Football playoffs begin for Griswold and Killingly. How did the two teams get here?

After suffering some tough losses in mid-October, the Griswold/Wheeler and Killingly football teams buckled up their chin straps and finished the regular season with impressive winning streaks, including victories over their Thanksgiving Day rivals.

Griswold/Wheeler regained the James LeClaire trophy with a 34-0 victory over Plainfield in the annual “clash along county lines," while Killingly blanked Woodstock Academy, 35-0, at Nichols College in Dudley, Massachusetts.

KinKade Rubino scored three touchdowns, while Kiylie Montigny and Kyle Kessler also added touchdowns against Plainfield. The Wolverines lead the all-time series 47-35-5.

 “We played very well,” Griswold/Wheeler coach Gregg Wilcox said. “The kids were well prepared for what they were going to do. The defense played very well.”

After dropping an overtime contest against East Lyme and falling one score short against Waterford, the Wolverines reeled off victories against Bacon Academy, Stonington, Montville, and Plainfield to finish 6-4.

“We had a good year,” Wilcox said. “There have been years where you start off as good as you finish. This year we just continually got better as the season went on. We ran into a couple of difficult games with Waterford and East Lyme but even though we lost them there was still a positive because we got better and that’s what we preached all year. We needed to get better and we did. It’s nice to see when the kids develop.”

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Killingly heads to playoffs after shutout against Woodstock Academy

Killingly tuned up for the state playoffs with a shutout against Woodstock Academy at Vendetti Field on the campus of Nichols College. 

“Our defense was tremendous,” Killingly coach Chad Neal said. “Offensively, we were able to throw the ball really well. We’re going to have to be well-balanced in the playoffs.”

Killingly senior quarterback Thomas Dreibholz completed 10 of 15 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns as Killingly (9-1) finished the regular season with a five-game win streak.

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Dreibholz threw first half touchdown passes of 65 yards to Noah Colangelo (4 catches, 85 yards) and 24 to fullback Keith Perry. Running back Soren Reif (60 yards in 17 carries) and Ben Jax intercepted a pass from Woodstock Academy quarterback Teddy Richardson (11-for-22 passing,94 yards) and returned it 34 yards to make it 28-0 at the half.

Killingly finished things off when Dreibholz hit Jax (4 catches, 107 yards) with a 39-yard scoring pass on the third play of the third quarter.

“It was a good win,” Neal said. “The kids know each other because they play youth football together. So, it means a lot.”

Killingly, the third-seed in Class MM, will host No. 6 Wethersfield in a Class MM state playoff quarterfinal game on Tuesday at Killingly High School’s Morgan Field. This is Killingly’s seventh consecutive appearance in the state playoffs. 

“We’ve got a short turnaround,” Neal said. “Now it comes down to being mentally prepared against a formidable opponent on Tuesday.”