By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – The Bristol Central football team has a been playing a schedule that, due to the program’s successful run over the past couple seasons, isn’t an easy one to conquer.
And in CCC showdowns, and beyond, it’s been a tough uphill battle from the onset for the Rams.
Just looking at the squads from Maloney, Windsor and Wilton, the programs are a combined 14-5 with four of those losses ending up being one-possession games.
But the Rams aren’t throwing in the towel as there’s plenty of football left to be played.
This week, it’s a showdown against an always offensive Middletown squad that can post points in a hurry.
Again, this won’t be an easy one but let’s take a peek at Central’s contest at Middletown on Friday:
Bristol Central (1-5) at Middletown (4-2) – CCC Tier II Challenge
Time: Friday,6:30 p.m. (Middletown High School Stadium)
The Series: This is the 12th all-time showdown against Middletown. The Blue Dragons hold the edge in series play, 8-3.
Last Week: The Blue Dragons nearly lost to winless Newington, pulling out a 54-49 victory last Friday. The Rams, playing the day after on Saturday, fell at home to undefeated Maloney 35-7.
Last Middletown showdown: The last battle between the programs came back on September 28, 2018. The Blue Dragons ended up defeating the Rams by a 17-9 final. Central’s Justus Fitzpatrick made 19 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown while connecting on 8-of-18 passes for 49 yards. Jose Navedo (eight carries, 56 yards) also played well for Central.
Fast Facts: Three of Central’s final three games are on the road – that’s also counting Thanksgiving as Eastern will be the home team – and it starts on Friday evening at Middletown…It’s a short week due to Saturday’s showdown against Maloney but the squad from Bristol held its own early…Central led 7-0 after one period while trailing by just seven points at the half (14-7)…The Spartans came alive defensively in the second half to keep the Rams off the board over another tough outing… The Spartans outgained the Rams offensively 355-211 while the visiting aggression did not make a punt that morning…The Rams offense is still learning and growing and despite just scoring 71 points over six games, the team is heading in the right direction…Against Maloney, Central’s weapons gave the Spartans a bit of a jolt early…Tre Blair, who simply won’t quit and whether it’s on the gridiron, or the track or on the hardwood, the athlete competes and competes until the final horn sounds…Against the Spartans, Blair ended up with 124 yards on 24 carries while making four passes for 67 yards – finding Nik Salinas for a TD reception…Blair can be switched to multiple positions on the field and has the speed to compete against any defender…Johnny Rios (14 carries, 18 yards) also got a little burn on the turf for the Rams…Here’s the bottom line: Maloney has put together an amazing 18-game winning streak that won’t be ending anytime soon so it’s not just Central feeling the burn against the state power…Middletown can put the points on the board quickly, notching 54 against winless Newington last week…Quarterback Colin Skene has nearly 1,000 yards passing the ball while Zy’kie Askew runs the football with zest and leads the program in rushing and TDs. The junior duo is a tough 1-2 punch the Rams must contain…Central has lost four straight coming into the showdown against Middletown but an upset win on the road would turn the ship right around for the locals.
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