By Cooper Boardman
LAST TIME OUT: Staples fell to eventual state champion Darien 41-7 in the first round of the Class LL state tournament. Brendan Massoud ’17 scored the only points of the game for the Wreckers, picking one off late in the game and running it back for a touchdown.
LAST TIME THEY PLAYED: The Wreckers trounced the Senators 28-0 at Jack Casagrande Field on Oct. 9, 2015. Jon Maragos ’16 scampered for a pair of touchdowns, and Andrew Speed ’17 also notched a pair of scores. Staples held McMahon to just 75 yards of total offense in the game.
THE BIG 200: With a win on Fri., Staples football head coach Marce Petroccio will capture his 200th career win. Petroccio has won five FCIAC titles and three state titles in his 24 year tenure, and would join Darien’s Rob Trifone and New Canaan’s Lou Marinelli as FCIAC coaches with 200 victories.
GROUNDED: SHS held BMHS to just 12 rushing yards in last year’s matchup.
RUNNIN’ WILD: SHS put up 232 yards of total offense vs. BHMS last year, 183 of which were on the ground.
PRESSURE-PACKED: BMHS sacked the quarterback three times in the game last October, two of which came from now-senior Marvin Jean-Pierre ’17.
HOME SWEET HOME: SHS went 4-1 at home last season and just 3-2 on the road/neutral site games.
QB MATCHUP:
—SHS: ANDREW SPEED (SECOND YEAR AS STARTER)
—BMHS: DAMIEN VEGA (BECAME STARTING QUARTERBACK HALFWAY THROUGH 2015 SEASON)
U-C, LETS GO: Ryan Fitton ’17 committed to the University of Connecticut on July fifth, joining a number of local high profile commits from the FCIAC in the last few years (Jackson Ward ’16—Harvard, Zach Allen ’15—BC, Lucas Niang ’16—TCU).
AERIAL ATTACK.. MAYBE?: The Wreckers averaged just 92.2 passing yards and 201.5 rushing yards per game last season, but with the losses of last year’s starting runningbacks Ethan Burger ’17 and Connor Adrian ’16 and a starting QB now in his second year, Staples is expected to throw the ball much more.
BIG SHOES TO FILL: Last year’s leading rusher Ethan Burger will miss 2016 with an ACL injury. The UVM lacrosse commit rushed for 582 yards and six TDs in just five games last year, and 1,260 yards and 11 TD in 2014.
OTHER KEY LOSSES: Jackson Ward ’16 (Harvard), Evan Gilland ’16 (Union), Colin Hoy ’16 (Hamilton), Ben Thaw ’16 (Wesleyan).
STAPLES’ SEASON SCHEDULE:
9/9 vs. Brien McMahon
9/16 @ Danbury
9/23 vs. Wilton
9/30 vs. Fairfield Warde
10/8 @ Norwich Free Academy
10/14 @ Stamford
10/21 @ Ridgefield
11/4 vs. St. Joseph
11/11 vs. Darien
11/24 @ Greenwich
AROUND THE LEAGUE: Three of the top five teams in the GametimeCT/New Haven Register state preseason rankings were from the FCIAC, with Darien at one, New Canaan at two and Staples at four.
RAM N’ WAVE: A team not named New Canaan or Darien has not won an FCIAC title since 2012, when Staples defeated Greenwich.
WIDE OPEN: The FCIAC race is deeper in years past, with both Darien and New Canaan losing key members from last year’s state championship teams, and teams such as Greenwich, Trinity Catholic, Ridgefield, Trumbull and Staples all with returning starters.
EASY…ER: Staples’ FCIAC East Division features tough opponents in Darien and St. Joseph, but the Wreckers avoid the majority of the league’s gauntlet in the attempt to capture a division title, with New Canaan, Trumbull, Ridgefield and Trinity all in the West.
OUT OF THE TRAINER’S ROOM: Staples is hoping it can stay healthier this season after working out all summer with a Staples graduate’s gym to get stronger. Notables Ethan Burger, Andrew Speed, Colin Hoy, Ben Thaw and others all missed time in 2015.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING…
TIGHT END RYAN FITTON ON HIS COMMITMENT TO UCONN: “I realized it was the best option for me… I got to explore a lot of options and in the end it ended out great… It felt like home.”
HOW TO FOLLOW:
The game will be broadcast by WWPT 90.3 FM (90.3 FM frequency in Fairfield County area) and the Staples Television Network (channel 78 in Westport), and simulcasted on the station’s online stream here and here. Additional updates and postgame highlights will be available on the SHSports Twitter feed here.