By STEVE BARLOW
Special to The Collinsville Press
TORRINGTON, Oct. 10, 2025 – What a difference seven days can make.
A week ago, the Torrington High School football team absorbed a 39-0 loss at Ansonia with star running back Aiden Hansen sidelined after breaking a team rule. It was a glum group of Raiders who made the long trek back up Route 8 that night.
Friday night, though, it was an energized group of Raiders that thrashed neighboring rival Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic, 55-21, in their first home game of the season at the Robert Frost Complex.
Hansen contributed seven touchdowns while rushing for 173 yards and showing off a multi-faceted array of tricks.
He bulled his way into the end zone from 2 and 4 yards out. He busted through the line for a 58-yard scoring streak. He reversed field for a 35-yard TD romp. He even grabbed the ricochet of a deflected pass and bolted untouched 43 yards to paydirt.
Hansen’s other scores covered 20 and 10 yards as he increased his touchdown total to 17 for the season. He has rushed for 782 yards in four games for the 3-2 Raiders.
“He’s got very good vision. All he needs really is a seam. He can run really well between the tackles, and he’s got the speed to go out to the perimeter. His change of direction is, I think, what sets him apart,” said Torrington coach Gaitan Rodriguez. “He’s just a real good football player.”
Gilbert co-op coach Scott Salius warned his players what to look out for, but it made no difference.
“We drilled all week: When you think you have him, you don’t have him. He’s going to hit the hole, going to bounce it to the outside. You’re going to think you have him tackled. You don’t. He’s going to keep driving his legs through the tackle. And he’s always around the ball because he’s got that nonstop motor,” said Salius.
Nick Coleman accounted for the other Torrington touchdown with a 25-yard scoring run in the second quarter. He finished with 60 yards rushing on 12 carries and the 43-yard scoring completion to Hansen.
On defense, the Raiders limited the visiting Yellowjackets (1-4) to 17 yards of offense in the first half while building a 34-0 lead. Abraham Radwin intercepted a pass and Anthony Cangiano recovered a fumble, both of which set up TDs.
Torrington scored on all five possessions in the first half. Gilbert co-op seemed to have the Raiders stymied on their first drive, forcing a fourth down-and-2 at Torrington’s 47-yard line.
But after a timeout, Torrington called a fake punt. Evan Roman, after spinning out of a tackler’s grasp, swept left end for a 24-yard gain to keep the drive alive.
“I thought the team that could get momentum early was going to have success. Sometimes you’ve got to gamble. It worked out for us,” Rodriguez said, while adding, “It almost backfired, but he was able to spin out of the tackle.”
For the Yellowjackets, Owen Riemer caught a 47-yard TD pass from Trevor Campbell, Campbell also had a 4-yard TD run and Airyn Berube returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown.
Riemer had two catches for 95 yards while Campbell connected on four of seven passes for 100 yards.
“We had a game plan. We didn’t execute it,” said Salius. “We knew what we wanted to do to contain Hansen, and we didn’t execute what we had practiced all week. Offensively, we couldn’t get the ball moving in the first half. I think we had three plays in the first quarter. Torrington brought the energy, and our kids didn’t.”
Hansen’s seven rushing touchdowns was one TD shy of the school record set by Brenden Lytton, who ran for 8 TDs against Wilby in 2010. Hansen scored 42 points in the game which is tied for third for most points in scored in a single game. Lytton scored 59 against Wilby in 2010 while Raymond Pond scored 52 against Simsbury in 1917, rushing for seven TDs and nine extra points — worth one point at that time. Devone Thomas also scored 42 for Torrington in a game against St. Paul in 2012.
Both teams enter a bye week before Torrington hosts Oxford on Oct. 24 and GNH welcomes Wolcott on Oct. 25.
Torrington 55, Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic 21
At Torrington
Gilbert co-op (1-4) 0 0 14 7 – 21
Torrington (3-2) 7 27 7 14 — 55
First quarter
T: Aiden Hansen 2 run (Jackson Brewer-Karimi kick)
Second quarter
T: Hansen 4 run (Brewer-Karimi kick)
T: Hansen 58 run (Brewer-Karimi kick)
T: Hansen 20 run (kick blocked)
T: Nick Coleman 25 run (Brewer-Karimi kick)
Third quarter
G: Owen Riemer 47 pass from Trevor Campbell (Esten Ryan kick)
T: Hansen 43 pass from Coleman (Brewer-Karimi kick)
G: Campbell 4 run (Ryan kick)
Fourth quarter
T: Hansen 10 run (Brewer-Karimi kick)
G: Airyn Berube 85 kick return (Ryan kick)
T: Hansen 35 run (Brewer-Karimi kick)
Individual statistics
Rushing: Torrington – Hansen 18 carries, 173 yards; Coleman 12-60; Evan Roman 3-42; Carl Salinas 2-28; Cameron Roxbury 2-13. GNH – Berube 3-28; Cole Linnen 5-18; Riemer 3-12.
Passing: T – Coleman 1-1-43-0; Hansen 1-2-28-0. GNH – Campbell 4-7-100-1.
Receiving: Hansen 1-43; Madison Gop 1-28. GNH – Riemer 2-95; Wesely Allyn 2-5.
