By Michael Letendre
Over the last couple days in the sports pages of TBE, the talents of the top scholastic rushers in the city of Bristol have been highlighted as we get ready for the return of football in 2022.
We’ve marveled at the accomplishments of Tim Washington and Reinaldo Soto – two talented backs from Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern, respectively, combining to win 47 scholastic games between them over six glorious seasons.
But as we look down on Bristol’s list of tremendous scholastic rushers, who chimes in at No. 3 all-time in terms of yardage?
Well, it was the same guy who held the record for over 20 years before Soto captured the top mark.
And Bristol’s current third leading rusher ended up spending time at both Eastern and Central.
That competitor is Garry Pearson, a rare member of the Eastern-Central connection:
Garry Pearson, Bristol Eastern and Bristol Central, 5,054 yards (1975-1978)
*Compiled 1,931 yards in 1977 as a junior and then added 2,153 more in 1978 during his senior campaign.
The lowdown: Boy, did he get around.
The athlete was a multi-talented performer, both at Eastern and then Central, as his overall running game came to life for the school on the hill after his sophomore season for the Lancers.
And, before Soto smashed all sorts of city records, Pearson was the man with all the top marks on the gridiron in Bristol.
After transferring from Eastern to Central to commence his junior year in 1977, and somehow not missing a single game due to the transfer, Pearson scooped up over 4,000 rushing yards for the Rams’ outstanding program.
Pearson’s junior season totals (1,931 yards) are the sixth highest single season mark ever at Central while his 2,000-plus yards as a senior is the fourth best tally.
He rushed for a career-high 330 yards in a showdown against Southington back in 1977, good for the ninth most yards in a single game for Central.
The week before rushing for 125 yards against Maloney on October 15 – a contest that ended in a 21-21 tie – Pearson ran wild for 320 yards in another victory for the Rams.
On November 4, 1977, Pearson rushed for 236 yards and three touchdowns as Central downed Plainville, 33-24, at Muzzy Field. At the time, the Rams were undefeated in Colonial Conference play (4-0-1) through five games.
And he had a tremendous Thanksgiving Day showing against the Lancers in 1977, taking in 230 yards on 36 carries as Central snuck by Eastern, 24-21.
In that game, Pearson made a blazing 95-yard kickoff return which is still a Thanksgiving Day record.
By the end of the season, Pearson scooped up 19 touchdowns – good for tenth place all-time at Central.
He could strike at a moment’s notice and as a senior, he had the best season of any rusher ever in Bristol (until the mid-1990s rolled around).
And then his senior season commenced, and he churned out even more yardage to secure the city record by a large margin by the completion of 1978.
It all started for Central with a 23-14 non-conference victory over Torrington on Friday, September 15 as Person zipped up 224 yards on 33 carries and then helped his squad nab a huge 15-14 Colonial Conference victory over Maloney one short week later.
In that showdown from Ceppa Field in Meriden, Pearson scored all 15 points for the Rams which included the game-winning two-point conversion with 19 seconds to play.
That effort saw Pearson make 44 carries for 213 yards and both TDs.
In Central’s 35-20 victory over Southington in a Colonial Conference extravaganza from Muzzy Field on September 29, Pearson scooped up four touchdowns on his way to 222 yards (on 26 carries).
Pearson jumped on the Knights with touchdown runs that included a one-yard goal-line plunge and a huge 81-yard jaunt as the Rams started the campaign at 3-0.
He booted Pulaski of New Britain for 272 yards and three TDs as Central won 34-14 back on October 21.
And when Thanksgiving Day rolled around in 1978, Central won again – sinking the Lancers 22-6 as Pearson tallied 185 yards on 42 carries.
He’s another athlete who also played hoop during the winter months and competed on a very high level in every sport.
