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2007 Junior Green & Junior Green Cheerleaders Banquet will be held on:
Sun., Dec. 9th from 4:00 - 7:00 pm. at the Pine Orchard Country Club |
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| Week 1 |
Sun., Aug. 26 |
11:00 a. |
A |
Madison - C |
L |
0-25 |
| Week 2 |
Sun., Sep. 2 |
1:00 p. |
H |
East Haven - B |
W |
33-12 |
| Week 3 |
Sun., Sep. 9 |
– |
– |
BYE |
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| Week 4 |
Sun., Sep. 16 |
1:00 p. |
H |
Madison - A |
W |
25-7 |
| Week 5 |
Sun., Sep. 23 |
3:00 p. |
H |
North Branford - B |
L |
7-8 |
| Week 6 |
Sun., Sep. 30 |
1:00 p. |
H |
Branford - B |
W |
33-0 |
| Week 7 |
Sun., Oct. 7 |
11:00 a. |
A |
East Haven - A |
W |
26-20 |
| Week 8 |
Sun., Oct. 14 |
1:00 p. |
A |
Tri-Town - B |
W |
32-20 |
| Week 9 |
Sun., Oct. 21 |
1:00 p. |
A |
Tri-Town - A |
W |
20-0 |
| Playoffs |
Sun., Oct. 28 |
10:00 a. |
A |
North Branford - A |
L |
12-34 |
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| Playoffs: |
Junior Green - 12 vs. No. Branford A - 34
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| WEEK 9: |
Junior Green - 20 vs. Tri-Town A - 0
On a perfect fall day, the boys in green traveled to Tri-Town and clinched a hard earned playoff berth closing out the regular season with a 20-0 win.
Tri-Town took the opening kick off but coughed the ball up early. Duke Knapp made short work of the 55 yards needed for the score covering 53 on the first play from scrimmage. Tri-Town wasn’t ready to give up however and after four attempts to punch it in, took over on downs at the 2 yard line. The Green D was like a brick wall all day and took the ball back on the 10. This time Duke was in no mood to be denied. On his second touch of the ball he punched it home the 10 yards for a 6-0 lead. Pat Cantrell picked up the extra point with a well placed pass from Tyler Nelson.
The rest of the first half was a defensive struggle with both teams trading possessions but not gaining much ground. Mike Serra once again leading the Green D shut down the running game and Nelson kept the passing game in check picking off a first down Tri-Town pass while Charlie Molloy and Joey Nault each smartly batted down two others on 4th and long plays. The half ended with Green in the lead 7-0.
The O-Line picked it up in the second half. Dane Lawrence at Right Tackle as usual handled his man all day despite being outweighed by at least half a mule. Steve Lavoie matched his efforts on the left side while Adam Gelo, Josh Cash and Molloy owned the middle game. It only took two plays for Paul Distasio to fly straight up the middle and 60 yards to his first TD of the day. Nelson scrambled hard to the right and finally picked up Joey Nault scrapping across the middle for the PAT and 14-0.
Tri-Town took the kick and drove hard controlling the ball through the remainder of the third quarter and well into the fourth moving all the way to the Green 3 yard line but at gut check time Carson Sperry and Matt Brewer stepped up to stop the outside running while Dave Laurie and Serra stuffed the inside running forcing Tri-Town to turn the ball over on downs. It looked like Tri-Town was going to get the ball back after some fierce defensive play appeared to shut down the Green O, but excellent blocking and hard running on 4th and 5 from the 8 yard line put Distasio 92 yards later at the other end of the field scoring Green’s third TD. After a failed PAT, Guilford led 20-0.
There were several more trades of possession and Tri-Town threatened again with less than two minutes to play but the Green D would hear nothing of it and held fast at the 15 yard line taking the ball back on downs. Joey Nault took a knee to end the game and it’s on to the Play Offs!!! |
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| WEEK 8: |
Junior Green - 32 vs. Tri-Town B - 20
Guilford Junior Green brings another one home! In a 32-20 victory over a tough Tri-Town B team, the Green Machine continues to open up the offense scoring on the ground, in the air, and on special teams.
Tri-Town received the opening kick but with Mike Serra leading the defense, they were forced to turn the ball over on downs near midfield.
