Wolverines vs. Yale

It was a close game this past Sunday when the Wolverines traveled to take on Yale University. In the first quarter Yale scored but missed the extra point. Bridgton Academy's offense was unable to capitalize until the 4th quarter but the Wolverine defense did a great job holding their opponent at a score of 6. Finally late in the final quarter Bridgton connected on several drives to get the only touchdown and extra point kick they would need to beat their second Ivy League opponent and 4th overall team in a row. They will be traveling to Vermont this Sunday to play Norwich University where they will be looking for their fifth win in a row.

Wolverines vs. Brown University

On Sunday September 21st, the Bridgton Academy Football team traveled to Providence, Rhode Island to play the Brown University Bears. Although it was a tough game and the Wolverines were behind in the the quarter, the Wolverines beat Brown 19-18, with an incredible rally from the team. Great Job, Guys!

Wolverines play Brown University

Congratulations to the Bridgton Football Team for a tight 19-18 win over Brown.

Bridgton Academy plays Bryant University

On Sunday Oct 14, 2012 the Bridgton Academy football team traveled to Smithfield, Rhode Island to take on the Bryant University. The Wolverine defense set the tone early forcing the opponent offense to punt. The Wolverine offense took the field and converted two big 3rd down attempts. The first was a pass from quarterback Brock Dale to Taylor Hughes, and the second was a run also by Hughes. Brooks Poulins would cap off the drive with a 5 yard touchdown reception. Other scores from the day included 2 and 3 yard runs from Byron King, a 7 yard reception from Rashad Young, and a 1 yard run from Devon Lofton. On defense the Wolverines found sparks from interceptions by Garret Agustin and Jarrod Casey. Up front the defense was led by Peter Amabile, Jesse El-Ghoul, Chris Lee, and Tim Rochon. The final score was Bridgton Academy 34 Bryant University 0. Next week the team travels to Brown University and kickoff is scheduled for 1pm.

Bridgton takes on Merrimack College

Bridgton Academy set the tone at Merrimack Sunday afternoon scoring on their first possession, after a big kick return by Devon Lofton. The Wolverine offense drove 60 yards behind an impressive running game and play by the offensive line. The drive was capped off with a touchdown pass from QB Brock Dale and TE Bobby Paul.

Coming back from a solid game last weekend, the Bridgton defense made another statement with an impressive outing. The relentless defense would stone Merrimack early and often including a big goal line stand late in the first half.

A late interception by Safety Kelly Dobbins would set up an impressive finish for the BA offense in the first half. QB Brock Dale connected with Rashad Young on spectacular catch and run to make the score 14-0 at half. Rashad Young’s TD catch would make the difference of the game, as the BA defense would bend but not break.

The Wolverines captured their 2^nd win of the season with a final score of 14-7 behind Sunday’s leading receiver Rashad Young, the BA secondary, and the rapidly developing Wolverine line. The Wolverines travel to Division-I FCS opponent Bryant University next weekend in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Kickoff for Sunday’s game is scheduled for 2:00 pm. 

Wolverines Drop Close Game to Navy Prep

LtCol Thomas L. Rollins '68 conducting the coin toss before the Bridgton vs. Navy Prep game that took place on Saturday, September 29th. Rollins, who had been inducted into the Bridgton Academy Hall of Fame the night before, was joined on the field by fellow 2012 HOF inductee, Carlos A. Canino '84, along with Tom Austin, who coached both men when they played football here at Bridgton.

The Wolverines played well and had a chance in the closing minutes of the game to take the win, but fell short 25-20 to Navy Prep. The Wolverines take on Merrimack College on Sunday, October 7th at Merrimack.

******

The Navy Prep Midshipmen won the opening toss, deferring to the 2nd half. Bridgton Academy opened the game with an explosive kick return by Devon Lofton, setting the Wolverines up in Midshipmen territory. The Wolverines capitalized on the field position, ending the drive with a red zone completion to Eris Nahoum for a touchdown. The Wolverines fumbled the snap on the extra point, putting the score at 6-0. However, Navy Prep would answer back immediately, returning the ensuing kick for a touchdown. Jared Osumah blocked the Midshipmen extra point attempt, tying the game at 6-6. The Wolverine offense refused to let the momentum shift, and grinded out a 9 play, 74 yard drive to answer back with a touchdown and point after, putting the Wolverines up 13-6.

 

 The Wolverines and Midshipmen continued to test each other physically over the next several series, with both defenses holding strong. The Midshipmen eventually found their way through the Bridgton defense, scoring a touchdown late in the second quarter, and another missed point after set the score at 13-12 heading into halftime.

