Hackley Varsity Football Goes to 5-0

By Bill Sweeney: The football field at Hamden Hall Country Day School in Hamden, Connecticut was surrounded by bright green fields startlingly vivid in the brilliant sunshine and crisp cool air. Perfect football weather! The Hamden Hall Hornets team colors were green and white. Unfortunately for them the silver and black Hackley Hornets showed up. The fans were expecting a shoot-out with two high scoring passing offenses locked in battle. However Hackley’s defense slowed their offense, and their defense could in no way contain Hackley’s offense.

In the first quarter, running back Ian Parnell scored a touchdown on a 19-yard pass from quarterback Joey McDermott. Then, McDermott scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. McDermott scored again with a 1-yard touchdown run. Sam Alabaster kicked the extra-point (PAT) for all three touchdowns. We were up by 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Hamden Hall’s Mike Breular scored on a 3-yard pass from quarterback, T.J. Linta. Alex Chiodo kicked an extra point. Then, McDermott scored his third rushing touchdown of the game, a 2-yard run. Alabaster kicked the extra point. Mustafaa Dais returned a punt for 55 yards and a touchdown. Alabaster again kicked the extra point. Hamden Hall’s Mike Breular scored another touchdown, this time a 4-yard pass from quarterback T.J. Linta. Alex Chiodo again kicked the extra point. The last score in the first half was a 23-yard pass from Joey McDermott to Ian Parnell. Hackley led by 41-14 at halftime.

In the third quarter, McDermott zipped a 37-yard pass to Parnell. Alabaster kicked the PAT. Hamden Hall countered with a 12-yard run by running back Alex Chiodo. The 2-point conversion pass was no good. Hackley led by 48-20 at the end of the third.

In the fourth quarter, T.J. Linta passed a 41-yard touchdown strike to Brylan Breland. Our defense held as their 2-point conversion pass failed. Parnell scored his fourth touchdown of the game with a 1-yard touchdown run. Alabaster added one point. Hamden Hall’s Mike Breular scored his third touchdown of the game with an 11-yard pass from T.J. Linta. The 2-point conversion pass was no good. Another win for Hackley, the final score was 55-32.

Joseph McDermott ran for three touchdowns and passed for three more. He was the Overall Player of the Game. Ian Parnell rushed for one touchdown and caught three. He was the Offensive Player of the Game. Captain Luke Sweeney was the Defensive Player of the Game for leading in tackles, adding a sack, and deflecting critical passes. Overall, the win was a team effort.

On the sideline during the game, Head Coach Phil Treglia clearly considers his job of leading the ‘Spread Offense Scheme with a No-Huddle feature’ as a game of chess. Before each offensive play, Coach Treglia leans onto the field and reads the defense in order to figure which offensive play to call. Coach Treglia is picking confounding offensive combinations against the opposing defenses. All the players, the referees, the other coaches, and the fans are holding their breath in anticipation of Phil’s call to Joey, the star Hackley Quarterback, before the referee can drop his red flag. Today, the coach’s calls led to 55 points for Hackley. Checkmate!

Fiery Coach Brian Connelly, coach of three New York State Public School Football Championships, commands the defense. He calls his plays to Luke Sweeney who relays the message in the defense huddle. Brian played a juggling game this week as two key starters were unable to play. He hampered Hamden Hall’s high-powered passing game with several key defenders knocking passes down. Luke Sweeney, Mustafaa Dais, Henry Molner, and Ian Parnell each had three pass deflections. The defense also sacked Hamden Hall’s quarterback five times with sacks from Luke Sweeney, Ian Parnell, Ilan Gressel, Zach Reeber, and Omar Momani.

The Hackley Hornet’s record stands at 5-0. They will now enter into the significantly more difficult part of their season’s schedule. Hackley Varsity Football hosts King Low Heyward Thomas School at Pickert Field on Saturday, October 20th at 3:00 PM. This game will match two of the three unbeaten divisional rivals.