Granby, Avon and Canton Football Teams a Study in Contrasts

The three Farmington Valley high schools that compete in the Pequot Football Conference (Uncas Division) - Granby, Avon and Canton, are a study in contrasts.

Avon, which made the state playoffs in 2008 and 2009, went 8-2 last year and is a perennial contender to win the conference.

Canton, which used to be the new kid on the block, is now in its fifth year and showed improvement every season, until it took a step back last year due to injuries and attitude.

For Granby Memorial High, the issue is growing its fledgling varsity team now just in its second year. The program’s first victory would go a long way in showing improvement.

The following are capsules of all three teams.

Canton High Warriors
Head coach Roger Pearl blames injuries for the team’s 3-7 record in 2010, representing a step back from it’s first winning season since the reformation of the program (6-4) in 2009.

“Last year, we had to stay 100 percent healthy to win 5 or 6 games,”Pearl said. “We weren’t 100 percent healthy. Right from the get go, we lost our starting left guard for the year, then we lost our tailback in the middle of the season for the rest of the year.”

Injuries don’t tell the whole story, however, as explained by Ryan Glynn, a key player on this year’s team.

“Last year we, had good players, we just couldn’t bring it together,” Glynn said. “Our players, they worked well alone, but not really as a great team. This year we have a lot of good team players, we got a lot of young kids the seniors and captains trying to improve their skills help learn through experience of four years and more for kids who played for Mudhogs.”

Indeed, last year’s misfortune is this year’s opportunity, with many players stepping into varsity positions because of the injuries.

“We wound up playing these kids last year at the end,” Pearl said.

About 40 healthy players joined the team this year, and Pearl has “high expectations” for the squad, which doesn’t have any superstar players, but does possess on important quality.

“What’s different this year and 100 percent improved is attitude,” Pearl said. “These kids are all one.”

The Warriors return both running backs in Kyle Mullins, who despite losing half the season to injury still rushed for over 600 yards, and fullback Robert Grillo..

And while Canton will have a new quarterback, the transition should be smooth as this year’s starter, sophomore Eric Scott, is the younger brother of last year’s No. 1 signal caller, Nate Scott.

On the defensive side, Pearl has last year’s secondary, and two out of the three linemen returning.

But Canton must fill one substantial hole, according to Pearl.

“We gotta make some linebackers,” he said.

Glynn, Eric Loftus, Zach Powell, Robert Grillo and Kyle Mullins are expected to make key contributions to a team that is rebuilding, but is capable of winning as many games as it loses.

“We’re young,”  Pearl said. “For a five year program, we’re getting better every year.”

Canton’s schedule can be found on the CIAC website.

Granby Memorial High Bears
The Bears went winless in their first varsity season, going 0-10 (0-9 in the Pequot Uncus).

This year, the team will improve, but it may not necessarily translate in the win/loss columns.

Despite having a relatively small squad - just 36 players - coming out for the team this year, head coach Paul Schmutz remained optimistic.

“We don’t have the numbers we had last year,” Schmutz said. “We didn’t get as many freshmen out. The youth groups didn’t have an ‘A’ team last year. The kids we have are very good. They’re working hard and the camaraderie is excellent They’re all supportive of each other and we’re excited about it.”

Schmutz said that he hopes to pick up more players when school starts.

The program also turned over more than just players, as the Bears enter the season with new offensive and defensive coordinators.

“They [two coordinators last year] were business people, so their jobs changed and they couldn’t coach this year,” said Schmutz.  “We picked up Frank Lucca on offense and he knows the wing T inside out. Rich Gaduri will handle the defense.”

But coaches can only do so much; players that the coaching staff will count on offense include Ryan Direnzio, guard Jacob Largay (a freshman transfer from Longmeadow).

Two quarterbacks are vying for the starting role: Zach Balboni and Curt Field. They will be handing off to  running back Jim Utso and fullback Kevin Blake.

On defense, Schmutz said that he will rely on Pat Gerrow, Jordyn Hurley and Josh Woodruff.

The Bears can also draw on Canton’s first two seasons returning to the varsity ranks four years ago.

The Warriors went 0-10 in its first season.

The following year, however, Canton won two games.

Not remarkable by most teams’ standards, but, for a new program, two victories would represent a quantum leap in terms of development.

Weather permitting, the Bears are scheduled to scrimmage Capital Prep and East Catholic on Saturday.

For the regular season, check out Granby’s schedule on the CIAC website.

Avon High Falcons
It’s difficult to label a team that went 8-2 and won its fourth-consecutive conference title a disappointment.

But the Falcons, who qualified for the state playoffs in 2008 and 2009,did not reach the postseason in 2010, with both heartbreaking losses - just 11 points separated Avon from a perfect season - bookending eight straight victories.

One of the issues for last year’s team was the offensive line, a group of smaller players that struggled against beefier defenses.

“Some of it wasn’t the guys’ fault,” head coach Brett Quinion said. “We were small. It was hard to dominate guys when we’re outweighed.”

This year, the offensive line’s members dedicated themselves to the weight room during the off-season and are a year older.

“We’re a little bit bigger this year and we have a lot of experience on the line, so I expect to be stout in the box there,” Quinion said. “Some of those problems we will have corrected this year with a year of experience under the line’s belt.”

The big unknown this season is at the skill positions, having lost a dominant running back in Ross McDonald, an All-State wide receiver in Tyler D’Onofrio and an experienced quarterback in Kyle Pavano.

“Those guys in particular will be very tough to replace,” Quinion said. “We’re going to count on more contributions from more guys. We’ll probably be a more balanced team driven by those guys.”

Among the players expected to make substantial contributions is junior running back Colin Moore, who rushed for 678 yards on just 70 carries for an unreal 9.7 yards-per-carry.

“He’s going to be our feature running back this year,” Quinion said. “He’s an extremely strong kid who had a tremendous off season in the weight room. … He’s going to carry the ball behind a good line; I expect a great year out of Colin.”

At quarterback, junior Chris Suttmeier and sophomore Noah Hahn are competing for the starting role.

“It’s going to be a battle,” Quinion said. “I have confidence in both of them; they’re both smart, heady kids with good arms.”

On defense, Avon returns all four of its linebackers - Jimmy Murphy, Joey Murphy, Steve Griffin and Sean Smith - from last year.

But Quinion has to patch together a secondary, and he may have to resort to having Moore, the team’s best defensive back, play both on offense and defense.

“We’re in the early process of analyzing the sophomores and juniors [in the secondary], but I’m hoping some of those guys can step up,” Quinion said. “Colin is my best defensive back. Whether I choose to use him remains to be seen.”

All of which leaves Quinion hesitant to make a prediction for his team, other than expecting to compete for its fifth consecutive conference title.

“That’s always the first goal,” Quinion said.

Avon’s schedule can be found on the CIAC website.