The Wethersfield football team has come a long way from last year. So has Newington.
The two CCC Tier III teams will face off in a Thanksgiving Eve game Wednesday night. Wethersfield (8-1) needs the win to make it to the playoffs (currently the Eagles are eighth in a field of eight in Class MM). Newington is ranked second in Class MM. The CIAC playoff pairings will be announced Friday.
Last year, Wethersfield did not win a game due to a variety of factors, including quarterback Cam Righi getting injured in the middle of the season. Newington went 2-8 last year under veteran coach John Acquavita, in his first year coaching the Nor’easters.
There are quite a few local Thanksgiving games happening on Wednesday, which is good because the weather doesn’t look great for Thursday.
Here are some games to watch:
Newington (9-0) at Wethersfield (8-1), Wednesday, 6 p.m.: Going from 0-10 to the playoffs would be a terrific story and if Righi – who is heading to UConn to play baseball next year, can, he will. Wethersfield’s only loss came in overtime to Bristol Central 42-40. But it will be tough against Newington. The Nor’easters beat Bristol Central 14-7 in a defensive battle and their defense has been solid all season. Quarterback Enzo Corvino has passed for over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns and senior Evan Piggott has rushed for 905 yards and 10 touchdowns. Junior Kelvin McKnight and senior Zach Girolamo, who has 69 tackles and 8.5 sacks, came up big in the Bristol Central game, which was one of the closest scores of the year for Newington.
Bristol Central (9-1) at Bristol Eastern (5-4), Wednesday, Muzzy Field, 6 p.m.: The Battle of the Bell cross-town rivalry game was moved from Thanksgiving Day to Wednesday night due to the impending weather. Bristol Central is ranked third in Class MM, right below Newington, so the Rams are in the playoffs already but could earn a higher seed if they win. Bristol Central has won eight straight in this rivalry.
Rockville (8-1) at Ellington (6-3), Wednesday, 6 p.m.: Another game with playoff implications. If Ellington can beat Rockville, the Knights, ranked seventh in Class SS right now, are in. Rockville is already in, as the third seed in Class M behind Hand and Brookfield. Rockville beat Ellington last year 51-21.
Northwest Catholic (7-2) at East Catholic (8-1), Wednesday, 5:30 p.m., Cheney Tech: Northwest Catholic is sitting in the No. 8 (and last playoff spot) in Class S so needs to win to get in. East Catholic is ranked fourth in Class S so the Eagles are in, no matter what. East Catholic won this game last year, 28-13.
