Wolcott football puts up a fight in season-ending loss to St. Joseph

Ray Iorio (left), Steve Urbanski (middle) and Mike Polzella (right) all played
a part in Wolcott’s touchdowns on Tuesday night. Iorio ran for a score
while Polzella threw two touchdown passes to Urbanski.

Wolcott football earned a No. 4 seed in the Class M state playoffs.
What it wound up with was a quarterfinal round game against No. 5 St. Joseph of Trumbull, a FCIAC school that played Class L and LL competition during the regular season.
The Eagles hung in with the Cadets deep into the third quarter at Joe Monroe Field on Tuesday night, but the visitors scored the last three touchdowns to claim a 49-21 victory. St. Joseph will face top-seeded Valley Regional/Old Lyme next Monday in a semifinal game in Deep River.
Wolcott’s season ended with a record of 8-3. The Eagles still have just one playoff win in their program history.
It was the final game for Wolcott seniors (in order of jersey number on CIAC roster) Ryan Watts, Jake Griffin, Dylan Prescott, Ray Iorio, Steve Urbanski, Diego Lourenco, Nick Comeau, Jesse Fucito, Bobby Stoeckert and Justin Fernandes.

The 2016 Wolcott football team put together an effort that they should be proud of.

Iorio scored on a touchdown run in his final game. His run put the Eagles ahead 8-7. Junior Mike Polzella tossed a pair of touchdowns, both to Urbanski.

In true Wolcott fashion, the home team put up a tremendous fight against St. Joseph, but the Cadets just had too much firepower. Wolcott knew that junior receiver Jared Mallozzi, senior quarterback Cory Babineau and freshman running back Jaden Shirden would be big keys for St. Joseph.
Mallozzi had a monster night and helped break the game open. Babaineau was a steady leader for the Cadets, and Shirden ran for three touchdowns in his first ever playoff game.
It was all too much for the Eagles to handle.
The loss will certainly sting for Wolcott, but given the large graduation hit the program took after 2015, this 2016 season was a pleasant surprise for the boys who play on Bound Line Road. The Eagles put forth an effort that everyone can be proud of.