THE D’ANDREA FAULT — Matt D’Andrea (No. 54) caused an earthquake on the Mustangs line on Saturday. (Photo Courtesy of Mark Maybell)
FOOTBALL
Updated, Friday, Sept. 28 — Darien began by kicking a field goal, then just kept right on kicking — anything else in sight — in its 44-21 home opener win over Warde on Saturday.
The Wave (2-0) scored the game’s first four touchdowns, took a 30-7 halftime lead and in the end stayed undefeated going into week three of the season.
Darien’s scored 85 points in its rise to 2-0.
Warde drops to 0-2.
Daly Hebert fired up the 28-yard field goal to light the fuse in the first period and Nick Lombardo ran a six yard dash as the Wave went up 10-0 early.
And it never got much better for the Mustangs from there.
WHITE LIGHTNING — Jackson Whiting on the rush against Warde. (Photo courtesy of Mark Maybell)
Scoring leader Lombardo caught two touchdown passes, on 59 and 61 advances lofted from the hand of Henry Baldwin for three TDs on the day.
Baldwin also found Griffin Ross with a 26-yard TD toss, and tagged Jackson Whiting with a 67-yard scoring pass.
Christian Bognar ran two yards for a score.
Hebert kicked five PATs.
“We would have to play a near perfect game to beat (St. Joseph).”
— Rob Trifone
Darien faces a key battle vs. visiting St. Joseph (1-1) 1:30 p.m. on Homecoming Day Saturday.
“Great start, but not a lot of resistance,” is how Darien coach Rob Trifone characterized the story so far. “St Joe’s is the real deal — they had Staples beat and it was 14-14 into the fourth quarter.”
The Cadets fell to top-rung Staples (2-0) 49-22 in the end. And last week St. Joseph blanked Wilton 34-0 in the Cadets’ home opener.
“Big, very athletic and aggressive,” Trifone said of Darien’s next target. “St Joe’s is by far the most talented team we have faced so far this year.
“They remind me of the back-to-back state championship teams (they) had a few years ago; no weak links and many big-play guys.”
Ideally, Darien would need a healthy, 100 percent Peter Gesualdi to make this work. A top rusher, and reliable receiver, he was the Wave’s top scorer last year.
“We have not been able to play (entirely) with Peter Gesualdi yet,” said Trifone, with Gesualdi getting in on a couple of rushes before spraining his ankle, again, on Saturday.
Gesualdi sprained his ankle in preseason to set things off on the wrong foot.
“Too bad, as he really rounds our offensive attack out as he is a threat in the air and on the ground,” Trifone added.
Margin for mishap will be slight vs. St. Joe.
“We would have to play a near perfect game to beat them,” said Trifone.
Darien is smack in front of the Cadets in the FCIAC standings in sixth with a 100 point average. Seventh place St. Joseph has a 55 point average.
Trinity Catholic is No. 1 with a 110 average, then it’s equally undefeated Greenwich, Stamford, Staples, in order, all with 105, and McMahon (2-0) fifth with 100.
BOGNAR BAGS A SACK — Christian Bognar takes one for the team taking down the quarterback on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Mark Maybell)
More numbers
The Wave’s three stars-of-the-game Saturday were Baldwin, twice, as overall standout and offensive star, while Matt D’Andrea was choses defensive bright light.
Baldwin threw 12 completes in 27 tried for 301 yards, four TDs.
Bognar ran 91 yards on 13 rushes, Lombardo made three rushes for 20 yards.
Lombardo caught three passes for 134 yards.
Jackson Whiting had two receptions for 76 yards, Griffin Ross one for 26, Gesualdi two for 18, Ian Vanderhorn one for 17, Kyle Gifford one for 15, Bognar two for nine, John Reed one for six.
Darien gained 146 yards on 27 carries.
Tackling, it was D’Andrea and Whiting with 11 apiece, Reed with 10, