Blue Devils 'Hungry' to Kick-Off New Season

On Saturday September 1, 2012, Coginchaug Regional High School football hosted a scrimmage with Eli Whitney Tech of Hamden and John F. Kennedy High School of Waterbury. This scrimmage has become an annual event and the kids really look forward to it.  

The Kennedy Eagles are a LL school and play teams within the Naugatuck Valley – Copper league during their regular season. They will face Wolcott in their season opener at home of September 15^th. Eli Whitney’s Owls came ready for a great day of football.  They face teams like Capital Prep and Prince Tech this season in the Constitution league.  

Our Blue Devils looked great.  According to Coginchaug Head Coach, John Bozzi, "This has been one of the most productive pre-seasons we've ever had.  We've got kids who are working hard and are hungry to play. An infectious enthusiasm has taken hold of the entire roster. The 'froshmores' have been particularly impressive. They’ve dominated the freshmen and JV teams they've played and have held their own when they've been matched up against opposing varsity teams."

The Coginchaug Football Club was out in force, cooking over 200 cheeseburgers and hotdogs for the players and coaches. The clubs booster director, Melynda Granger, stated “We love this event and look forward to it each year.  The kids from Eli and Kennedy are so polite and thankful for a great day of football and the cookout at the end."

The football club, which is organized by parent volunteers, offers the cookout free of charge. It was a hot day and the kids are always hungry and thirsty after the scrimmage. Club director, Bob Corazzini, talked about how football can build lasting bonds for the kids. “A growing number of Coginchaug football players are going on to play at the college level, thanks to the efforts of Coaches Bozzi and his staff," he said. "Many of the kids mention that they often meet guys from other CT teams that they faced.  One time rivals become teammates.  So these events help to demonstrate that football is a larger community and how important building these relationships is."

This past Friday, the Blue Devils hosted the Lyman Hall Trojans at home. In what we hope is a good omen for this season, our boys were victorious scoring over 40 points.   

Coginchaug kicks off this season with an away battle at Nonnewaug High School on September 15, 2012.  Please come and cheer to show your support of Blue Devils football this season.

Submitted by Gary Paxton

Editor's Note: Look for Patch's Coginchaug Football preview this Friday.