New London Touchdown Secures Micros Win [VIDEOS]

The New London Whalers’ micro division youth football team earned a championship victory in a nail-biting game on Sunday, while a second half push by New London’s junior division team couldn’t surpass an early lead by Waterford.

The two teams competed in the Super Bowl of the Southern New England Youth Football Conference. It was the first championship win for the micro team since 2005 and the second year in which New London lost to Waterford in the final game of the season.

The games took place on Cannamella Field at . Under conference rules, the field was reduced to 80 yards and the post-touchdown points system modified. Successful field goals were worth two points, while carrying the ball into the end zone a second time earned a team one point. The micro division players are ages 9 to 11, the junior players 11 to 13.

Micros: New London 18, Windham 12

The Whalers struck early, as Jacob Commander scored a touchdown with 5:31 left on the clock. The Whippets were forced to punt after their first possession, but New London was unable to make a significant advance afterward. Windham had a long run and started the second quarter with a touchdown of their own, scored by Jalen Ortiz. Each team failed to score any additional points after their touchdowns, keeping the score tied at 6-6.

New London was held back by penalties, sacks, and incomplete passes, and the Whippets had another strong start when Isaiah Rivera advanced several yards on a run. However, the Whalers’ Jahyde Marcus took possession of a fumble and made the run to the Whippet end zone. Unfortunately for New London, a holding penalty invalidated the touchdown and the Whalers could not repeat the performance with their next possession.

The Whippets took a 12-6 lead in the second quarter when Rye Walenoewicz found a hole in the defense and slipped through for a touchdown. During the third quarter, neither team managed to gain significant ground until DJ Fleetwood tied the score for the Whalers on a pass by TJ Manuel.

In the dramatic fourth quarter, New London advanced to the Whippet 20-yard line on a run by Jovan Brown with about two minutes left in the game. Brown later closed the gap to one yard with 34 seconds left, and Commander made the final push through the defensive line to bring the score to 18-12.

Windham tried a last Hail Mary pass in their remaining possession, but the ball ended up in New London hands and the Whalers brought it in to the Whippet 10-yard line before they were stopped.

New London head coach Lydell Pemberton said the team showed they wanted the victory.

“For us, this has been kind of a ground and pound game all season long,” he said.

Jason Glidden, the Windham head coach, said he thought the defensive line played an excellent game but that New London eventually found a way to exploit the middle of the line.

“They’ve gelled and they’ve come a long way,” Glidden said of his team.

Regarding the opponents, Glidden commented, “The New London boys, they run tough. They don’t ever give up.”

Juniors: Waterford 14, New London 7

Both New London and Waterford came into Sunday’s game undefeated, with nine wins each. The teams have developed a rivalry over the past few years as they grow up and continue to face each other in competition. The Lancers knocked the Whalers out of contention in the 2009 micros competition, then went on to win the Super Bowl. Last year, Waterford won the Super Bowl micros game against New London in a close match.

This year’s second matchup of the teams started with a scoreless first quarter, though the Lancers had advanced to the Whalers’ six yard line when the first 10 minutes ran out. Chase Speller completed a touchdown early in the second quarter to give Waterford a 6-0 lead, though a field goal attempt was unsuccessful.

New London soon lost possession at their own 33-yard line on a fumble. Waterford was pushed back to a 25 yard first down attempt due to a holding penalty, but regained 20 yards on a “hook and ladder” play and continued the advance to the end zone. Speller made his second touchdown of the game, and a successful field goal closed the first half with the Lancers up 14-0.

In the third quarter, Waterford maintained possession in a “pooch kick” play and managed to reach New London’s 15 yard line before having to turn over possession. The Whalers made a rapid series of first downs, but lost the ball on a fumble.

In a decisive call soon after, New London regained the ball on a Waterford fumble and Cevon Riley ran it into the end zone. However, holding and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on New London kept the touchdown off the scoreboard and forced the Whalers too far down the field to capitalize on the possession.

The fourth quarter came down to a series of advances by New London’s Jelani Gilbert, who scored the only Whaler points of the game by making both a touchdown and subsequent additional point. With the score at 14-7, the Lancers made it to midfield before losing the ball on a fumble.

Gilbert brought the ball in close to Waterford’s end zone in the final minutes of the game, opening the possibility that New London could tie or even win the game on a touchdown and extra point play. However, the Lancer defense forced the Whalers to make a fourth-down attempt to run the ball the final five yards to the end zone, and Gilbert fell just short. The Lancers took a knee to run out the remaining 1:15 on the clock and take the win.

Tom Burrows, the Waterford head coach, said his team surpassed his expectations. He said the execution of the plays are what the game comes down to, and said it is the third straight victory for this group of players.

“It’s not all the same kids, but the nucleus is the same kids,” said Burrows.

Burrows said he was also impressed with the tenacity of the New London players.

“They did very good, and we have to step up every time we play them,” he said.

Jose Sanabria, a Whaler coach, said Waterford took New London by surprise and that the second half comeback fell just short.

“Both teams were very good, well-coached teams,” said Sanabria. “The execution was a matter of inches on both sides.”