The Midshipmen opened the second half with a scoring drive, fueled by a controversial play. Navy Prep then attempted a 2 point conversion, but was denied by the Wolverine defense, making the score 13-18 Midshipmen. The Wolverine offense faltered the following possession, and again the Midshipmen capitalized on a controversial play for a score. The extra point put the score at 13-25. After the Wolverine offense stalled again, the defense put together a great stand, stopping the Midshipmen in the redzone and giving the Wolverines the opportunity to get back into the game. 

The Bridgton Academy offense put together an impressive 90 yard drive for a score, fueled by the arm of Brock Dale, key receptions from Taylor Hughes, and physical play from Geeavontie Griffith and the offensive line. Brock Dale finished the drive with a quarterback sneak for the score, and the extra point set the score at 20-25.  

On the following possession, the Wolverine defense put together a critical stop, giving the Wolverine offense the chance to win with under 2 minutes remaining in the game. The Wolverines failed to convert on several key attempts, and turned the ball back over to the Midshipmen. Navy Prep ran out the clock—the final score  of the game was 20-25, Navy Prep.

Holy Cross Holds On To Win Against Bridgton

The Wolverine football team traveled south to Worcester, Mass to face the JV team from Holy Cross on Friday.  The game began with the Wolverines winning their third consecutive coin toss and taking the ball.  The offense set a nice tone as Geeavonti Griffith (Randolph, MA) took the first hand-off to the right for a twenty yard gain to mid field.  Though the drive fizzled out, the ability to run the ball effectively would be an earmark of the Wolverine offense.

Unfortunately, for the Wolverines, the second trend of the day occurred on Holy Cross’s first possession.  The Crusaders took seven plays to put the ball deep within BA territory; where the quarterback escaped a sack and scrambled for a fourth down touch down.  The lesson:  the Wolverine defense would be close, but unable to get off the field in critical downs.

Holy Cross added a second touchdown in the first quarter when the D lost track of a receiver and again the Crusaders struck, this time through the air for six.  The score now 14-0, the two teams exchanged punts and the Wolverine offense took over near mid field and went on a march.  The drive was highlighted by the tough running of Devan Lofton (Fairfield, CT) and capped when Brock Dale (Palos Verdas, CA) found Bobby Paul (Westfield, MA) on a nineteen yard scoring strike.

Holy Cross answered with another long drive capped by a fifteen yard touchdown pass to put the Crusaders up 20-7.  Dale and the offense would not go quietly, as the Wolverines responded with a ten play sixty yard drive.  Paul again played an essential role, catching a key first down during the drive.  Eris Nahoum (Goshen, NY) caught a big, twenty yard pass from Dale, to set up the second scoring pass to Paul.  This touchdown, Paul’s second, was on a ten yard crossing route, that saw the offensive line give Dale a ton of time to find Paul late in his route.  The teams went into the half with the score Holy Cross 20, Bridgton 14.

The second half saw improved defense out of the Wolverines, forcing four punts and a turnover on downs, while Billy Sturgis (Bristol, RI) picked off a pass in the red zone.  Midway through third, Dale led the offense on an epic march.  The drive saw Byron King (Brooklyn, NY) gain critical yards behind the strong blocking of Malcolm Williams (Long Island, NY), Dan McCourt (Pembroke, MA), Alex Stilphan (South Portland, ME), Evy Elledias (Bedford, NY), and Scott Carucci (Stoneham, MA).  Nahoum and Paul continued their key contributions, both catching first down passes on the drive.  While newcomer, Jared Osumah added his first catch of the year, a twenty yarder, that set up the scoring pass on the first play of the fourth quarter.  The touchdown, Dale’s third of the day and the first for Nahoum, tied the game at 20.

Unfortunately, the Crusaders found pay dirt for the fourth time after a fumble deep in Wolverine territory.  The drive, a four play twenty six yard series, put the Crusaders up 27-20 with under five minutes to go.  Despite moving the ball down the field into scoring range, the Wolverines came up short as a last minute heave to the end-zone fell into the hands of a Crusader defender as the clock struck triple zero. 

The next game for the Wolverines will be Saturday, September 29^th.  The contest will be the lone home game on BA’s schedule and will take place during the homecoming/parents’ weekend festivities.  The game will pit the Wolverines against arch rival Navy Prep at 2 pm on Ellis-Fischer Field.