It looked like Guilford was going to follow suit with a 4th and 10 to go on the first drive but with no Hunter Martins to punt the Ball, Tyler Nelson was forced to the air and hit Pat Cantrell for a 23 yard gain to keep the drive moving forward. Two quick plays later and Paul Distasio scored his first of four touchdowns on the day with a 13 yard off tackle run to the right. Nelson scampered in untouched for the PAT with another perfectly executed bootleg and the 7-0 lead.
With help from Dave Laurie at inside Linebacker, Serra and the Green D shut Tri-Town down again giving the O another shot from midfield. After moving the ball steadily down the field, Green was faced with another 4th and long to go. This time Joey Nault came through tossing a halfback option pass for the first down. Not to be outdone however, Nelson put the next one up to Nick Miers who scored his first touchdown this year for a 13-0 lead.
Tri-Town battled hard on their next series and scored late in the second quarter. A well kicked PAT brought the score to 13-8… but not for long. The following kickoff made it to the Guilford 5 yard line where Distasio picked it up, raced across the field, and up the far sideline. With one defender left to beat, Serra made it simple with a second effort block to leave Distasio free to finish the 95 yard run untouched for his second TD and a 19-8 lead. Once again to the air, Nelson hit Nault in the corner of the end zone for the extra point bringing the Green total to 20 going in to the Half.
The second half was a struggle as both teams pounded out yards and traded possessions. Matt Brewer at DE was in the backfield so often you’d think he was playing for the other team. When he wasn’t out there, Carson Sperry shut down their outside running game. Distasio scored his third TD on a 33 yard toss to the right side behind the always reliable Dane Lawrence for a 26-8 lead. Tri-Town then capitalized on a rare fumble and scored soon after but the kick went wide leaving them with 14 to end the third quarter.
Tri-Town controlled the ball most of the fourth quarter but the Green D held when it counted and stopped them twice with 4th and goal to go. Distasio picked up his fourth TD with another off tackle run to the right, this time for 45 yards and 32 points. Tri-Town was able to score again late in the fourth quarter to close the gap to 32-20, but with only two minutes left in the game and a failed on-side kick, it just wasn’t enough to overcome the Green onslaught. |
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| WEEK 7: |
Junior Green - 26 vs. East Haven A - 20
Guilford Junior Green started the game off with a bang scoring on a 65 yard Paul Distasio kickoff retun. Eric Zergebiel drove hard for the PAT attempt but was cut short and had to leave the game with the first in a series of injuries on the day. The green D stopped East Haven’s first assualt and the O quickly converted for a second TD on another long Distasio run set up by a devastating lead block from fullback Mike Serra, this time for 68 yards. Joey Nault ran a reverse in for the PAT and a 13-0 lead.
East Haven was able to score on their next drive but failed the PAT attempt. Tyler Nelson took control behind a hard fighting O-Line marching Green 10 plays and 55 yards for the third TD, finishing it with a 10 yard pass to Pat Cantrell. Nelson then topped it off with another pass, this time to Serra, for the PAT and a 20-6 lead.
Nate Wilson must have thought the Green defense wasn’t ready so he left the Eastie kick returner on the field looking for his wallet when he stole the ball on the ensuing kickoff to give the O another shot from the East Haven 30 yard line. Five plays later Nelson hit Zack Soffer in the end zone for Guilford’s final score and a 26-6 lead to close the half.
East Haven controlled the third quarter and scored twice more converting both PAT attempts for a total of 20 points. With three more starters down with injuries, the second half was an exercise in substitutions and improvisation. Charlie Molloy stepped up to take over at right guard and inside linebacker, and Josh Cash and Adam Gelo split time at all four defensive line positions. Cash even stood up for some linebacking duties with Pat Cantrell who, with Mike Serra, eliminated East Haven’s inside running game. Steve Lavoie flopped between defensive end and outside linebacker and somewhere along the way came up with another fumble recovery adding to his tally this year.
Though it was a full team effort with everyone contributing his best, MVP honors go to Joey Nault. He answered the call whenever and wherever needed proving to be a triple threat on offense: running, throwing, and catching the ball while on defense his three game saving solo tackles from the corner kept East Haven stuck at 20 points.
