Ledyard sets up showdown

Ledyard coach Jim Buonocore was happy Friday night and rightfully so.
Not only had his Colonels football team beat a highly-regarded Plainfield squad, they beat them "convincingly", 40-14.
"It was just a great all-around team effort by us, a lot of guys were involved, and that included great play up front because we were under-sized," Buonocore said.
Quarterback J.J. Jablonski had his best technical game of the year as he threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns, both to Fred Hewett. Sam Saccomano pulled down five of the 12 completions that Jablonski had for 106 yards and Barquis Haley rushed for 107 yards and four touchdowns, one coming on the defensive gem of the game.
It was the Ledyard linebacker's interception of a pass by Plainfield quarterback Steve Vanase that he returned 24 yards for a score that turned the tide in Ledyard's favor for good.
"It was the first mistake of the season for Steven," Plainfield coach Pat Smith said. "He didn't see the kid, I don't think anyone saw the kid, here comes a white jersey out of nowhere and then he steps into the end zone- that was the back-breaker."
It's a well-deserved week off for the Colonels now who had to weather a 13-12 loss to NFA and a 14-7 win over St. Bernard prior to the Plainfield game. Now, their attention turns to New London in two weeks.
The Colonels have to be considered a threat to New London which just survived against Montville to win a thriller on the Whalers home field Friday night.
New London doesn't get that break, the Whalers play Griswold this Friday night and clinch the Medium Division title with a win.