By Michael Letendre
The game of the year for the Bristol Eastern football program takes place takes place on Friday night.
Well, it’s the game of the year…at least until next week.
Tonight, in a CCC Tier III challenge, Platt squares off against Bristol Eastern from Alumni Field
This is going to all-out warfare on the gridiron and, with all due respect to both programs, the victor will probably knock the loser out of playoff contention.
Or, at the very least, make it difficult to qualify for the tournament come the end of November.
The Lancers haven’t beaten the Panthers since 2010 and the locals want to break that particular hex.
It’s a battle that both teams can’t afford to lose, and this is what’s at stake tonight when Platt squares off against Bristol Eastern from Alumni Field:
Platt (4-1) at Bristol Eastern (4-1), CCC Tier III extravaganza
Time: Friday, 6 p.m. (from Alumni Field, Bristol)
The Series: This is the 59th all-time meeting between the schools. The Lancers and Panthers used to be regular season opponents in CCIL, Colonial Conference and CCC South days gone by.
Series Edge: Platt holds the lead in the series at 34-23-1.
Last Season: The Lancers fell to the Panthers (29-22) from Falcon Field back on September 16 in Week 2 of the campaign. Platt quarterback Avery Robinson made 13-of-16 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns while Corey Rogers (18 carries, 99 yards) ran in a ball for a TD. Eastern back Jaiden Fore rushed for 104 yards on 23 carries for two touchdowns. Before getting hurt, Eastern quarterback Kamden Laprise had one of his best scholastic games, tossing 9-of-17 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Last Week: Platt had to make up its game with Rocky Hill, winning the contest by 30 points (38-8) last Thursday while Eastern rested up during its bye week.
Last Eastern win against Platt: The Lancers’ last win against Platt came back in 2010 when Eastern picked up a 28-20 victory on October 1 from Falcon Field in Meriden. A late six-yard touchdown run from Eastern quarterback Matt Yopp (St. Anselm) iced the contest. Eastern’s Tyrell Holmes scored on a 57-yard dash while Dylon Ouellette added a 42-yard run for a TD as the Lancers led 14-0 after one quarter. Platt’s Tyshone Shields caught two TD passes over the second period (32 and 65 yards) from QB John Marks – tying things up at 14-14 going into the half. The Panthers missed out on two two-point conversions in the showdown as Eastern’s special teams made huge stops. This was the last season that the Lancers (9-2 in 2010) qualified for the playoffs. Does this game need any more hype?
The Streak…Since that 2010 win, Eastern has dropped the last six games against Platt. Over that stretch, the Panthers have outscored the Lancers 247-136 as Platt averaged a blistering 41.2 points-per-game – going a perfect 6-0.
What to expect: Folks, this is a big one and don’t be surprised if the Kingstreeters have a little bit of revenge on their collective minds from last year…During that Week 2 showdown, Eastern quarterback Kamden Laprise was injured at Platt and the then super sophomore was lost for the remainder of the regular season. But this time around, Laprise is back and will be attacking the Panthers’ secondary from the friendly confines of Alumni Field…This is a contest where all the Eastern stars are going to shine, whether it’s a tackle for a loss by Mikey Sherrill – the team leader in that category – or a big sack from Hunter Wells or even a quick rush by Mr. Everything, Adam Zavecz (team-high 37 tackles)…Jaiden Fore ran the ball well against Platt last season and expect another 100-plus rushing game once again. Randy Denoto and Zavecz should open a little day light for its hard-nosed running back…Zion Otero (seven receptions, two touchdowns) will test out that Platt secondary as well…Eastern must be wary of Platt QB Melvin Sanchez (45-of-89 passes, 563 yards, seven TDs) and his favorite two receivers, seniors Amari Robinson (18 catches, 215 yards, three TDs) and Zack Baker (20-264, 3 TDs)…They’ll be plenty of play action and when Sanchez isn’t chucking the ball, Joel Ray (108 carries, 569 yards, 5.3 yards-per-carry) has half of Platt’s 10 rushing touchdowns…The Panthers can light up the scoreboard and over the past three games, Platt has scored 108 points (36.0 points-per-game)…Defensively, over that same stretch, the Panthers yielded only 18 total points (you do the math)…This is a big game because currently, as of Thursday night, Platt is in eighth place in the Class MM playoff standings (610 points) while Eastern (580) is in 12th. The winner of this contest is going to be propelled up the state tournament ladder…A victory over the Panthers would give Bristol Eastern its most victories since 2014 when the program went 7-4…Also, a Lancers’ triumph would give the BE football program its 24th all-time win against a single opponent – the most in school history. Currently, Eastern has 23 wins against Platt, Bristol Central and Maloney so this game is a big deal on multiple fronts…It’s pay window time for the Lancers.
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