Granby Football's Past, Present and Future on Display in Homecoming Game

Neither the unexpected rain shower, nor Granby Memorial High’s 39-8 loss at the hands of Housatonic Regional/Wamogo dampened the festive Homecoming atmosphere on Saturday afternoon at Ahrens Park Field.

OK, first the tough news for Granby: Housatonic running back Jake Sutterlin steamrolled his way to 238 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries as part of an attack that racked up over 350 yards on the ground. And, yes, Granby (1-3) again turned the ball over too many times (5) to challenge a team of Housatonic's (4-0) caliber.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Granby head coach Paul Schmutz acknowledged after the game. “We’re not where we want to be. Again, it was turnovers that did us in.”

But there were also plenty of positives that aligned themselves with the homecoming theme of Granby Football: Past, Present and Future.

Part of the crowd of about 500 people was comprised of several former Bears and the members of the Simsbury/Granby Raiders youth football team, all of whom were introduced before the game and at halftime, representing the not-too-distant past - remember Granby is in just its second year at the varsity level - and the near future.

They were all on hand to cheer for the present incarnation of the Bears, which has shown slow, but steady improvement, particularly on defense.

Led by Jordyn Hurley (9 tackles, 1 sack), Tom Ullmann (9 tackles) and tackle Jake Largay (3 tackles), the defense has developed a reputation as being a tough, hard-hitting unit, which didn’t make things easy on Housatonic’s single-wing offense.

“They did a good job of taking away our middle running game,” said Housatonic head coach Deron Bayer. “But, it opened up our off-tackle game. … They certainly made it tough for us, because they are tough, physical kids. [Largay] is a heckuva player, and so is [Calib McMullin]. They have very good athletes and they tackle well. They didn’t make things easy on us.”

Granby fell behind 26-0 at halftime before getting on the board in the third quarter  after Ullmann recovered Housatonic's botched long snap at the Housatonic 18 yard line.

McMullin (3 carries, 13 yards; 4 receptions, 43 yards, 1 touchdown) capped a three-play drive with a gritty 10-yard scoring run to get the Bears on the board at 26-6.

The defense also added a safety in the fourth quarter to cap the Bears scoring.

While Granby continues to make strides on the field, the booster club and team parents are working hard to create a winning atmosphere for the team off the field, evidenced by the new scoreboard unveiled at the game, as well as the new cheerleading squad that also made its debut at the game.

“[Former booster club President] Frank Lucca did an excellent job last year, and [co-Presidents] Brad Field and Kevin Blake have done a tremendous job getting other things we need, like the scoreboard and getting the cheerleaders involved,” said Schmutz, adding that what Granby needs more than anything right now is patience. “I did this [started a new football program] before in Springfield, Mass. I know it takes a while. It takes a few years to get a program going. We got the first win a couple of weeks ago, now we just need to play a little better and hopefully get two or three more.

“Last time I did this, we went 3-7, then we went 3-6-1 and then fourth year we played for the league championship. We lost, but the fifth year, we don’t have a state champion up there, we have the Super Bowl, and we ended up going to the Super Bowl. So it just takes time and we’re getting there. The kids have got to realize to, some of them have just started playing football. We need to work hard and we need to be a little bit more focused and stop the turnovers. If we can stop the turnovers, we’ll be in some games.”

The Bears are scheduled to face Avon on the road on Oct. 22.

Notes: Getting the scoreboard on line was quite an adventure, requiring more than a few members of the business community to step up. Kevin Blake said that the boosters decided three months ago put a scoreboard up at the Bears current home at Ahrens Park. "Prior to this, the whistle would blow and you walk off the field and a lot of people forgot what the score was or people didn't know how much time was left," Blake said.

The boosters found a company in Alabama that sells refurbished scoreboards, which they purchased for $3,750.

"They gave us a phenomenal price, including delivery," Blake said. "It's a college scoreboard. Because it was delayed a few weeks, they [threw in] the control board, which is normally $850."

Blake credited several local businesses - JB's Hardwood Floors, Arrow Concrete, Small Town Septic Systems, Power Line Electric and Concrete Creations - for the last-minute heroics in erecting the scoreboard.

Due to the rainy weather, Blake said that the people installing the scoreboard were at the park until 9 p.m. Friday. Power Line Electric stepped up and wired the scoreboard - right up until game time - at the last minute when the original electrician who volunteered his time had to pull out of the project.

"We called [Power Line] at 5 p.m. last night, they were here at 7:30 a.m.," said Blake, who also credited the players' parents for the hard work they put in for the team. "We had 25 parents here this morning doing stuff."

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