Tim O’Shea beats a defender to set up the first score in a 35-6 victory over Simsbury last Friday. (Photo by John Goralski)
By BRIAN JENNINGS
STAFF WRITER
Coming into the season, the Knights looked to Brandon Kohl and Ryan Montalvo to lead Southington’s ground attack, but a season-ending injury to Kohl at Glastonbury in week one forced new running backs to step up.
The Blue Knight football team rolled through their divisional rival Simsbury conference opponent in the home opener on Friday, and it was Southington’s revamped backfield that carried the load during the 35-6 rout.
“[Kohl’s] such a great kid, and one of the best backs to ever come through this program with his vision and ability to finish,” said Southington coach Mike Drury. “Unfortunately, he just had another knee injury that’s going to keep him out for the season.”
Kohl may be watching his team from the sidelines, but he’ll be doing it with a headset on. Neither Ian Agnew nor Tanner LaRosa rushed over 100 yards against Simsbury, but the backfield duo combined for three touchdowns. Even on the sidelines, Kohl played a role in the victory.
“His task is getting Tanner and Ian right, continuing to talk to them and help them out,” said Drury. “They’re the guys that the team is going to lean on in those situations.”
They might have some help soon. Montalvo was coming back from an injury last season, but an arm injury from a preseason scrimmage against Xavier forced him to remain out of the backfield…but not out of this season. Montalvo’s been playing linebacker on defense, but Drury said that it’s crucial to get him back soon behind the quarterback.
“Ryan’s a dynamic player with his speed and ability to break big plays,” said Drury. “I know these guys are going to do a great job, but it will be good get Ryan touching the rock again because we know what he can do with it in his hands.”
The Knights haven’t missed a step. Just like they did against Glastonbury in the season opener, it didn’t take the Knights long to get going against Simsbury. Southington scored on three of its first four offensive possessions. Will Barmore connected with Jack Herms for a 12-yard score on the opening drive, and he connected with Will Downes for a 17-yard score moments later.
“Our guys played with great energy,” the coach said. “We executed well. The defense really did a great job causing turnovers and just playing physical, shutting down things that we wanted to shut down.”
After the Knights were forced to punt on their third offensive possession, Ian Agnew closed out the first quarter with a 7-yard touchdown run. Tanner LaRosa extended Southington’s lead to 28-0 with an 11-yard rushing touchdown with a little over three minutes remaining before halftime.
Agnew capped off the win by finding the end zone for a second time in the game from five yards out late in the third quarter. The Knights lost their shutout after the Trojans scored their only touchdown of the game on a 50-yard run with just under four minutes remaining in regulation.
“Playing with tempo is an advantage that we know we have,” said Drury. “We have full one-way guys, offensively and defensively, that play physically and smart with tempo. I think we did all those things for the most part.”
Barmore completed 21 of 31 passes for 300 yards, throwing one interception. LaRosa paced the backfield with 55 yards on 15 carries, and Agnew finished with 41 yards on 11 carries. Tim O’Shea led all receivers with five catches for 99 yards.
Ian Hall anchored the defense with 10 tackles, including three assists, and two and a half sacks. Sam Thomson and Mario Ferreri each intercepted a pass. Thomson now has three picks on the season.
“He’s a tough guy at six-four with the ability to run and cover,” the coach said. “Our guys have been going against him all last year and all preseason. So, they get better and he gets better.”
The Knights will be back on the turf next week when they host Manchester (1-1) for Military Appreciation Night on Friday, Sept. 22. Game time is 7 p.m.
“I know Manchester is going to be prepared,” the coach said. “Coach (Roy) Roberts does a great job with those guys. They have some serious speed on the edge.”
Southington is currently 2-0 and tied for fourth in the Class LL point rankings. Ten teams are atop the standings with 2-0 records, but Greenwich, Cheshire, and West Haven are tied for the top spot.
For this week’s box scores, click here: (southingtonobserver.com/2017/09/19/weekly-scoreboard-for-the-sept-22-edition). To contact sports writer Brian Jennings, email him at BJennings@SouthingtonObserver.com.