Duke Knapp’s fourth quarter running kept the ball out of East Haven hands and a target on his back that set up two Nelson first down bootlegs on the final drive to run out the clock with Guilford on top for the 26-20 win. |
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| WEEK 6: |
Junior Green - 33 vs. Branford B - 0
Junior Green was only able to get seven plays off in the first half this week – good news is three of them were extra point attempts after an incredible running display from Distasio with scoring romps of 75, 63, and 80 yards. Zergebiel and Nelson accounted for the two successful PATs with the third falling short. Branford was able to control the ball most of the game with short gains but the Green D held when it counted. Estevan Gutierrez, back from three weeks on injured reserve, and Carson Sperry worked to shut down the outside running game and Zack Soffer helped stop the long ball. Serra and Zergebiel did their usual job punishing anyone trying to run up the middle and Matt Brewer teamed up with Sperry to add to his tally of Sacks this year. Tyler Nelson executed through the air and on the ground connecting with Gutierrez for 21 yards and a punching in an 8 yard keeper for the fourth Green TD. Joey Nault capped the TD with a perfectly run reverse for the PAT. The O-Line played tough all day and Duke Knapp proved once again what a threat he can be from the backfield scoring the final Green TD from 28 yards out with a hard run up the gut breaking tackles all the way. |
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| WEEK 5: |
No. Branford B - 8 vs. Junior Green - 7
In a hard fought war between two closely matched rivals, penalties proved to be the difference in a Junior Green 7-8 loss to North Branford B. It was the kind of game that keeps true football fans on the edges of their seats wondering which way it will go with no clear advantage on either side. North Branford scored first after a long drive, pounding the ball down the field behind a solid line and good hard running and the PAT split the uprights for the 8-0 Lead. Guilford was able to move the ball effectively both on the ground and in the air. Distasio had another good day running and scored the lone Guilford TD late in the second quarter and Pat Cantrell caught a well placed pass from Nelson to bring Green up to 7. Both teams played solid defensive ball and traded possessions for the remainder of the game. Guilford had one last chance to bring victory home with under three minutes to go on the North Branford 18 but Nelson's perfectly placed pass to Zergiebel in the end zone was called back. North Branford then took over on downs and was able to run the clock out for the win. |
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| WEEK 4: |
Junior Green - 25 vs. Madison A - 7
Ball control and tough defensive play win Guilford Junior Green the day 25-7 against the Madison A passing attack. It was a throwback to smash-mouth, run-up-the-gut football. Dane Lawrence anchored the dominating offensive line allowing Guilford to post 44 offensive plays. Green showed it's versatility with touchdowns posted by Eric Zergiebel at Fullback, Paul Distasio at Tailback, Duke Knapp at Slot and Tyler Nelson at Quarterback. Joey Nault led a tough secondary to hold the Madison passing attack in check while Dave Laurie and Distasio shut down the outside run. Matt "the Bull" Brewer came alive this week helping on two sacks to end the game. |
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| WEEK 2: |
Junior Green - 33 vs. East Haven B - 12
Junior Green wins home field opener 33-12 with a shattering ground assault! Eric Zergiebel plowed through a tough East Haven defense behind Josh Cash and Dave Laurie for the game’s first Touchdown and Guilford never looked back. The East Haven defense scored the next points on a stripped ball returned for a TD but the Guilford defense held to stop extra point attempt.
The East Haven quarterback was on target all day and threw a perfectly placed ball deep to the right side in the second quarter for the Easties second TD but it was no match for Paul Distasio’s three Green touchdowns runs from 45, 47, and 3 yards out. Defensively Green came alive on Sunday. Led once again by Mike Serra, the Green D anchored up front by Phillip Eldridge and Charlie Molloy left the Easties nowhere to go.
Pat Cantrell earns the man-of-iron award taking on a crushing blow to break up an East Haven sweep stopping a sure TD and bouncing back up to do it all over again. Steve Lavoie and Tyler Nelson proved that Quarterbacks can play defense—Lavoie laid out a devastating blow in the end zone to pop the ball loose and Nelson jumped on it for Green’s fifth TD. |
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| WEEK 1: |
Madison C - 26 vs. Junior Green - 0
A tough loss to a strong Madison C, 26-0. After falling behind early, Mike Serra led a green defensive rally to hold Madison scoreless in the second half with the help of John Reagle who came off the bench to help anchor the battered defensive line. Paul Distasio made a brilliant debut to Guilford Football with some incredible running, racking up 115 yards on the ground behind Adam Gelo and Hunter Martins. |
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