex Krol, Charles Zelek, Paul Kuhn, Pat Lynch, Tristan Taylor, Jackson Fritz, Matt Mossberg-Philhower, Zach Belval, Kalonji Joyce, John Blalock, Kaylib Pinder-Dorothy, Luke Beighau, Chayanne Echeverria, Maxsim Stopa, Cody Donahue, William Burgess, Brodie Whelen; plus freshmen Caden Bedell, Mitchell Bowe, Eli Brainerd, Mason Brown, Anthony Cardenas, Bieler Lopez, Jayvius Molina, Finnegan Recchia, and Jaxson Welch.

Gbunblee is assisted this fall by coaches Brandon Woodcock, Jim Metz, John Pereira, and Garret Hall.

2024 Valley Regional-Old Lyme Football Regular Season Schedule

Friday, Sept. 13; at Morgan-Old Saybrook-Westbrook at Morgan at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 21: at Windsor Locks-Suffield-East Granby at Windsor Locks at 1 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 28: vs. Coginchaug/Hale-Ray/East Hampton at noon

Saturday, Oct. 5: at Capital Prep at 1:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 10: vs. North Branford at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 25: vs. Cromwell-Portland at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 1: at Weaver at 6 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 15: vs. Stafford-East Windsor-Somers at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 21: vs. Coventry-Windham Tech-Bolton-Lyman Memorial at 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 26 at Haddam-Killingworth at 6:30 p.m.