Despite mud, Capital Prep/AF dominates to win CSC and home game against Canton

Capital Prep/AF’s Leroy Butler (31) carries the ball in Saturday’s Constitution State Conference game at Dillon Stadium in Hartford.

HARTFORD, Nov. 29 – The Capital Prep/Achievement First co-op football team feels right at home at Dillon Stadium in Hartford. And that’s where the Trailblazers will play in the CIAC Class S playoffs next Saturday against Canton. 

Capital Prep/Achievement First clinched its fourth straight Constitution State Conference championship Saturday at a muddy Dillon Stadium with a dominating 44-0 win over Prince Tech-Hartford. The win gives the Trailblazers a home game in the Class S Small Division tournament. 

The Trailblazers (10-1, 10-0 CSC) limited Prince Tech to just two yards rushing. They didn’t allow a pass and recovered two fumbles. Capital Prep/AF had 13 tackles for losses. Offensively, Capital Prep/AF quarterback Rayshawn Phillips threw a career-high six touchdown passes. He completed 12-of-22 passes for 301 yards. 

“We stuck with our game plan,” Capital Prep/AF coach Chris Fulton said. “I think when people look at bad fields, they say you can’t throw. But I think it is harder to defend in this. It helped us out.” 

The Trailblazers offensive line gave Phillips plenty of time to throw the ball and several Capital Prep/AF receivers got wide open when they got behind Prince Tech defenders. 

The mud was stifling to the running game. The Trailblazers only ran for 71 yards on 21 carries while Prince Tech ran for two yards on 33 carries. There was about an eighth of an inch of mud down the center of the field. It was deep enough to sink into, requiring a little extra effort to pull your foot up. 

“This is really bad but they’ll get the field in better condition (for next week’s game),” Fulton said. This game was scheduled to be played on Wednesday and but was delayed by the snow from Wednesday’s storm. The field was cleared Friday, giving it some time to try and dry. 

The mud made it tricky to hold onto the ball, too. Capital Prep/AF’s first two drives ended with fumbles due to the slippery ball. But Prince Tech (8-3, 8-2 CSC) couldn’t capitalize. 

The game was scoreless when Prince Tech’s Marquiss Dean scooped up a loose ball and ran 24 yards to the Capital Prep/AF 14-yard line early in the first quarter. But the visiting Tigers lost yardage on two of their first three plays. An eight-yard run to the Trailblazer seven-yard line wasn’t enough as Capital held. 

That was as close as Prince Tech would get to the end zone. 

Capital Prep/AF’s Elijah Hales (36) carries the ball against Prince Tech Saturday.

Prince Tech’s Vernon McAlmont (21) finds little room to run against the Trailblazers Saturday at Dillon Stadium as James Arcata (51, center) and Dexter Lawson (5, right) tackle McAlmont.

Capital Prep/AF took a 8-0 lead when Phillips found a wide-open Jakai Gill down the middle of the field for a 38-yard touchdown pass. Steffan Napoleon scored on a two-yard run for the two-point conversion. 

After recovering a fumble, the Trailblazers extended the lead to 16-0 when Phillips hit Gill for a 19-yard touchdown pass. Napoleon again ran in the two-point conversion. 

Gill caught six passes for 132 yards and three touchdown passes. He became the first Capital Prep/AF player to have more than 1,000 yards receiving in a single season. Gill made a diving leap for a 20-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. 

Fulton said that the Trailblazers, making their fourth straight appearance in the Class S playoffs, will be hosting Canton at Dillon Stadium next Saturday. “We went on the road last year and that didn’t work out for us,” he said, referring to a 27-7 loss to Bloomfield.

The crew from the Hartford Parks Department has their work cut out for them. There was plenty of mud on the field at the end of the game.

NOTES: On the final day of qualifying, the field for the Class S tournament was set. Canton, Capital Prep/AF, North Branford (10-1) and Northwest Catholic (10-1) will be in the Class S Small Division tournament.

Valley Regional/Old Lyme (11-0), Ansonia (10-1), Windham (9-1) and Bullard Havens (8-2) will be in the Class S Large Division tournament. Bullard Havens benefited from the loss by Prince Tech and Plainfield’s loss to Griswold. 

Semifinals are set for Saturday, Dec. 6 with the championship game in each tournament on Dec. 12 or 13. The top eight teams in each class qualify for the state tournament in football. Then, they are separated into two four team divisions based on student enrollment. 

Capital Prep/AF 44, Prince Tech 0
At Hartford
Prince Tech (8-3)              0  0  0  0  — 0
Capital/AF (10-1)              8  22  12  2  — 44
First quarter
C: Jakai Gill 38 pass from Rayshawn Phillips (Steffan Napoleon run), 1:41
Second quarter
C: Gill 19 pass from Phillips (Napoleon run), 10:49
C: Jakob Verda 39 pass from Phillips (Phillips run), 7:25
C: Jourdayne Ross 23 pass from Phillips (run fails), 3:32
Third quarter
C: Gill 20 pass from Phillips (kick fails), 4:49
C: Terrell Boseman 66 pass from Phillips (run fails), 0:56
Fourth quarter
C: Safety, Dillian Murray tackles Vernon McAlmont in end zone, 6:26
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Capital/AF – Rayshawn Phillips 4-41, Elijah Hales 4-19, Steffan Napoleon 2-4, Lamar Butler 3-minus 1, Jakai Gill 1-0, Jourdayne Ross 5-10. Total 21-71; Prince Tech – Luis Valentine 3-minus 4, Vernon McAlmont 23-minus 1, Vincent Ruff 6-9, Daniel Hampton 1-minus 2; Totals 33-2
PASSING: Capital/AF – Phillips 12-22-0, 301; Kyle Zajack 0-1-0, Prince – Hampton 0-1
RECEIVING: Capital/AF – Terrell Boseman 2-89, Jakai Gill 6-132, Jakob Verda 1-39, Jourdayne Ross 3-41, Oneil Robinson 1-minus 4
FUMBLE RECOVERY: Marquis Dean (P) 2-24, Steffan Napoleon (C) 1-0, Dillian Murray (C) 1-0