Lewis Mills/Wolcott Tech enjoying 3-2 start at midway point of season
Lewis Mills and QB Jayce McDonald are 3-2 at the midway point of the season — their best start since 2019 when they were 4-1.
By STEVE BARLOW
Special to The Collinsville Press
BURLINGTON, Oct. 19, 2026 – There’s an old saying that winning isn’t everything. Perhaps not, but as another old saying goes, winning can cure a lot of ills.
For the Lewis Mills/Wolcott Tech co-op football team, winning has at least put a lot of smiles on the faces of players who persevered despite taking their lumps the past few seasons. After a 30-14 win over Central Connecticut Conference foe Tolland last Thursday, the Spartans are 3-2 for their best start since beginning 4-1 in 2019.
For third-year head coach Jay Pace, the trick is staying off the roller coaster. He tried not to get too low during his first two seasons, when the Spartans won three games total. Now, he doesn’t want his team to get too sky-high after its early success. The 2019 team, after all, finished 5-5.
“Winning isn’t everything,” Pace noted. “Since being part of the program, I’ve tried to make sure it wasn’t the whole measuring stick.”
And yet …
“It has validated all the hard work and sacrifices the players and coaches have put in,” he added.
The season began with a 48-7 loss to a Plainville team that is undefeated and has routinely scored 40-plus points. The Spartans followed with a nonconference win over the Morgan/Old Saybrook/Westbrook co-op, 28-22, and a CCC win over E.O. Smith, 27-7.
After a nonconference loss to Griswold/Wheeler, 42-12, Mills rebounded with its best effort of the year against Tolland. The visitors rallied to tie the score at 14-14 in the second quarter, but Jackson Henry returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for the go-ahead score.
Junior quarterback Jayce McDonald threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns, all to junior Gryfn Kobylarz, who had six catches for 91 yards. Bret Hemingway is another top target for Mills, while senior Mason Scanlon is the top rushing threat.
McDonald and Kobylarz have turned into a dynamic combination. McDonald has passed for 736 yards and nine touchdowns in five games, while Kobylarz, a Wolcott Tech student, has 446 yards receiving on 25 catches and six scores, along with four interceptions on defense. He also does the team’s punting and is the backup placekicker if sophomore Brady Fredritz isn’t available.
This is the second year of the co-op with Wolcott Tech. More than 20 additions from Tech have filled out the roster, giving the Spartans needed competition on the depth chart.
Perhaps most importantly, Mills returned four seniors in the trenches in linemen Nate Bertrand, Spencer Criss, Jack Rewenko and Curtis Gilbert. They’re part of a 10-member senior class that has been around for Pace’s entire tenure.
“I feel really close to this group. They’ve been through all the lows and didn’t quit,” Pace said. “The most joy I get out of this is to see the players experience success, their happiness and their being able to enjoy these moments.”
And the season is only half over. Mills travels to East Catholic on Thursday, Oct. 22, and to Rocky Hill on Oct. 29 before returning home on Saturday, Nov. 7, for a noon game with RHAM. A game at Northwest Catholic on Nov. 14 and the finale with Avon-St. Paul on Nov. 24 close out the schedule.
There isn’t a game left that isn’t winnable – or losable.
“We can’t look past any opponent. We’re going to prepare like it’s our last game,” Pace said. “Each week is the most important game our program has had.”
2026 schedule
| Fri. Sept. 11 | Plainville 48, Lewis Mills/WT 7 |
| Fri. Sept. 18 | Lewis Mills/WT 28, Morgan co-op 22 |
| Friday, Sept. 25 | Lewis Mills/WT 27, E.O. Smith 7 |
| Friday, Oct. 2 | Griswold/Wheeler 42, Lewis Mills/WT 12 |
| Thursday, Oct. 15 | Lewis Mills/WT 30, Tolland 14 |
Thur. Oct. 22: vs. East Catholic at Cheney Tech, 7 p.m.
Thur. Oct. 29: at Rocky Hill, 6:30 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 7: RHAM, noon
Sat. Nov. 14: at NW Catholic, 10:30 a.m.
Tues. Nov. 24: AVON/ST. PAUL, 6 p.m.
| CCC Tier IV | Div. | Overall |
| Plainville | 3-0 | 5-0 |
| NW Catholic | 2-0 | 3-2 |
| Avon/St. Paul | 1-1 | 3-2 |
| Lewis Mills/OWTS | 1-1 | 3-2 |
| East Catholic | 1-1 | 3-2 |
| Tolland | 1-2 | 3-2 |
| Rocky Hill | 1-2 | 2-3 |
| RHAM | 0-3 | 1-4 |