By Michael Letendre
The Bristol Central football team is on a winning streak and in a special Thursday night challenge, the locals are looking to make it two in a row.
But it won’t be easy as surging Middletown comes to Bristol on a tear of its own.
The Blue Dragons have won four straight games after opening the campaign at 0-3, seemingly finding their groove in time for its showdown against the Rams.
However, Central’s newest offensive threat, speedster Donovan Rodriguez, absolutely crushed it against Wethersfield last week – picking up over 200 yards and scoring three touchdowns.
He was a huge difference maker but Central has several other offensive pieces that will keep the Middletown defense in motion.
So, what will pivotal game eight bring the Rams on Thursday night?
Here’s a look at the showdown from Bristol:
Middletown (4-3) at Bristol Central (2-5), CCC Tier II Challenge
Time: 6 p.m. (from the turf field from BCHS)
The Series: For the 13th time in school history – hopefully a lucky 13 for Central – the Rams and Blue Dragons will go to work on the gridiron.
The Edge: Middletown is in charge at 9-3 overall with the squad getting the jump on Central as several tremendous athletes (the last name Highsmith comes to mind when talking about Middletown) have given the locals plenty of fits.
Last Game versus Middletown: Last season on Oct. 28, the Rams fell to the Blue Dragons 34-20 from Middletown. Tre Blair led Central with 124 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns. Johnny Rios made 20 rushes for 73 yards and a TD.
Last Week: Central easily defeated Wethersfield 35-12 while Middletown beat Newington 21-20.
What to expect: The next game Central takes this season will surpass last year’s win total (2-8)…Middletown is going to be a challenge but the squad isn’t the same as old. Nonetheless, the team is dangerous with early running and passing components…Over that four-game winning streak, outside of the triumph at Conard, the Blue Dragons defeated Manchester, Wethersfield and Newington by a combined 11 points. So, this program knows how to win the close ones…Quarterback Colin Skene has done a pretty solid job as the team’s signal caller (80-for-147, 959 yards, seven touchdowns). He has a quality arm, averaging 137 passing yards-a-game while completing 54.4-percent of his passes…Josh Ferguson is Skene’s main target as the senior has 34 receptions for 545 yards and five touchdowns…And when the chucker isn’t, well, chucking the ball, Zykie Askew can make gains running the ball on the turf (118 carries, 610 yards, seven TDs) with two 100-yard rushing games in his pocket already this year…This four game winning streak isn’t a fluke and Central will need to make stops to get its offense back on the field…That offense could be highlighted by Rodriguez once again, scooping up 205 yards and three touchdowns against Wethersfield – running the football down the defense’s collective throat…And thanks in part to stout defense, the Eagles were prevented from making a second period comeback, limited to just six points…Central coach Jeff Papazian had several backs pile up yardage that night as the offensive line did a tremendous job making seams and holes for Jayden Glasper (67 yards), Tristian Toussaint (five carries, 83 yards, TD), Anthony Paulino (4-27, TD) and Cassias Breland to slip through…That core of rushers, frankly, overwhelmed Wethersfield and kept the squad guessing on who to contain…Paulino also snared a Rodriguez pass for a 22-yard connection. That was the longest completion of the season for Central…That kind of offensive effort is a sign that the Rams are looking to finish the season with a flourish and, hopefully, take a stab at a .500 finish…Central’s defense against Weathersfield was superb with Luis Padilla chasing everyone and everything off the field with zest…Same with usual defensive standout Jack Jones, nabbing tackle after tackle (12 in all). He had four tackles for losses while Padilla added three…Jack Hartley did his job that evening, blocking and picking up seven tackles (one for a loss)…Quincy Lawson (five tackles), Tim Sample (four) while Aiden Lamarre, Jayden Colon and Ayden Pratt also made three tackles apiece to help secure the victory…And don’t forget Lamarre was a slick 5-of-5 on PATs, a contribution that could really pay dividends in a close showdown…Maybe the weather has turned colder but they’ll be plenty of heat from the turf field at Bristol Central come Thursday night.
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