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STAMFORD, Conn. Stamford High and Trinity Catholic High bring identical 2-2 records into Fridays football game at Boyle Stadium, and each team needs a victory to save the season.
But just as important for both teams is the battle for the city championship. The Crusaders can retain the title with a victory; Stamford would have to beat Trinity as well as winless Westhill in its final regular season game.
The Crusaders have wins over Westhill and Harding but are coming off a 26-7 loss to Norwalk in which they took an early 7-0 lead. Norwalk took control in the second half, scoring 19 unanswered points as the Crusaders collapsed under the Bears punishing ground attack.
Trinitys season suffered a significant blow when running back Shaquan Howsie was lost for the season with an injury in the second game. He ran for 344 yards in two games, averaging more than seven yards per carry.
The Crusaders have a good running attack with Michael Davis and Jeff Cortese, who have combined for more than 500 yards and seven touchdowns. Trinity, which has many players who play offense and defense, has been hurt in the second half of games with opponents outscoring the team, 47-21.
Stamford came into the season with high hopes. The Black Knights lost consecutive games to Norwalk and Ridgefield, virtually eliminating them from post-season consideration. Stamford, which has struggled on offense in its losses, showed its firepower last week in a 34-0 win over St. Joseph. Quarterback Bryan Boderick rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns, while completing seven passes for 98 yards.
Stamford is still a dangerous team, and if it prevails over Trinity, could bring a three-game winning streak into a Nov. 4 game against New Canaan. The Black Knights meet winless Fairfield Ludlowe on Oct. 28. A non-league game scheduled for Oct. 21 has been canceled.
Stamford has been impressive on defense. It has surrendered just 59 points in four games, the fifth lowest total in the league. Senior linebacker Matt Corcoran has 59 tackles and 2.5 sacks, both team highs. Two-way player Chandler Foster has also been a bright spot, running for 6.46 yards per carry and two touchdowns and playing well at linebacker.
In other games for Stamford schools this weekend, Westhill (0-4) plays at Franklin, Mass., on Saturday at 2:15 p.m. King (1-2) plays its homecoming game on Saturday against Kingswood-Oxford.
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