Woodland played their rivalry game against Naugatuck on Friday in a Week 4 matchup. The two teams played for the traditional Pinho Trophy, named after George Pinho, who coached football in both towns. This trophy is given to the winning team every year. Last season, the Hawks claimed it with a 50-24 victory. This year however, Naugatuck took home the trophy with a 39-0 shutout victory. This is the first time the hawks have been shutout since September 19, 2008 against Watertown.
The Woodland Hawks came into Week 4 with an unstable defense and an unreliable offense. The Hawks just came off a 67-28 loss against Sacred Heart. In the first four games, the Hawks have given up a total of 191 points while only scoring 63. This team is still young and work has to be done on both the offensive and defensive side. Woodland is 0-4 for the first time in school history.
However, seniors like Scott Lawrence and Isaac Negron are not letting the losing streak prevent them from success. Prior to Week 4, Lawrence ranked second in Class S with tackles with 33, only one behind the class leader. However, Lawrence shined mostly on offense in this game. Prior to Friday’s game, Lawrence only had two receptions. Friday, Lawrence led the team with three receptions for 41 yards as he tried to exploit some offense for the Hawks in the passing game. Meanwhile on the ground, Isaac Negron had 430 rushing yards coming into Week 4. He would add to that total with 21 carries, but only 45 yards to show for it. The key to the Greyhounds success was plugging the holes on the offensive line which prevented Negron from gaining yardage. The passing game was just as bad for the Hawks. Quarterback Quincy Koch only had 4 completions for 54 yards. When the passing and rushing game are both shut down, there is little chance that a team can win.
Meanwhile, the Greyhounds just kept rolling after they beat Torrington in Week 3 with a score of 52-0. In the first four games of the season, Naugatuck has been able to score 147 points while coming off back-to-back shutouts. Clearly, this team is very confident in their defense. However, Junior Mike Plasky had twelve completions for 272 yards and three touchdowns as he took advantage of the young Woodland Cornerbacks. Plasky’s go to receiver in Friday’s game was Senior Jalen Datil who had four receptions for 189 yards and two touchdowns. The longest touchdown of the game came in the third quarter which was a 71 yard pass from Plasky to Datil. The Greyhounds’ running game was led by Sophomore Jacob Fazekas who had seven carries for 90 yards and a touchdown. Fazekas continued to find holes in the Hawks defensive line as their struggle continues against the running game.
The Greyhounds (3-1) look to get another shutout at Wilby (0-4) this Friday. Meanwhile, the Hawks (0-4) continue to search for their first win as they play in Oxford (3-1), who is coming off of a close 9-0 win against Crosby.
HHLSports will be broadcasting the Woodland at Oxford game. Follow us on twitter @HHLSports