Wolverines play WNEU Golden Bears

On Sunday, the Wolverine football team traveled to Springfield, MA, to take on the Western New England Golden Bears. After winning the coin toss, the Wolverines elected to take the ball first, hoping to set the tone for the game. Although the offense failed to capitalize on their opening possession, the physical play of the revamped offensive line layed a strong foundation for later success. The Wolverine defense took the field and again carried the team early in the game, refusing to budge and denying the Golden Bears on their first two possessions.

The Wolverine offense finally got things going late in the 1st quarter, with Brock Dale connecting on several passes, including a pivotal 3rd and long completion to Derek Paquette. Byron King capped the drive by busting through the line for a touchdown run, and Dale salvaged a bad snap on the point after with a scrambling connection to Bobby Paul for 2 points.

The Wolverine defense continued to hold, forcing a safety in the 2nd quarter, again getting on the scoreboard defensively. Late in the first half, Garrett Agustin's interception ended the Golden Bears' 2 minute drill, and the team ran down the clock and went into halftime up 10-0.

The Wolverine defense continued to carry the team in the 3rd quarter, holding the Golden Bears scoreless. Injuries to the Wolverine running backs forced Devon Lofton out of the secondary and into the backfield, where he instantly capitalized with a long run up the sideline. The offense stalled in the redzone, but James DeMartini bailed them out, booting a field goal to put the Wolverines up 13-0.

The Wolverine defense denied any hope for the Goldern Bears, shutting them out again in the 4th. The Wolverine offense bled out the clock behind excellent play by the offensive line and power running by Lofton and Paquette, with the backbreaking drive resulting in a touchdown scamper by Lofton. The point after put the Wolverines up 20-0, where the score would stay through the final whistle.

The Wolverines play again this Friday at the College of the Holy Cross.

2012-2013 FOOTBALL ROSTER

	2012 Bridgton Academy Football Roster
#	Last	First	Ht.	Wt.	Pos.	Previous Team	Hometown	State
1	Van Dyke	Justin	5'10"	162	DB	St. Josephs Academy	St. Augastine	FL
2	Griffith	Geeivonti	5'7"	189	RB	Cathedral H.S. (Boston)	Randolph	MA
3	DeMartini	James	5' 9.75"	200	WR/K/P	Haddon Heights HS	Haddon Heights	NJ
4	King	Byron	5' 7.5"	190	RB	Hudson Catholic	Brooklyn	NY
5	Lofton	Devon	5'8"	170	RB	Fairfield Ward H.S.	Fairfield	CT
6	Young	Rashand	5'10"	186	WR	The Williams School	Ledyard	CT
8	Nosafieman	Yosa	6'0.5"	180	DB	Boston College	Dorchester	MA
9	Hughes	Taylor	6'2"	192	QB/WR	Nantucket H.S.	Nantucket	MA
11	Cooper	Cameron	6'3"	203	WR	Bonney Eagle HS	Buxton	ME
12	Dale	Brock	5'11.5"	180	QB	Lakewood HS	Palos Verdes	CA
13	O'Sullivan	Seamus	6'	195	LB	Holy Name HS	South Grafton	MA
15	Dobbins	Kelly	6' 0.5"	187	DB	Putnam H.S.	Springfield	MA
17	Audet	Zachary	6'		WR	Sharon HS	Sharon	MA
21	Rowe	Jarett	5'9.5"	156	DB	Weston H.S.	Weston	MA
23	Chabot	Nicholas	5'8.75"	176	WR	Gorham HS	Gorham	ME
25	Paquette	Derek	6'	221	RB/HB	Triton H.S.	Rowley	MA
26	Lowery	Craig	5'10"	155	DB	Fairfield Ward H.S.	Fairfield	CT
27	Casey	Jarrod	5'10"	181	DB	Milford H.S.	Milford	MA
29	Normant	Thibault	5'8.5"	137	DB	Winchester HS	Winchester	MA
31	Sturgis	Billy	6'	229	LB	LaSalle	Bristol	RI
33	Amabile	Peter	5'11"	248	DL	Long Beach HS	Long Beach	NY
34	Poulin	Brooks	5'10.5"	222	FB	Acton Boxborough	Boxborough	MA
36	Agustin	Garrett	5'10"	220	LB	Minnechuag Regional HS	Wilbraham	MA
40	Castahna	Thomas			LB	Pembroke HS	Pembroke	MA
44	Manni	Joseph	5'6.5"	194	LB	Cranston West HS	Cranston	RI
45	Rochon	Tim	6'0.5"	213	LB	Concord H.S.	Concord	NH
46	Donovan	Patrick	5'10"	181	LB	Marshfield H.S.	Marshfield	MA
51	El-Ghoul	Jesse	6'1.5"	220	OL/DL	Leominster HS	Leominster	MA
53	Vollans	Jonathan	5'8"	194	OL/DL	Nantucket H.S.	Nantucket	MA
63	Tasoulas	Mack	5'11"	225	OL/DL	Keen HS	Keen	NH
64	Stilphen	Alexander	6'4"	222	OL/DL	Deering HS	South Portland	ME
67	Elledias, III	Evelio	6'	253	OL/DL	Byram Hills HS	Bedford	NY
68	McCourt	Daniel	6'4.5"	241	OL/DL	Pembroke HS	Pembroke	MA
72	Carucci	Scott	5'10"	262	OL/DL	Stonham H.S.	Stoneham	MA
78	Williams	Malcolm	6'2"	325	OL/DL	South Hampton H.S.	Long Island	NY
80	Barker	Clayton	6'2"	206	WR	Darien HS	Darien	CT
81	Paul	Robert	6'5"	201	TE	Westfield HS	Westfield	MA
85	Nahoum	Eris	5'10.5"	168	WR	Goshen Central HS	Goshen	NY
	Coaches:
	Chad Walker (Lafayette, 2006)		Head Coach/OC
	Travis Dube (Bowdoin, 2004)		Defensive Coordinator/LB's
	Joe Daley, BA '77  (Colby, 1981)		Defensive Line
	Paul Hinman (Bowdoin, 2011)		Running Backs/Video Coordinator
	Jeff Franklin (Central State, 2009)		Special Teams Coordinator/DB's
	Steve White (Morgan State, 2007)		Wide Receivers
	Paul Sundquist (Maine, 1980)		Offensive Line
	Headmaster:  Grady Vigneau
	Athletic Director:  Joseph Sawicki
	Athletic Trainer:  Sam Adams, ATC

