Having struggled to scored in the past two games, the West Haven football team got that out of the way quickly against Fitch-Groton, but the Westies still trailed at the half. Outscoring Fitch by 26 points in the fourth quarter, West Haven got back on the winning track with a 39-18 victory at Fitch Friday evening to improve to 4-4 on the year.
Leading 7-6 after an 18-yard touchdown run by Mason Wright in the first quarter, the Westies watched as Fitch took an 18-7 lead to the half. The second half was a different story as the Westies took control.
Wright hit C.J. Sutton for a 19-yard scoring strike to get within 18-13 in the third quarter, before West Haven won the game in the fourth quarter with four touchdowns.
Amir Daniley gave West Haven the lead for good at 19-18 with a 3-yard touchdown run. After West Haven’s defense held, Daniley then returned a punt 73 yards for a 26-18 advantage.
Wright’s second rushing touchdown of the game, this one from three yards out, put West Haven on top 32-18. Daniley’s third touchdown of the quarter, a 19-yard run capped the scoring and gave the Westies a 39-18 lead.
Wright finished the game 16-of-26 for 192 yards. Daniley ran for 88 yards on 12 carries, and Jakari Harris had six receptions for 53 yards in the win.
A week earlier was a different story.
Led by a thrashing Amity offensive line, Cristian Luciano ran for 188 yards and two touchdowns, while the Amity offense gained 222 yards in a 21-0 Southern Connecticut Conference victory over West Haven at West Haven High.
Amity won its four straight contest and improved to 5-2 on the year to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Westies, on the other hand, continued to struggle with their third straight loss to fall to 3-4, including second straight defeat by way of shutout.
“We graduated the number of guys and talented guys we have, there’s going to be growing pains,” West Haven coach Tom Unger said. “People forget, we graduated every single starter on offense and defense. We replaced 22 guys. That’s 11 offensive and defensive players. There’s going to be growing pains. We have to get bigger, faster, and stronger. It’s a struggle right now because of those things.”
Amity’s defense was impressive from the start, holding the Westies to minus 10 yards of offense in the first half and 63 total yards in the contest.
West Haven was stopped on fourth down on its first two possessions of the second half, before Amity increased the lead to 21-0 on a 10-play, 55-yard drive, capped with a one-yard plunge by Luciano 1:04 into the fourth quarter.
The game was a defensive battle from the start with Amity coming up with the majority of the big plays in the opening half. The Spartans never let a potent West Haven offense get going in the opening 24 minutes.
The season has come to a close for the West Haven girls volleyball team. Traveling to play rival Hamden in the opening round of the Class LL state tournament, the Westies fell 25-19, 25-21, 25-19.
West Haven had trouble containing Hamden’s Bella Green, who finished with 18 kills.
The Westies were led by Jen Ngo with 22 assists and nine digs. Sam Close and Chloe Payne each had 11 kills, and Dominique Fidalgo and Gulianna Ruggerio each added eight digs.
No. 20 West Haven finished the season with a 16-7 record.
The West Haven boys soccer team has had a stellar season thus far. The Westies were looking to keep the momentum going in the opening round of the state tournament.
Scoring twice in the second half, tenth-seeded West Haven topped No. 23 Glastonbury, 2-0, in the opening round of the Class LL state tournament at West Haven High.
Glastonbury controlled play in the first half, but it was the Westies who did the damage in the second half. Pedro Furtado gave West Haven a 1-0 lead with a bending shot into the net just 5:13 into the second half.
Furtado had a chance to extend the lead less than two minutes later, but he sailed a shot over the goal.
The rest was up to West Haven goalkeeper Abraham Mero, and the senior came up big in the second half, particularly with just over three minutes remaining when he denied a crossing attempt by Glastonbury.
West Haven iced the game with 2:56 remaining when Youssouf Keira scored off an assist from Bryan Brown III for a 2-0 lead.
The season ended for West Haven two days later as the Westies were blanked by cross-town rival and seventh-seeded Notre Dame, 6-0.
West Haven concludes its season with a 10-4-5 record.
Senior Night
The seniors of the West Haven High School football team, cheerleading squad were honored prior to the game against Amity, while the dance team was honored at halftime. Parents, family and friends were introduced prior to the SCC contest. The Spartans spoiled the night with a 23-0 win.
