Six Players Making Varsity Debut Helped Staples Football Rout Norwalk
Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The Staples Wreckers (7-1) faced the Norwalk High Bears (2-6) on Saturday at Brien McMahon High School where the Bears home games are being held this season as the construction of their new, over 300,000 sq. ft. high school is being built on the former NHS football field. .
The Wreckers came out of the gate hard scoring their first TD on their opening drive and relied upon players who had not previously started to make a statement that they were ready to play
Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Head Coach Matty Jacowleff told WestportLocalPress, "I am very proud of our boys’ preparation and execution this week. We were down a number of starters due to injuries and illness, so we had six players making their varsity debut. Our practices are designed to be as competitive as possible so that all of the players on our roster and ready to perform when their number is called."
The Wreckers had plenty of opportunities to celebrate, scoring seven touchdowns in the hard fought contest.
The Wreckers’ Defense was daunting, stopping Bears QB Easton Pace, a potent offense threat both on the ground and in the air.
Coach Jacowleff told WestportLocal, " We knew that it would take quite the effort to slow down Norwalk’s Quarterback, who is a tremendous player. But, we felt like we could place them in a precarious position by taking the ball first and scoring early."
Although Norwalk's record this year is less than stellar, the Wreckers' defense had to be prepared to handle standout QB Easton Pace, a junior (#3 above) who is recognized by CT high school sports media as "one of the most athletic dual-threat quarterbacks in Connecticut".
The Bears fought hard until the final horn and Bears QB Easton Pace rushed time after time in part due to the tight pass coverage of the Wreckers and also as his skill level at finding holes in the defense. The Junior gained 99 yards on the ground in his 15 carries including one for 30 yards and gained nearly half of the Bears yards on the ground. He completed 10 of 20 passes for an additional 68 yards.
Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Coach credited standout performances, saying "Grant Bozeman had a tremendous day connecting on multiple shot plays. Levi Belzer had a record setting performance with his 248 receiving yards. Levi is in just his second year ever playing football but has shown up every single day with a tremendous work ethic, receptivity to feedback and attention to detail."
Senior Captain Nate Maurillo who plays both offense and defense gained nearly 100 years rushing on 4 carries including two that crossed the goal line. Belzer, a junior also scored two of the teams seven TD's with two carries totaling 18 yards. Senior Captain Parker Toohey and Senior Hunter Pallai carried for five and seven yards respectively with each reaching the end zone. Noah Sandrew and Lucas Kuliga, both juniors combined for 61 yards receiving.
Although the day was pretty mild, once the sun set and the breeze kicked up a bit, the few folks who were wearing shorts had to re-think that decision. Two Staples fans combined jumping up and down when their team put points on the board with doing so to try to beat the chill.
We were curious about the “upside-down” Wreckers cap. We discovered, High school and college caps are printed with the name upside down because of a streetwear fashion trend started in 2020 by the Dallas brand True Brvnd. Originally created to symbolize how the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down, the flipped-text style went viral through pro athletes and later expanded to collegiate and school spirit gear.
Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Downtown Westport Taken Over By Scary & Adorable Trick-Or-Treaters!
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
One of Westport's favorite family events, the annual Halloween Parade on Wednesday, October 2th was a great success as hundreds of children and many costumed parents swarmed downtown merchants, eagerly seeking to fill their bags and buckets and sacks with as many treats as they could provided by the generous Main St. merchants who welcomed them again this year.
Westport PD Corporal Craig Bergamo about to lead the official start to the Parade as the crowd lines up at the Post Road and Main Street.
They were all there; cowgirls and Ghostbusters, pirates and football stars, Buzz Lightyear who stopped by before going to infinity and beyond and even a giant brown dog who cleared a path everywhere it went.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Whether they walked, ran, toddled or swung from tree-to-tree as this intimidating ape did, or were wheeled in the many strollers, the crowd was delighted to be there as were the merchants who had the happy task of sharing the joy that Halloween brings each year.
