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Sports

Snowed Under: Staples Erupts In Second Half To Rout Darien

Joey Zelkowitz has a pair of 65-yard TD runs for the Wreckers, who scored 28 points in third quarter to turn a 10-halftime deficit into a 42-23 victory in the battle of unbeatens

The turnaround was so stunning, so unexpected, that Staples football coach Marce Petroccio said it might have been the best third quarter in the history of the Wreckers' program.

Before the Darien Blue Wave knew what hit them, Staples had erupted for 28 points in the third quarter on just 10 plays.

With heavy snow falling, the Wreckers turned a 10-point halftime deficit into a decisive 42-23 victory in Saturday's battle of unbeatens and now has the inside track to the FCIAC championship game.

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"It's like old-time Minnesota Viking football weather here," Petroccio said. "I don't think I've ever been involved in a game like this, and it could be the greatest third quarter in Staples' football history."

After its defense got pushed around in the first half, giving up three time-consuming drives, the Wreckers (7-0) scored 35 straight points in the second half, highlighted by a pair of 65-yard touchdown runs by Joey Zelkowitz, who rushed for nearly 200 yards in the elements.

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Once the Wreckers got rolling, things snowballed - literally and figurely. By the end of the third quarter, the field at Staples High School was blanketed in a coating of snow at least an inch thick.

"It was awesome," Zelkowitz said. "I always wanted to play in the snow. This is probably the most fun football game I have ever played in."

In the firt half, however, Darien dominated the Wreckers up front with smash-mouth football, putting together lengthy drives of 11, 10 and 15 plays.

Staples actually had the Blue Wave (6-1) stopped on the opening possession, but a running into the kicker penalty sustained the drive. Darien then grabbed a 7-0 lead on Henry Baldwin's 31-yard TD pass to Harlan Smith.

Staples answered on a 5-yard TD run by Nick Kelly, who played a major part in the second-half turnaround with a key interception return.

On the ensuing Darien possession, Kelly blocked Chris Smith's 45-yard field goal, but the Blue Wave recovered a fumble at the 2-yard line after the ball hit off a Staples' player. Darien cashed in the Wreckers' second mental error, taking a 14-7 lead as Peter Gesualdi scored on the next play.

The offenses continues to have their way as Staples drove inside Darien's 5-yard line on its next possession, but Jackson Whiting stopped Zelkowitz for no gain on 4th-and-goal from the 2.

The Blue Wave embarked on an 87-yard drive, grabbing a 17-7 halftime lead on Smith's 28-yard field with two seconds remaining.

After making some adjustments, however, the Wreckers were a different team in the second half, and Darien coach Rob Trifone insisted the weather had nothing to with it.

"The snow had zero impact on the game," Trifone said. "They scored a 100 points in the snow. They outplayed us in the second half. Everybody in the stadium could see that."

Jon Heil set the tone by returning the second-half kickoff 33 yards, and two players later, the Wreckers were within 17-14 on Robby Wolf's 5-yard TD run.

Heil then blocked a punt, giving Staples possession inside the 20 and setting up Wolf's 3-yard TD that put the Wreckers ahead, 21-17.

With Darien reeling, things got worse for the Blue Wave as Kelly returned an interception to the 8-yard line, leading to Zelkowitz's 5-yard TD burst.

After Staples forced a punt, Zelkowitz ripped off a 65-yard TD run on the snow-covered field to make it 35-17 and complete the Wreckers' third-quarter blitz. But Staples wasn't done, as Zelkowitz's second 65-yard scamper pushed the lead to 42-17 in the fourth quarter.

"That's a quality, quality (Darien) football team," Petroccio said. "They had nothing to hang their heads about. We just came out in the second half and got our act together and moved the ball. It was phenomenal."

The Blue Wave, who may need to win their final three games to make the CIAC Class M state playoffs, made the final a bit more respectable on a late 2-yard TD run by Christian Bognar.

"We have three games remaining," Trifone said. "We'll bounce back."

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