September 23, 2006Joy Luck Victory: Junior Tallies Both Darien Scores in Comeback Winfrom The Darien News-Review Running back Kevin Joy exploded on the scene with four touchdowns in week one against Fairfield Ludlowe. The junior continued his tirade on the FCIAC in week two, propelling the Blue Wave to victory with two touchdowns one on each side of the ball against Trinity Catholic, in a game in which Darien showed its resiliency and again flexed some defensive muscle. The Blue Wave (2-0) battled back from a 12-0 halftime deficit, overcoming a missed field goal and a poor offensive showing, to take the lead, 13-12, on a 20-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Joy. "It was a great comeback," head coach Mike Masiuk said. "It was a total team effort. The defense really hung in there and won the game for us." The kicking game was a major thorn in the side of the both teams all game. After Darien's Paul Saulitis missed a 20-yard kick, just right, Trinity Catholic marched down the field on an 80-yard drive, capped by a 21-yard touchdown jaunt by Kyle Foti. The Crusaders' kicking inabilities then reared its ugly head, missing the extra point. The Blue Wave had trouble containing Trinity Catholic tailback Eric Stephens who had 110 yards on 19 carries. The 6-foot-2, 263-pound was a major part of the Crusaders early success, scoring Catholic's second touchdown on a six-yard run in the second quarter. "He's a big boy. We had trouble stopping him all day," Masiuk said. Darien gained some momentum in the second half, when defensive back John Haire picked off Trinity Catholic quarterback Anas Koummal, but the offense was stymied once again. The Blue Wave defense proved invaluable again midway through the third, stalling the Crusaders offense following a Schoen interception. With Darien in control of the ball on the 35-yard line, following a punt and a Trinity Catholic personal foul, Schoen orchestrated the Blue Wave's first scoring drive. He hit senior wideout Andrew Orr for a 19-yard gain and twice kept the ball for 11-yard gains. The drive set up Joy's first score, a 4-yard run that pulled Darien within six. Saulitis' PAT made the score 12-7. "We knew Kevin was an outstanding runner as a freshman," Masiuk said. "He's a tough runner and a powerful runner." With the score stuck at 12-7 midway through the fourth quarter Trinity Catholic faced a third down near midfield. Koummal dropping back to pass came under heavy pressure from tri-captain linebacker P.J. Bay and sophomore defensive back Nick Dysenchuk. Scrambling deep into his backfield Koummal was stripped by Bay. Joy, who was trailing the play, scooped up the loose ball near the 20 and scurried into the end zone for the go-ahead score. "He's actually scored all but one of our touchdowns in two games," Masiuk said of his tailback. "At this point he's a scoring machine." Trying to push the lead to three points Darien's two-point conversion unsuccessful, leaving Trinity Catholic approximately four minutes to erase the 13-12 deficit. The Crusaders pushed the ball down field behind the combination of Stephens and Koummal. At the 5-yard line, with fewer than 30 ticks on the clock, Koummal went twice went up top, throwing fades to John O'Leary in the back corner of the end zone. The first pass fell unsuccessful and O'Leary caught the second, but landed out of bounds. Trinity Catholic decided to attempt the game-winning field goal on fourth down, with 15 seconds remaining and had Koummal lineup for the 21-yard kick. The quarterback never got a chance to show off his leg, though. After a bad snap Koummal drilled the kick into the line. Joy finished with 14 yards on 11 carries and led the defense with
14 tackles. Sophomore Cameron Ross led all rushers with 33 yards on
six carries. Schoen compiled 23 yards on seven carries and completed
4 of 10 passes for 41 yards and one interception.
 Big senior defensive tackle Vladimir Joseph swims by an offensive lineman in a 28-20 home victory over Fairfield Ludlowe on October 29, 2005. (CrusaderNation.net / Dana Maul)
 Junior defensive tackle Santiago "Teggy" Steele wraps up a Darien
rusher as his
 Junior center Cory Johnson prepares to snap the ball to fellow classmate
 The Crusader offensive line pushes Bassick around in the mud. The
Crusaders
 Senior wideout Rob Hawthorn races downfield to block as junior fullback
Eric Stephens
 2005 All-FCIAC East Offense Row 1, Left to Right: Eric Wells, Bassick; Willie Epps, McMahon;
Pete Raymond,
 2005 All-FCIAC East Defense Row 1, Left to Right: Joe Luchesi, Danbury; Greg Sabo, Danbury; James
Taylor, Danbury;
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