Wolcott football is in a good position with a 5-1 record, but two big games come over the next two weeks.
The first one is Friday night at Oxford, also 5-1. If the Eagles get past the Wolverines, they’ll have one loss going into a huge division home game against the Naugatuck Greyhounds.
First things first, though, and that’s Oxford at 6 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are in the hunt for playoff berths, Wolcott in Class M and Oxford in ‘S’.
What do the Wolverines do well?
Oxford is solid defensively. Seniors Dan Herold and Joe Romagna lead the Wolverines in tackles with 47 and 42. Six of Herold’s tackles have gone for a loss, which is tied for the team lead with junior Wade Brooks. Herold and Romagna are linebackers, Brooks is a defensive lineman.
As a matter of fact, Oxford is pretty good at knocking opponents back for negative yardage. The Wolverines have a total of 36 tackles for a loss. Oxford also has 10 sacks as a team, led by two apiece from Herold and Brooks. The Wolverines give up an average of 11 points per game, and that’s with a high of 34 in a 34-7 loss to Ansonia.
On offense, the Wolverines run the ball. Oxford has run 269 plays so far this season, and 222 are rushing attempts. Romagna is again the leader with 78 carries for 520 yards and nine touchdowns. Herold and senior Griffin Downs also carry the ball from time to time.
Oxford has completed just 18 of 47 passes, led by a 17-for-45 effort from senior Tyler Jacob.
The Wolverines average just over 30 points per game.
What does Wolcott need to do to win this game?
- Stop the run. If Oxford can’t run the ball, it will have to go to the pass, where it has been much less successful.
- Block the linebackers. The Wolverines have some good linebackers, and the Eagles can’t allow them to continuously get into the backfield and cause problems.
- Stretch the defense. Mike Polzella can open it up with the pass by finding targets like Steve Urbanski and Justin Fernandes. Doing so will only help the Eagles move the ball.
- Don’t hand out extra chances. Oxford’s defense has forced just seven turnovers. Wolcott needs to make sure that number increases as little as possible.
Wolcott is more than capable of winning this game. The Eagles need to make sure they keep the Wolverines from going on extended drives. Leading tacklers Urbanski, Dylan Prescott and Bobby Stoeckert need to continue to do what they’ve been doing.
On offense, Wolcott should mix it up and look for big-play opportunities. Oxford’s defense doesn’t break often, so the Eagles need to take advantage of chances.
