Granby/Canton dominates Gilbert/NWR for seventh win of season

Carter Gavin scored his first touchdown of the season as Granby/Canton co-op team remained alive for a state tournament berth with a 54-14 win over Gilbert/Northwestern on Thursday.

GRANBY, Nov. 14 – Quarterback Jackson Rome ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries and threw a touchdown pass to lead the Granby/Canton football team to a 54-14 Pequot Conference victory over Gilbert/Northwestern on Thursday night.

The victory keeps the Bears (7-2) in contention for a spot in the Class M playoffs. The top eight teams earn a spot in the state tournament. Granby/Canton, in their first year as a co-op team, host Old Saybrook/Westbrook next Friday in Old Saybrook in the regular season finale.

A win over the Rams will go a long way in helping the Bears secure their first tournament berth since 2015. The Bears are currently ranked No. 8 in Class M.

Rome, who has 13 rushing touchdowns this fall, gave the Bears an early 14-0 lead on touchdown runs of 51 and 47 yards. Sam Attianese scored on a one-yard run before Rome found Colin Makin with a 53-yard touchdown reception – the first TD catch of the year for Makin. The receiver from Canton caught three passes for 101 yards.

Sam Schock ran for his first touchdown of the year while Carter Gavin scored on a 35-yard TD run for his second TD of the season. Disabella ran for a season-high 82 yards on seven carries.

The Bears for the job done defensively. Dontel Williams had six tackles and 1½ sacks while Attianese had five tackles and one tackle for a loss. Malique Thompson had four tackles and two sacks while John Bruhen had two sacks for 11 yards and two tackles for a loss. Brady Kaluna had four tackles for the Bears.

The 54 points was a co-op record for most points in a single game and tied a school record for Granby, which scored 54 points in a win over the Coventry co-op a year ago.

Granby/Canton 54, Gilbert/Northwestern 14
At Granby
Gilbert/NWR (3-5)             0    0  7    7  — 14
Granby/Canton (7-2)      13  21  7  13 – 54
First quarter
GC: Jackson Rome 51 run (Sam Attianese kick)
GC: Rome 47 run (kick fails)
Second quarter
GC: Attianese 1 run (Cooper Schneider pass from Rome)
GC: Colin Makin 53 pass from Rome (Attianese kick)
Third quarter
GC: Carter Gavin 35 run (Attianese kick)
Gil/NW: Fred Calder-Camp 37 pass from Carfaro (Josh Hamel kick)
Fourth quarter
GC: Sam Shlock 19 run (kick fails)
GC: Dylan Disabella 19 run (Attianese kick)
Gil/NW: Hunter Sanden 65 run (Hamel kick)
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Granby/Canton – Jackson Rome 14-167, Carter Gavin 1-35, Dylan Disabella 7-82, Sam Attianese 14-55, Sam Schock 6-42
PASSING: Granby/Canton – Jackson Rome 5-8-0, 122
RECEIVING: Granby/Canton – Disabella 1-4, Attianese 1-17, Colin Makin 3-101
SACKS: D. Williams (GC) 1.5-8, Malik Thompson (GC) 2, Daniel Litin (GC) 1-2, John Bruhin (GC) 2-11
RETURNS: Schock (GC) 6-194 (kickoffs), 1-39 (punts); Attianese (GC) 1-3 (punts); INTERCEPTION: Makin (GC) 1; FUMBLE REC: Luke Maher (GC) 1