By Michael Letendre
In just his second varsity football game at Bristol Central, junior running back Donovan Rodriguez put together a career game on Friday night.
The Rams got the jump on Wethersfield, posting a 21-point second period behind the tremendous groundwork from the junior sensation as Rodriguez notched three touchdowns — leading to a 35-12 victory over the Eagles in a CCC Tier II tilt from the turf field at BCHS.
It was the second win of the campaign for the Rams (2-5) as Rodriguez led a vicious rushing assault with a career-high 205 yards on 31 carries.
Simply put, it was an excellent debut home showing by the crafty junior.
“We’ve been waiting for him to get back healthy,” said Central coach Jeff Papazian of Rodriguez. “The reason that happens, the kid’s out five games with the transfer [rule], and spent five weeks working on the scout team, doing whatever he had to do to help the team. He’s just that kind of kid. He gets a chance to come out and shine tonight and I’m really happy for him.”
To date, Rodriguez has 250 yards on 36 carries for three touchdowns while also capturing a five-yard reception for a score.
Overall, against winless Wethersfield (0-7), Central made 53 carries for 392 yards and had 414 yards overall with Rodriguez making a 22-yard connection with senior Anthony Paulino.
Tristian Toussaint added five rushes for 83 yards and a TD, Jayden Glasper (11 carries, 67 yards) kept the chains moving the entire night while Cassias Ireland (2-6) and Paulino (4-30, TD) added to the tally.
And as an extra bonus on Friday, Central kicker Aidan Lamarre went a perfect 5-for-5 on extra point attempts.
It was all hands-on deck as Cassias Breland is on the move for the Rams. | Herve
Central’s defense made quality stops throughout the showdown as Luis Padilla was here, there and everywhere, Jack Hartley also had some critical tackles, along with Ayden Pratt, while Paulino hauled in a second period interception to keep the Eagles from piling up points on the scoreboard.
“We had a good game plan all week, did a good job in practice all week,” said Papazian. “We kind of put [Wethersfield] in some bad spots. We tackled well. There were a couple minor things in the secondary but really, we rebounded a lot better than we have in the past. [Wethersfield] got a [good] play, but it’s over, it’s done, we’re going on to the next one. A lot of it was that mentality too tonight.”
“But it was really good to get going finally.”
Wethersfield battled but just couldn’t keep up with Rodriguez and friends.
Neither squad scored on its first drives but when Central got the ball back, they marched down the field 52 yards on eight plays — ended with an eight-yard jaunt by Rodriguez as he crashed his way into the end zone with 1:54 left to play in the first to make it a 7-0 game.
The Eagles returned the favor, scoring a TD with 10:37 to play in the second quarter but Padilla blocked the PAT as the visitors trailed 7-6.
From there, the Rams scored three times before the end of the half.
Paulino charged downfield for a 29-yard touchdown sprint and off the interception, Toussaint made a huge rush, moving left to the Central sideline and charged into the goal via a blazing 64-yard TD to push the Wethersfield deficit to 21-6.
And then on an extremely short field, Central got into the red zone and Rodriguez zipped up a 17-yard scoring gambit as his rushing touchdown pushed the Eagles’ deficit out to 28-6 with 1:00 to go before the break.
Central’s defense continued to make plays into the third period, but a fumble gave the Eagles another chance to score, netting six points on a two-yard carry with 4:30 left in the tilt but the visitors still trailed 28-12 with time slowly becoming a factor.
Finally, Central put the game away for good on a time crunching, 13 play, 64-yard drive that saw Rodriguez, Breland and Glasper make several carries and when Rodriguez went up the gut for a one-yard score — his third of the game — the home team was in control at 35-12 with 7:28 remaining.
“We needed a stop and a score we felt like,” said Papazian about the second half. “If we could get a stop and a score, we were going to be in really good shape in the second half. We made it a little eventful. We coughed [the ball] up but all in all, the kids kept responding tonight. They did a good job.”
To end the game, one final Wethersfield punt led to another time crunching drive by Central and when the home team got into the red zone, Rodriguez took a knee as the Rams won for the second time this season over a big 35-12 triumph.
NOTES…Rodriguez had to sit out Central’s first five games due to the CIAC’s transfer guidelines. Some things are certainly worth the wait and Rodriguez proved that very fact on Friday night.
Bristol Central Football – CCC Tier 2 Challenge
BRISTOL CENTRAL 35, WETHERSFIELD 12
from Bristol Central high school, Bristol
Wethersfield (0-7) 0 6 6 0 – 12
Bristol Central (2-5) 7 21 0 7 – 35
SCORING
First Period
BC – Donovan Rodriguez 8 run (Aiden Lamarre kick), 1:54
Second Period
W – Two-yard run (failed kick), 10:37
BC – Anthony Paulino 29 run (Lamarre kick), 5:51
BC – Tristian Toussaint 64 run (Lamarre kick), 4:11
BC – Rodriguez 17 run (Lamarre kick), 1:00
Third Period
W – Two-yard run (failed run), 4:30
Fourth Period
BC – Rodriguez 1 run (Lamarre kick), 7:28
Individual Statistics
RUSHING – Bristol Central: Jayden Glasper 11-67, Donovan Rodriguez 31-205, Cassias Breland 2-6, Tristian Toussaint 5-84, Anthony Paulino 4-30. Totals: 134 yards; Wethersfield: 155 total yards.
PASSING – Bristol Central: Rodriguez 1-for-2, 22 yards; Wethersfield: 1-for-9, 29 total yards.
RECEPTIONS – Bristol Central: Paulino 22 yards; Manchester: 29 total yards.
Records: Bristol Central 2-5 overall; Wethersfield 0-7.
All TBE readers, supporters and donors
The Bristol Edition will be limiting the number of stories non-members and free readers may access each week. This decision is based on our financial projections and, most certainly, to remind people that TBE is serious about providing accurate, timely and thorough reporting for Bristol. To do this we have devised a financial support structure that makes unlimited access extremely affordable, beginning with a $6 monthly donation.
- Non-members will be able to access four (4) articles per week.
- Free readers and people who have subscribed by email will be able to access four (4) articles per week.
- Donors and financial supporters will have unlimited access as long as they log in.
Note: Donors may have to contact TBE if they find they are being limited, since we will need to set up a membership account for you. Email editor@bristoledition.org for instructions. Sorry for any inconvenience. People with financial difficulties may write editor@bristoledition.org to be considered for free access.
