RHS Boosted By Tradition, Lessons On Way To Football Title Game

VERNON, CT — And so it has come to this for the 2021 Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class M football championship ... It's the top two seeds — No. 2 Rockville (10-2) against No. 1 seed Killingly (11-0) — vying for the title Saturday.

Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium in New Britain.

Rockville advanced to the championship game by defeating Torrington 42-12 Sunday at home. The Rams have not advanced to a championship game since 1995.

Ram coach Eric Knickerbocker pointed to a culture change at a recent CIAC new conference.

"It was about changing the culture," he said. "Each year we have kind of grown on that a bit."

Added RHS lineman James Tyus, "We're all brothers ... we all stick together."

Part of the equation, Knickerbocker said, was bringing renewed pride back to the program by "looking to the past."

The first order of business was to reinvent "the bell," an antique, 26-inch cast iron locomotive bell, painted in the team's colors. It is mounted on a cart and sits on the sidelines at home games and is rung after scores.

Then, there is the Ram, a product of the RHS agricultural education program next door to the stadium.

As RHS player James Wheeler put it t the news conference, "Not many high school teams have a live mascot."

The quest for a state title has caused quite a buzz around Vernon, especially from a certain native who happens to the be the town's chief executive.

"It is clear this is a special group of athletes and under the guidance of Coach Erick Knickerbocker and his assistants they have made us all proud," Vernon Mayor Daniel Champagne said. "I know everyone in Vernon joins me in wishing the team all the best on Saturday."

Another boost was the new RHS artificial turf field, paid for without borrowing from municipal and school system funds. In past playoff appearances, Rockville has not been able to play at home because of wet field conditions.

"This has really energized the high school,” Vernon Superintendent of Schools Joseph Macary said. "Everybody is talking about it in the hallways and classrooms. It's a great thing. But even more importantly, what do we want our students and graduates to be? We want them to be resilient. The Rockville High School football team is resilient."

And the Rams learned a few "lessons," as Knickerbocker put it, especially on the first day of school, when a confirmed coronavirus case quarantined about half the team.

"We had to cancel a scrimmage. We had to move our first game. They lost their first game," Macary said. "And here they are going to the Class M finals at Willowbrook Park in New Britain. What’s better than that? These kids are the real deal. They play very, very well, and I think they are hitting their peak at the right time. We bring our A game, watch out Killingly."

Prior to a peer rally Friday at the school, Rockville High School Athletic Director Jeff Farrell said he could feel an energy on campus.

"There is certainly a buzz in the building," he said. "We will have a fan bus and are working on getting a large crowd there to support our team. We are all proud of the team and the work they have done. It’s been a very positive thing for our entire school community and town."

Tickets are only available online at the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference website: http://ciacsports.com/.