Windham football grinds out victory over St. Thomas
WINDHAM – After two straight meetings in the Division II state championship game, the St. Thomas High School football team traveled to a cold and damp Windham to continue this rivalry. Windham came out on top 28-6 by keeping the ball on the ground, only passing four times, on its way to victory.
Windham was led by fullback Victor Pizzotti, and halfbacks Parker Belsky and Jake Aleksa. These backs ran for 118, 104, and 80 yards accordingly, and through attrition, wore St. Thomas down, especially in the second half.
“We are two or three deep in those positions,” Windham Bill Raycraft said. “That combination played well and we left them on the field in this competitive matchup.”
The Jaguars (5-0) opened the scoring with 1:14 remaining in the first half with a 30-yard touchdown run by Aleksa, capping off an impressive 95-yard touchdown drive.
Going into half time with a lead was important for Windham as it lost the turnover battle 2-0 in the first half.
After the opening drive by St. Thomas led to a punt, the punt hit the foot of a Windham player giving St. Thomas the ball back. With 6:05 remaining in the first half St. Thomas intercepted Windham quarterback Cody Potter, putting the Saints in good field possession.
“We were not able to capitalize,” said St. Thomas Aquinas coach Eric Cumba. St. Thomas was without starting quarterback Shawn Dekorne, and used multiple different quarterbacks, primarily Tim Bouchard.
Bouchard, who is listed as a WR, is usually a feature player on the Saints’ offense, but they were able to successfully use him on many keepers, totaling 80 yards on the ground. Bouchard, along with running back Edwin Estevez, who tallied almost a 100 yards on his own, led a drive in the second half to cut the score to 14-6 after Belsky had opened the second half with a touchdown run.
After the scoring drive by St. Thomas, the Saints only possessed the ball one other time in the second half.
“We were not able to get off of the field in the second half,” said Cumba. “We need to bounce back next week, as next week is an important game in our season.”
“We did not know what they were going to do (at quarterback), but in game adjustments and different looks create successful teams,” Raycraft said about his defense.
Next week Windham looks to continue its dominance against Trinity. St. Thomas has a game with heavy playoff implications against Milford.