Harris Falk stood out even among this throng of very noticeable characters as did the big brown dog who seemed to be everywhere, and the traditional Halloween black cat as she wheeled a junior sized Spiderman up Main Street.
After Their March Up Main St.Families Headed Over To Veterans Green Where A Big Party Was Already Underway
For the first time Westport Parks & Recreation invited noted children's entertainer The Amazing Andy who has been thrilling audiences for over 50 years with his magic, juggling, balloon artistry and more. Andy lived up to his name and then some as he had the children mesmerized with his performance.
Andy's performance was often interactive, engaging the children and involving them in his show. He had them laughing and cheering and completely charmed. One lucky young audience member was invited up to join in his juggling, catching on of the juggling clubs to the appreciation of the audience.
Andy involved many members of the audience, keeping them engaged and enjoying participating in his wonderful performance.
For his finale, Andy took again delighted the audience by producing from his “trick box” Cohan, his beautiful 15 month old Netherlands Dwarf rabbit and afterwards children and a few adults eagerly lined up to pet this calm and gentle beauty. The joy on their faces was clear as they gave Cohan some love.
Another big moment of the day was the appearance of much loved celebrities, The Addams Family who were a big hit. The Tierno family got lots of attention with Chris presenting a great Gomez with wife Nicole stunning as Morticia. Gigi portrayed Wednesday Addams to perfection and Luca Tierno gave us a memorable Cousin Itt accompanied by “Thing”.
Westport Volunteer EMS was on hand as always, represented by Abby Guadron, Steve Navarro, Maddie Sine, and Lisa Buckland and a patient” of unknown condition examined by a somewhat questionably medical practitioner. Kids were invited to see the inside of the EMS ambulance and receive more treats.
Westport Police officers were on hand , enjoying the day and offering a buffet of goodies.
First Selectman Kevin Christie took a moment for a photo op with Westport Firefighters Liam Chrzanowski and Shareef Conjura.
DJ Shuttle, a New York City-based DJ, producer, and remixer known for his custom R&B, hip-hop, and house music blends, as well as classic old-school sing-alongs kept the party jumpin’ and brought one woman to create her own dance floor, enjoying the tracks as the afternoon was concluding.
It was another great Halloween family day in Westport as families chatted and children played all dressed up in their myriad of costumes.
Spooky Stroll Will Take Over Downtown Westport On Wednesday
On Wednesday, October 28th Downtown Westport will be overrun with the cutest, scariest and most adorable children, both younger and older as one of Westport's favorite family events, the Westport Halloween Parade again returns to town. Weather looks to be good so far, but a rain date is scheduled for the next day, October 29th.
Photos of 2025 Halloween Parade by J.C. Martin for WestportLocalPress
Each year, hundreds enjoy this event held by The Westport Parks & Recreation Department, in conjunction with the Westport Police Athletic League and the Westport Downtown Merchant’s Association. Several roads downtown will be closed prior to the start of the Parade.
Westport Police Department has issued this Traffic Advisory:
- Main Street will be closed from Post Road East to Avery Place starting at 2:30 p.m.
- Avery Place will be closed starting at approximately 3 p.m.
- Myrtle Avenue from Evergreen Avenue to Main Street will be closed starting at approximately 3 p.m.
Access to early voting at Town Hall will still be accessible.
All roads are expected to reopen by 6 p.m. Motorists should expect delays in the center of town due to these closures. The police department asks that motorists use extra caution when driving through the area.
Spectacular Hunter's Moon Sunday Night
Hunter’s Moon photo by J.C. Martin, edited with AI.
According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, October's full moon is known as the Hunter's moon, as it rises near the time when farmers have harvested their crops in their fields, enabling hunters to more easily track game for winter food. It is the full moon immediately following the Harvest Moon which was on September 26, which is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox, the start of Fall. It rises earlier and brighter in the evening, lending extra light to the fields and forests.
Although this moon appears larger than usual it same angular size as when it appears directly overhead This phenomenon is called the "Moon Illusion," causing us to think that the moon is larger than it is while close to the horizon.