Orange Live

Junior David Ryan (19) was one of the Quarterbacks to fill the void while James Semmonella is on the injured list.

By PHIL BRODSKY

Orange Live Sports Writer

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Heading into Thursday night’s Southern Connecticut Conference Division I clash between Xavier High of Middletown and Amity, the Falcons’ 5-foot 7-inch, 182 pound running back D’ Angelo Berry had 15 touchdowns this fall. By the time the game (which was played at Bill Johnson Field in Woodbridge) was over, the Falcons (currently ranked No. 4 in the state) had soared to a convincing 52-17 victory and Berry had added five more scores top his season total. He now leads the state in scoring with those 20 touchdowns. Berry also picked up 141 yards in 18 carries against the Spartans.

While Xavier (now 5-1) was chewing up Johnson Field for 248 yards and throwing for another 168 yards, Amity was proving to be its own worst enemy. The 2-4 Spartans committed four costly turnovers.  Three of those turnovers led directly to points for Xavier.

According to Amity Coach Bert Mozealous, “Our regular quarterback (James Semmonella) was out due to an injury ( concussion) that he suffered last week against West Haven. As a result we had to use two inexperienced guys (junior David Ryan and sophomore Tyler Burns) to replace him. As a result of that inexperience, we made some mistakes and those mistakes cost us points. We had four turnovers that ended up giving Xavier 17 points. We can’t afford to do that against any team, let alone a good team like Xavier.”

The Falcons wasted no time in lighting up the scoreboard. Their first possession of the game was an 11 play-67 yard drive that was climaxed by a Berry’s one-yard plunge into the end zone. I t came with 6 minutes, 7 seconds left in the first period. The highlight of that drive was a 46 yard pass from quarterback Tim Boyle (who has accepted an NCAA Division I full scholarship to Boston College)  wide receiver James Sullivan for a first down at the Amity 1-yard line.

Sophomore Tyler Burns (9) runs with the ball.

Two plays after that score, Burns fumbled the snap and the loose ball was recovered by Xavier linebacker, Charlton Ortega at the Spartans’ 8-yard line. Four plays after Ortega’s recovery, Berry shot up the middle for a three-yard touchdown that gave his team a 14-0 lead with 3:31 to go in the opening session. It took only three more plays for another Burns fumble that Xavier fell on at the Spartan 21.  With 22 seconds left in the quarter, Andrew Verre booted a 27 yard field goal that extended the visitors’ lead to 17-0.

Things quickly went from bad to worse for Amity in the second quarter. Keyed by Boyle passes of 17 and 18 yards to wide receiver Kris Luster, Xavier covered 70 yards in seven plays. Berry’s 24 yard sprint into the end zone with 8:24 left in the first half gave Xavier a 24-0 advantage.

Burns brought the Spartan fans to their feet as he roared right up the middle for a 75 yard TD on the first play after the Falcon touchdown. That roar was quickly silenced when Ted Duarte’ took the Amity kickoff  55 yards in the opposite direction before he was brought down at the Amity 5-yard line. On the second play from scrimmage after Duarte’s long return, Boyle called his own number and scored on a five yard run at 7:22 that enabled Xavier to open up a 31-7 lead.

After the two teams exchanged interceptions, Amity’s Lyle Luth kicked a 22 yard field goal as time ran out in the first half.

“Even though we were behind, our guys kept working hard throughout the game. I thought our execution was pretty good in the first half. It took a while but our offensive line finally woke up and responded as the game went on,” Mozealous said. “I know Xaiver’s a really good football team. Their QB (Boyle) is a Division 1 recruit but No. 75 (6-2, 269 senior center/defensive end, Max Schurmann) did a great job tonight.”

While the first two quarters were a nightmare for Amity, the third quarter was even worse, as the Falcons tacked on three more scores and blew out to a 52-10 lead.

Three plays into the second half, Berry shredded the Spartan defense for a 78 yard score. Three plays after that TD, Falcon cornerback Vincent Neri intercepted a Ryan pass at midfield and raced it back 48 yards before being rolled out of bounds at the Spartan 2. Shortly thereafter, Berry scored on a one foot dive that upped the tally to 45-10. With 5:44 left in the third quarter, Xavier closed out its’ offensive fireworks display when Boyle and Sullivan teamed up on a 48 yard scoring strike.

The lone score of the final session came with 1:05 left in the game. With Burns at the controls, the Spartans drove 90 yards in 14 plays and finally cashed in on a three-yard run by Burns.

Mozealous said, “When James (Semmonella, the Spartans’ starting signal caller) returns, we can take our time, developing Burns and Ryan. They will get more time as they learn more of our offense. Right now, we’re searching for answers. We need to block, tackle, and execute.”

The ledger book shows Amity picking up nine first downs, 255 yards on the ground and another 70 in the air. Attolino rushed for a team-high 113 yards on 27 carries. The pair of Amity quarterbacks combined to complete four of 10 passes (with one interception) for70 yards. Ben Feola had three grabs for 51 yards.

Xavier racked up 12 first downs, 248 yards on the ground and another168 yards in the air. In addition to Berry’s141 yards and five scores, Boyle completed 10 of his 17 throws.

On Friday night, Amity hosts SCC Division 1 rival, Fairfield Prep, in a 7 p.m. contest at Johnson Field.