Wolverines vs. S.W. Connecticut RESULTS

The Bridgton football team traveled to Bridgeport Connecticut to take on the two time defending national
champions of the Intercollegiate Club Football Federation (iCFF), the Southwest Connecticut Grizzlies. The
Grizzlies play in the Yankee Collegiate Football Conference and are currently ranked first in the country by the
iCFF. The hotly contested game featured 4 lead changes and was never more than a one score game.

The Wolverines opened the game by kicking off and almost recovering the kick. The event was a bit fortuitous
as 4 plays later, the Grizzlies put the ball on the astroturf and cornerback Craig Lowery (Fairfield, CT) scooped
up the fumble and raced 56 yards for the first score of the season. The moment provided a bit of redemption
for Lowery who was a member of the 2011 Wolverine squad before losing most of the season to a knee injury.
Lowery, now a team captain, has provided a great deal of leadership to the team here in his second go around.

The Grizzlies tied the game 2 series later after a Bridgton fumble set them up in Wolverine territory. The
scoring play was the result of an athletic scramble by the Grizzlies’ quarterback, coincidently a former high
school teammate of Lowery’s, broke containment and tossed a short touchdown pass to his right. With the
game tied at 7, the Wolverine offense went on the march moving the ball across midfield before the drive
fizzled out. The ensuing Grizzly drive ended immediately as Pete Amabile (Long Beach, NY) recovered
a fumble to give the ball back to Bridgton deep at the Grizzly 30. Unfortunately, Bridgton was unable to
capitalize and turned the ball over on downs. Once more, fortune favored the Wolverines as an errant Grizzly
snap turned into a third turn over and second defensive score of the game. This time safety Jarrod Casey
(Milford, MA) scooped up the fumble and returned it for a TD. The extra point sailed wide right and BA went
up 13-7.

The Grizzlies managed a nice drive just before the half, but it was snuffed out when Joe Manni (Cranston, RI)
recorded one of his 2 sacks and 5 tackles for loss (TFL).

The second half saw the Wolverine offense find its stride. The opening kick was returned to midfield by
Devon Lofton (Fairfield, CT). The offense then went on an 11 play drive that was highlighted by a 4th down
conversion on a pass from Brock Dale (Palos Verdes, CA) to Cam Cooper (Buxton, ME). Ultimately, the drive
was capped by a 2 yard TD plunge by Dale to put BA up 20 to 13. The Grizzlies answered with a short drive
that ended with a field goal to make it 20-16. With the offense on the march again in the fourth, the Grizzlies
stepped up and made a great leaping interception and returned it to the Wolverine 20. The Grizzlies took the
lead, 22-20, with 6:40 left in the game on a 1 yard TD run by their quarterback.

