November 12, 2006City Settlers: With State Goals Gone, Trinity Gladly Claims City Crownfrom The Stamford Advocate Ever since his team lost its third game of the season last month, effectively ending its state playoff hopes, Trinity Catholic High School head football coach Bryan Fox was worried about yesterday's clash against city rival Stamford High.
(Head Coach Bryan Fox and seniors Pat Cullen
#56, Chris Hawthorne #80, Would his Crusaders, Fox wondered, be ready to settle for a city championship after the coaching staff and so many others in the TCHS community had been playing up the team's chances to contend for a state championship since the start of the season? His concerns were quickly laid to rest yesterday. The Crusaders forced a fumble on the first play of the game, scored six plays later and went on to a 40-20 Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference victory at Alumni Field. "I felt we had the potential to go to the state (Class S) playoffs," Fox said, "but we'll take whatever we can get." Make no mistake about it, the Crusaders didn't just "settle" for the city crown. "This," Trinity quarterback Anas Koummal said, "is the greatest feeling of my life." Koumall threw three touchdown passes as the Crusaders (6-3) ended the Black Knights' three-year reign as city champs. "It's a really big thing to take (the trophy) back," said linebacker/running back Vinny Cortese who was the best player on the field yesterday. The Crusaders won the city title for the first time since 2002 but it seems longer. Stamford's victories the last three years were by a combined score of 100-28, an average of 24 points each beating. "Stamford High has been blowing us out every year lately," added defensive end/fullback Eric Stephens. "So, this means everything." Fox probably could have stopped worrying after that first play. You could see it in the Crusaders' eyes that this was going to be a long afternoon for Kevin Jones' Black Knights. "We have a ton of talent, but a lot of faults, too," Jones said. "We have to learn to play together as a team. That's what Trinity does." The Crusaders, who beat Westhill 46-20 earlier this season, rushed for 218 yards. A.J. Nelson had 73 of them on 12 carries and a touchdown and Cortese had 64 on 14 attempts. Koummal was 8-for-10 for 175 yards, 3 TD passes and one rushing TD, while Cortese also caught four balls for 98 yards and two touchdowns and Kyle Foti had the other TD reception. Fox added a few wrinkles -Êusing Koummal as a receiver and 315-pound lineman Santiago Steele as a Fridge-like running back - just for this game. "I figured, let's throw them a changeup," Fox said. Defensively, Cortese, Stephens, Steele and Mario Pirolozzi helped slow the Knights. SHS quarterback T.J. Mills did throw for 273 yards (16-for-28), but the running game was stifled. Stamford's talented back Desmond Hines ended up with 99 yards on 13 carries but had three runs of at least 26 yards in the fourth quarter with the Crusaders in a prevent alignment. Take away those three runs and the Knights totalled minus-16 rushing yards on nine attempts. "I'm depressed we let (the trophy) go this easily," Mills said. "We never gave them a run for their money." "They deserve it," Jones added. "We got beat by a better team. End of discussion." The discussion may have ended by the conclusion of the first quarter. The Knights (2-7) trailed 21-0 at that point. Six plays after Stephens sacked Mills and Pirolozzi recovered the fumble, the Crusaders took a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard dive by Nelson. Then, after a SHS drive stalled at the Trinity 14 with an end zone interception by Ryan Durkin, Steele capped an 80-yard, 10-play drive by busting in from one yard out.
(Senior Ryan Durkin intercepts a pass in the corner of the endzone in the first quarter against Stamford High on Saturday, November 11, 2006) On the ensuing kickoff Steele made an unintentional squib kick that the Crusaders recovered. Two plays later Cortese grabbed a deflected pass from Koummall and raced 33 yards for a 21-0 lead. "There are always two or three plays that are key and it's nice to have them roll your way," Fox said. Koummal then made it 28-0 on a 38-yard touchdown pass to Foti. Stamford finally got on the board with 4:47 remaining in the half on a nine-yard Mills-to-Mike Anaston pass play. In the third period Koummal scored from one yard out and later hit Cortese, who made a great catch and rumbled 37 yards for a 40-6 advantage. Finally, Hines found some running room and scored from 30 yards out before Mills and Josh Maignan (six catches for 120 yards) hooked up on a 22-yard scoring play with 22 seconds left to play. It was too late for the Knights by then. Too late for the Crusaders, too, at least in terms of the state playoffs. "If we had beaten Darien (a 13-12 loss) and McMahon (26-20), we had a chance for the states and maybe even the FCIACs," Koummal said. "After that we realized this was the only championship we had to left to win. "But we'll take it." Copyright © 2006, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.
 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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