E.O. Smith Football Falls to Tolland; Seniors Honored

For E.O. Smith, the only way to stop Tolland's Tucker Hewitt was to keep him off the field.

The Eagle senior fullback burst through the Panther defense for 189 yards and three touchdowns on just seven carries to help Tolland emerge with a 39-7 win Thanksgiving Eve in Storrs.

It wasn't the end result that the E.O. Smith team played for after honoring their eight seniors - Dallas Beltran, Billy Funk, Andy Hannon, Justin Kaeser, Jesse Lusa, Kyle Robinshaw, Brendan Tuller, and John Smith - prior to the game's start.

“He’s a difference maker,” Eagles head coach Andy Bourquin said of Hewitt. “You can’t simulate what Tucker brings. He hits the line so fast.”

After sitting out the first quarter due to missing a practice this week, Hewitt jump-started an Eagles’ offense that had punted twice and turned the ball over on its first three drives.

Hewitt’s first carry went for 11 yards and gave Tolland its first down of the game. Four plays later, Hewitt took the ball up the middle, cut through the Panther defense before accelerating back to the right sideline and into the end zone for a 35-yard score. Jamison Boucher’s extra point tied it at 7 with 9:42 left in the second quarter.

But Hewitt made his final run of the game and high school career his most spectacular of the night.

Facing third down on Tolland’s one-yard line, he took a hand off in the end zone, spinning around would be tacklers before bursting up the sideline for a 99-yard touchdown for the Eagles’ final score at 4:25 in the fourth.

“I saw the [defender] break through the line and all I could think was just to spin off and hit the afterburners,” Hewitt said. “I was in the end zone; I have to break out some how. Not a bad way to end my senior year.”

The win put Tolland’s final record at 6-4, one year after their comeback attempt against E.O. Smith fell just short to leave them at 0-10.

“After last year, it just hit us that we need to come together as team,” said safety Chris Janton, had one of the Eagles’ three interceptions.  “We call it one heartbeat, so we play together with one heartbeat and that’s how we turned it around.”

Tolland’s defense harassed Panthers' quarterback Kodey Duplissie (4-18, 51 yards, 3 interceptions).  It didn’t hurt the Panthers' double wing triple option virtually mirrored the one run by Tolland, giving the Eagles a sense of familiarity on defense, where they forced four turnovers.

On the first play following Hewitt’s score, the E.O. Smith junior rolled the right under pressure and was intercepted by Matt Grospitch.  Two plays later, Hewitt scored from 38 yards out.

E.O. Smith’s  (2-8) next drive was brief as well, as Jimmy Harrison fell on a botched pitch from Duplissie to Anthony Dignoti.

After a pair of penalties set up Tolland with a 3-and-26 situation, Boucher took a toss to the left and sliced through the Panther defense for a first down. Chris Byam’s 6-yard keeper on the next play made it 19-7 with 5:49 left in the half.

Tolland opened up its passing game in the second half, as Byam (2-for-5, 95 yards) hit Jarrin Jones on a screen pass for a 44-yard score at 7:43 in the third quarter, and found Grospitch on a crossing route for a 51-yard touchdown with 8:55 left in the fourth.

Boucher’s fumble on Tolland’s second possession gave E.O. Smith the ball on the Eagles’ 15-yard line. Duplissie’s three yard keeper five plays later coupled with Syie Prince’s kick made it 7-0 with 4:11 left in the first quarter.

Duplissie led the Panthers with 91 yards on 18 carries.

“It’s great to send the seniors off this way after such a difficult season last year,” said Bourquin, who coached at E.O. Smith prior to taking the head job at Tolland. “I’m really happy for them.”

Tempers flared at the end as both teams had to be separated twice in the final minutes, with the officials handing out several ejections before eventually calling the game with 1:19 left.

For Tolland, the game marked the final contest for Harrsion, Grospitch, Hewitt, Boucher,  Conor Gay, Jimmy Edinger, Jaylen Wells,  Greg Downham, Mark Ferrigno, Erin Mallow and Austin Didden.