Last Friday night, South Windsor football made major headlines as they went into New Britain and came out with a win. This victory snapped a dreadful 11-game losing streak that stretched back to 2017, in a playoff loss. Many people are labeling the victory as a ‘wake-up call’ and a ‘revenge win’, as New Britain had previously beaten the Bobcats the previous year 44-0, in an embarrassing loss. 

South Windsor was lead throughout the game was Junior quarterback, Anthony Bellizzi,  threw for two touchdowns, and ran for two more, totalling 116 yards on the ground. Other notable performers for the Bobcats were Junior receiver, Colin Kniffen, and Anthony Maddox, who each caught touchdown passes to help the leaf the Bobcats to victory. 

While the offensive looked relatively solid throughout the entire game, the defensive is really what led the Bobcats to victory. Standouts from the game were Seniors, Mohammad “Mo” Barry, Malik Montgomery, and Juniors Colin Kniffen and Jack Parra. The defense forced two sacks, two fumbles (one recovered), and also defended 11 passes. 

Bellizzi and the Bobcats scored on the opening drive with a 9-yard dime to Anthony Maddox, which set the tone early. Bellizzi continued to roll for the entire first half finishing with 94 rushing yards, and 79 yards passing. 

New Britain responded to the opening drive touchdown with an immediate 60-yard run by tailback Jhorman Vielma on New Britain’s first play of the game. Two plays later, Vielma scored a 1-yard touchdown run, and then converted the two-point conversion as well. After the opening drive for the Golden Hurricanes, they never really found their rhythm, as the Bobcats’ defense settled in and dug deep to grind out the win. 

After a game full of great moments and performances by the Bobcats’, it’s difficult to determine who was the biggest difference maker in the game.

“The difference maker on defense in Friday’s game was Matthew Paschetto. It was his first game, but he still made game-changing tackles and fumbles,” senior Dan Kelly said, “On offense it was quarterback Anthony Bellizzi. He made several game-changing runs and throws against a great defense. Without him, there was no way we would’ve scored as much as we did.”

While the Bobcats had a massive chip on their shoulder, knowing they hadn’t won a single game all last season, and the talent that New Britain displayed last season, everyone agreed that they were playing for something/someone, even bigger. 

“We played our hearts out for Tanner. Even though he was hurt, we played for him to show that we are a good team even without our leader, “ Dan Kelly said. 

Junior, Colin Kniffen repeated the same praise, “We all know he’s one of the hardest workers so we had to do it for him and put all we got out there. You never know when your last play might be.”

The Bobcats play their next game next Friday against the Hamden Green Dragon in Hamden, CT. Both teams are 1-0 coming into week 2. With the Bobcats win last Friday, there is a lot of hope and confidence that this year’s team significantly outplays least years team. 

“This year we have last year as a goal to achieve to be better and stronger against everyone we face,” Dan Kelly says,”We need to have the mentality of going hard every play until the whistle blows. “