Blake's 2 TDs Key Granby's 27-12 Victory Over Canton

Junior co-captain Stephen Blake rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Granby Memorial High football team to its second-ever varsity victory, 27-12, over Canton on Thanksgiving Day at Ahrens Park.

Quarterback Curt Field also connected with receiver Zach Balboni nine times for 125 yards to key the Bears offense in the second half.

Field finished the game with 131 yards passing in just two quarters of work, filling in for Balboni, who started the game under center.

With the win, the Bears claimed the aptly named Thanksgiving Day Trophy in what was the first of an annual holiday clash between the two Pequot Uncas teams.

Blake and company gave head coach Paul Schmutz not one, but two water baths after the final whistle blew. After serving as a football coach for 36 years, including the last four as Granby Memorial’s head coach, Schmutz announced that he would retire after Thursday’s game.

“It was a great way to send the seniors and coach Schmutz out,” said Blake. “This was a good milestone for all of us.”

The Bears jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter, as Balboni, the starting quarterback, connected with Ken Mouning on a 25-yard scoring strike, followed by James Utso’s 6-yard scoring scamper.

Canton (0-10) was nothing if not resilient, however, as Kyle Mullins brought the Warriors to within 13-6 on a 42-yard touchdown run.

Later in the second period, Sebastian Gumbs scored on a 22-yard touchdown run, pulling the Warriors to 13-12

The Bears responded in the second half, with Blake scoring twice, the last of which was a three-yard plunge in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach at 27-13.

While Blake and company did a nice job on the offensive side of the ball, it was the defense that, forgive the Thanksgiving Day pun, set the table with four turnovers.

Rob Flanigan and Ken Mouning each had interceptions, while Ben Marlor and Tom Ullmann each had fumble recoveries.

“The defense was opportunistic; it worked out well,” Schmutz said.

So Granby Memorial (2-8) sent its coach and 11 seniors, six of which played for four years, out with a final victory, and the program’s first at home.

“I told the kids before the game, ‘I don’t care what your record is, there is nothing like winning the Thanksgiving Day game,’” Schmutz said in a telephone interview. “That sets the tone for next year. Going out on a winning note, you are ready to go to work and develop as a football team next year.”

The original version of this story originally stated that Stephen Blake had three touchdowns. He had two. In addition, the story stated that the first touchdown and interception was made by Kevin Mouning. The young man's name is Ken Mouning. The Granbys Patch regrets the errors.