After a BA punt, the defense was able to come up with a critical stop on third down and force the Grizzlies
to give up the ball. During the drive, Jess El-Ghoul (Leominster, MA) made one of his 3 TFLs to put the
Grizzlies in bad down and distance. With the ball back in their hands the Wolverines offense would not go
quietly, quickly driving the field to place themselves in position for a 31 yard field goal with 25 seconds left.
Here BA’s luck ran out as the kick fell missed just right and the Grizzlies claimed the victory. Bridgton is next
scheduled to take on Springfield College’s JV team next Sunday, September 16th at Springfield.

Chad Walker Named New Bridgton Academy Head Football Coach

Bridgton Academy is pleased to announce the hiring of Chad Walker as the school’s new Head Football Coach. Walker joins Bridgton Academy from Kenyon College in Ohio, where he worked as the Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach for the Lords.

Prior to his position at Kenyon, Walker had worked on both sides of the ball with linebackers and tight ends as well as the punt return unit for his alma mater, Lafayette College.  Walker was a four year Varsity Letter winner for Lafayette, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology and Sociology.  During his time at Lafayette, Walker was honored in numerous ways: Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, All Conference Patriot League (Football, 2005), All League by nfldraftscout.com (2005), and Nominated and Selected for East Coast Bowl (2005).

Following his graduation from Lafayette, Walker first played professionally in NFL Italy as a player/coach and went on to play in the European Federation of American Football in Sweden. He then returned to the States to coach at Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, working with the defensive line.

“We are very excited to welcome Chad Walker to Bridgton Academy as our new Head Football Coach,” said Bridgton Academy’s Headmaster, Grady Vigneau. “He inherits a long and distinguished tradition of excellence fostered over the last fifty years by coaching legends Tom Austin, Lee Harriman, Tom McCabe, and for the last quarter century, by Rick Marcella.  Chad’s energy, experience, and college coaching network will significantly enhance the already strong reputation that BA football enjoys.  Chad fits the mold of each of his accomplished predecessors, bringing college coaching and recruiting experience to campus along with a foundation of respect for academic rigor and achievement.  His success as a starting college tight end for Lafayette College in the highly respected and academically rigorous Patriot League is a bonus of the highest degree for our aspiring college-student athletes.”

 “I’m honored and excited to be a part of the Bridgton Academy family, and am excited to lead the Wolverine football program in a new direction while continuing to build on the strong foundation that is already in place,” expressed Chad Walker upon his appointment.

Coach John Loose, Defensive Coordinator at Lafayette shared of Walker, “Chad has knowledge of the college recruiting process that will really enable Bridgton student athletes to achieve their goals of continuing their playing careers at the college level. He has tremendous knowledge on both sides of the ball, and has a great work ethic. He will do a great job in every way and will attract quality student athletes and help them understand what it takes to succeed at the next level, in the classroom, in the community, and on the field.”

Coach Walker will be moving to campus with his fiancée, Victoria Hawk, in the next couple of weeks.

Cruz '05 Earns Super Bowl Ring

Victor Cruz '05 is closely following in the footsteps of another Bridgton alumnus (and Hall of Fame member) Bruce Kimball, Class of 1975. Bruce played football at BA (offensive lineman) and went on to attend the University of Massachusetts. For two seasons, Bruce was a member of the NY Giants squad. He went on to play for six additional years for the Washington Redskins, participating in two Super Bowls, ultimately earning a ring in Super Bowl XVIII in 1983. Victor Cruz is the second Bridgton Wolverine to follow the path from North Bridgton to UMASS, from
UMASS to the Giants, and from a stellar NFL season to the biggest football game in the world.

In addition to the ring that Bruce Kimball '75 has, there are two other BA alumni that have rings- Jermaine Wiggins '94 (won his with the Pats in Super Bowl XXXVI) and Mike Cerullo '86 who won his two years ago when he was a coach with the Saints.

Here are a number of recent news articles that talk about Cruz and his time at Bridgton Academy:

Giants Receiver Cruz an Overnight Sensation

Giants Receiver Has Mom to Thank

Super Bowl Notebook: Cruz Fondly Recalls Maine

Giants WR Cruzed Through Bridgton On Way to NFL Stardom

Victor Cruz: A Long Journey To The Super Bowl

School Is Back In Session!

Following a relaxing winter break, the students are back on campus and school is in full swing. The football team is hitting the books and the gym to prepare for the second semester. And of course, Mother Nature welcomed everyone back with a nice snow storm, which will make for some great after school skiing!