Strong Line Play Helps Farmington Gridders Win Opener

A faster start would have been much to the liking of Farmington High football coach Chris Machol.

But penalties and dropped balls as a result of nervous minds and hands are no surprise when a young football team plays its first game, particularly when it’s the longest road trip of the season.

The Indians settled down nicely and motored back from Tolland with a 21-7 victory over E.O. Smith, presenting Machol an optimistic overall picture of what the 2011 season could have in store.

“We got off to a little bit of a slow start defensively but I thought we played well right from the start,” Machol said. “Their quarterback (Kodey Duplissie) was tough to tackle. Every pass they completed was on a broken play. He was very creative when things broke down around him but we were in the right place.

“Offensively we came out a little slow but we have a new quarterback (Brian Logan), a new tailback (Adam Buono) and a lot of new receivers. The line played very well. Once we settled down and stopped making penalties, we outgained them. We controlled the game. We didn’t score the way we would have liked but overall it was a good win after a long trip.”

Logan completed 14 of 22 passes for 112 yards including a touchdown strike to Mike Landini. Buono piled up 119 yards rushing and scored a touchdown. Reserve quarterback Jeremy Buck scored the other touchdown on a short run.

The 190 yards the Indians’ running game generated was a tribute to the offensive line. The starters were Matt LeBlanc at center, Thomas Stevens at left guard, Anthony Griner at right guard, with Branden Marquis and Jo Fillian at the tackles.

“Marquis was very good,” Machol said. “I think he had in the neighborhood of six pancakes and at nose guard he was an absolute pain for them. He was pushing guys back into the pocket.

“We knew he was strong. The question was if he would be able to play both ways as a starter. He was dragging a little but overall I was impressed with his conditioning.”

On defense, inside linebacker Mitch Berlandy had a team-high seven tackles and sophomore free safety Mike Landry had six. Fillian, a defensive end, had two sacks. Machol was especially pleased with the secondary.

“I don’t want to say it was much maligned but it was a weakness last year and the guys did a great job making adjustments,” Machol said. “Will Galske had two interceptions and two passes broken up. He was essentially our player of the week. Landry had an interception in his first varsity start.”

Logan and Buck were neck and neck for the starting quarterback slot. Machol went with Logan, a junior, but Buck, a sophomore, also took some snaps.

“Buck ran the under-center stuff,” Machol said. “He gets out a little quicker but Brian did a good job. If he got in trouble, we had Buck.”

Machol kept it simple on offense and Logan made good reads.

“At our level it’s as much confidence as anything else, and that’s what we’re working on with them,” the coach said. “They’re both inexperienced. Just throw the ball where it needs to go and trust that the receivers will make the play.”

First-year senior Max Spracklin lived up to that expectation, grabbing a team-best six passes for 45 yards. Landini and Kenny Jones had two receptions apiece. Mike English fought off the extra attention he received to make three grabs.

“Mike was double- and triple-teamed,” Machol said. “Last year he had a great game against them. He burned them a few times so they changed up what they did and always knew where he was. He was frustrated but got his touches. He opened it up for the other guys. Once we start to spread it around, he’ll find himself open.”

The Indians host Maloney Friday night with kickoff slated for 7 p.m.

The Spartans, known for their speed game, lost a 27-22 decision to Hartford Public at home in Week 1. They blew a 22-7 halftime lead and fumbled away a chance to win.

Machol is impressed by fleet running back Karim St. Luce, who scored two touchdowns, one on an 84-yard kickoff return. The Indians will need to offset St. Luce’s explosiveness and deal with the Spartans’ determination to avoid an 0-2 start.

“If [St. Luce] is not the fastest player we’ll see all season, he’s up there,” Machol said. “We'll have to make sure we contain him.”

Maloney runs a wing-T, which thrives on deception. The Spartans don’t throw much but have the speed to break off big plays.

“It’s an offense we haven’t seen,” Machol said. “They don’t throw a lot but when they do, it’s down the field. They use a lot of misdirection, pulling their guards on the sweep.”