On a picturesque homecoming Saturday, the Staples football team shut out the Westhill Vikings in an assertive 34-0 win. Highlighted by an impressive 167 rushing yards by Ethan Burger ’17 (#25) in his first ever start, the Wreckers now sit with a 2-1 record following a heartbreaking loss to Xavier on opening day.

The Wreckers had plenty of support as hundreds of superfans donning blue and white paraded into Staples Stadium following the annual motorcade. The spirited student section was one of the loudest and largest in recent memory.

“I thought there were a lot more people at the game this year,” Sam Ahlgrim ’16 said. Ahlgrim also noted that the large turnout made it much more fun to watch the game.

The Wreckers scored early and often, ending the 1st quarter with a 21-0 lead following a 71 yard touchdown pass by quarterback Teddy Coogan ’15 (#3) in the final seconds of the quarter.

After gaining a commanding lead, the Wreckers’ brick wall of a defense held it with ease. The Wreckers allowed only one first down in the first half, and have shutouts in two of their last three games.

Cornerback Ben Thaw ’16 (#15) described the experience of playing on such a large stage as “really awesome,” and added that the large crowd contributed to the big win. “We couldn’t have done it without [the fans],” Thaw said.

After setting the all time Staples record with a 43 yard field goal against Wilton last week, kicker Paul Tricarico ’16 (#1) had another impressive performance with 24 and 38 yard field goals along with four successful extra points.

The Wreckers have another pivotal FCIAC game versus Stamford next Thursday at Staples Stadium at 7:00.