Week 4: Centaurs blank Bobcats, 28-0

There were two key returnees on the field for the Woodstock Academy football team on Saturday in Colchester.

Coach Sean Saucier was back on the sidelines and senior receiver Carter Saracina was back in uniform.

The two led the Centaurs to a 28-0 win over Bacon Academy that evened the football team's record at 2-2.

Saucier had been away from the team since his son, Woodstock Academy quarterback Braiden, suffered a medical emergency in the first half of the first game of the season at Enfield.

“It was great to be around the kids again; to be around the atmosphere of the team and the family feel and the normalcy and getting back into the routine. It wasn’t easy but it was great at the same time,” Saucier said.

Saucier returned to the team on Monday and his players were happy to see him come back.

"That's amazing," senior lineman Evan Roy said of his coach's return. "He sets the tone when he is there and that tone is all we need. It gets us going."

But, there was still some adjustment.

“When I went back to practice on Monday, it felt like a different team. Monday was a little awkward for me. I got over that quickly and by Tuesday I was back in the flow of things. When you are away for a month, to fit back in is a challenge,” Saucier said.

Fortunately, the team was coming off a bye week which most, including Saucier, thought was beneficial after a pair of losses to Windham and East Lyme.

"It really helped us to come back from injuries. We had a lot of injuries on this team and it made us stronger. We had that week off to build as a team and get technique down," Roy said.

It was also a chance to get Saracina back into the scheme and he was a key against Bacon Academy.

The senior made his presence felt early when he reeled in a 43-yard pass just a minute and a half into the game and brought it into the end zone for the 7-0 Woodstock Academy lead.

“Carter had a heckuva game,” Saucier said. “He’s a good player and has a special connection to Braiden and our family so he had some motivation (Saturday). I used to say, if Ethan (Davis) is Ethan (Davis) than we will be good. Now if Carter is Carter, we will be good.”.

Saracina finished with eight catches for 276 yards on the afternoon.

The game remained a one-touchdown affair until Bacon Academy threatened early in the second quarter.

The Centaurs defense held and forced the Bobcats to turn the ball over on downs at the Centaurs 2-yard line.

Three plays later, quarterback Teddy Richardson saw Saracina open down the middle and hit him in stride for a 93-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0.

With 54 seconds left in the half, Richardson threw a receiver screen to Brandon Nagle who slipped on the muddy field but recovered and found a lane for a 28-yard touchdown catch.

Saracina finished things off with a 12-yard grab in the third quarter.

Richardson finished the day 14-for-25 passing for 337 yards.

“I watched the last three games on Livestream, but (Saturday), I really felt like he has improved. He has taken a lot of coaching. You put anyone in there as a varsity quarterback without experience, it’s not going to be pretty most of the time. He got inserted into an offense that was designed for someone else and give (offensive coordinator) Connor (Elliott) credit because he had to figure out what works for Teddy and we’re starting to get to that point,” Saucier said.

Trevor Savoie added 81 yards on the ground in 15 carries for Woodstock Academy.

The Centaurs will next play under the lights on Friday night at 6 p.m. in Montville.