
Torrington’s Devin Morales (5) and Sean Clinkscales (10) try to clear the way for QB Tyler Semonich (3) in Sunday’s Class M semifinal game in Vernon. Rockville advanced with a 42-12 victory. More game photos
VERNON, Dec. 5, 2021 – On the first drive of the game, the Torrington High football team marched 59 yards on 15 plays, eating up 8:26 of the first quarter to take an early 6-0 lead over No. 2 Rockville in Sunday’s Class M semifinal game.
It didn’t faze the Rams a bit.
Rockville scored on six of their first seven possessions of the game to beat No. 6 Torrington, 42-12 and earn their first trip to the state championship game since 1995. The Rams used their quickness on both sides of the ball to disrupt Torrington’s single-wing offense that helped the Raiders reach the CIAC playoffs for just the third time and the first time since 2015.
“We didn’t make any adjustments as a coaching staff,” Rockville head coach Erick Knickerbocker said regarding the Raiders’ scoring drive. “(We told the kids), ok, we can basically play with them. We just need to turn up the physicality. It was more confidence for the kids realizing they can play with these guys.”
No. 2 seed Rockville (10-2) will face No. 1 Killingly (11-0) in Saturday’s Class M championship game at Willow Park Park in New Britain beginning at 3 p.m. Killingly outlasted Branford, 13-12 in the other semifinal contest. It was another one-point decision for Branford, who slipped past Avon in the quarterfinals, 7-6.
“Rockville is a very good football team,” Torrington head coach Gaitan Rodriguez said. “They played very physical up front. I don’t know if we just ran out of gas but some days you just don’t have it.”

Rockville’s Travon Edmonson (38) ran for 124 yards and 3 TDs in Sunday’s Class M semifinal win over Torrington. More game photos
Travon Edmondson ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries for the Rams while Amir Knighton ran for a game-high 179 yards on 10 carries. Rockville’s Deshaun Perry ran for 18 yards on six carries and caught five passes for 83 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“They weren’t weak anywhere,” Torrington QB Tyler Semonich said. “They had running backs, a great O (offensive) line, receivers. They were the hardest hitters we’ve played all year.”
Clinkscales had a team-high 132 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders (8-4), including a 64-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Semonich was held to 46 yards on 16 carries.
After Torrington took the early lead, Rockville quickly tied the game with a six-play drive that took just 2:20 with Edmundson scoring from the four-yard-line.
On Rockville’s next drive, the Rams went 60 yards in less than two minutes with Edmundson making the big play on the drive, a 35-yard scamper to the Torrington 7-yard line. Edmundson scored two plays later and the Rams grabbed a 13-6 lead.
The Rams extended the lead to 21-6 when a wide-open Perry scored on a 21-yard pass from QB Matt Ryan and Edmundson scored on a two-point run with 4:52 left in the first half.
Torrington made some noise late in the second quarter, driving to the Rockville 19-yard line with 39 seconds left in the first half. Semonich completed a 11-yard pass to Exodus Rosado on third down and 11 to keep the drive alive and completed a three-yard pass to Devin Morales to give Torrington a first down on the Ram 19 with 39 seconds left.
But Rockville’s defense stiffened. Clinkscales was dropped for a three-yard loss on first down and the Raiders threw a pair of incomplete passes. A fourth down pass was intercepted in the end zone.

Rockville’s Deshaun Perry caught four passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns. This was his first touchdown pass, a 21-yard reception in the second quarter. More game photos
The Rams had a dominating drive to open the second half. Rockville marched 53 yards on five plays in 1:25 with Edmundson scoring from the nine-yard line to open a commanding 28-6 lead. Knighton had a big 26-yard run in the drive.
“We were moving people all day (with our offensive line),” Knickerbocker said. “Our running backs ran with such passion and aggression.”
NOTES: Rockville was one of two Pequot Conference teams to earn a spot in Saturday’s state championship games. Cromwell/Portland (12-0) will face undefeated Bloomfield (12-0) in the Class S championship game. Cromwell/Portland beat Ansonia, 46-7 in Sunday’s semifinal. Cromwell/Portland won the Pequot Conference with a 10-0 record and a 7-0 mark in the Pequot Sassacus division. Rockville shared the Pequot Uncas title with Granby/Canton and Stafford co-op with a 5-2 division record. … Seven Pequot teams have won state titles with the most recent being Valley Regional/Old Lyme who beat Ansonia, 21-0 in the Class S Large Division title game in 2014
Rockville 42, Torrington 12
At Vernon
Torrington (8-4) 6 0 0 6 — 12
Rockville (10-2) 6 15 14 7 — 42
First quarter
T: Sean Clinkscales 6 run (kick fails), 3:29
R: Travon Edmundson 4 run (kick fails), 1:04
Second quarter
R: Edmundson 1 run (Michael Naylor kick), 7:19
R: Deshaun Perry 21 pass from Matt Ryan (Edmundson run), 4:52
Third quarter
R: Edmundson 9 run (Naylor kick), 10:26
R: Perry 53 pass from Ryan (Naylor kick), 3:42
Fourth quarter
R: Edmundson 2 run (Naylor kick), 8:10
T: Clinkscale 64 run (run fails), 6:21
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Torrington – Sean Clinkscales 18-132, Tyler Semonich 16-46, Exodus Rosado 6-33; Rockville – Travon Edmondson 22-124, Amir Knighton 10-179, Matt Ryan 1-minus 2, Deshaun Perry 6-18
PASSING: Torrington – Tyler Semonich 4-8-2, 24; Rockville – Matt Ryan 4-4-0, 84
RECEIVING: Torrington – Malcolm Francis 1-9, Exodus Rosado 1-11, Devin Morales 1-3; Rockville – Deshaun Perry 4-84
RETURNS: Trey Bayette (T) 2-6 (KO), Tyler Zeppen (T) 3-71 (KO), Rosado (T) 1-18, Perry (Ro) 1-22 (KO), Knighton (Ro) 1-20 (KO); INTERCEPTIONS: Jackson Torres (RO) 1-10, Juneil Powell (RO) 1-0
Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.


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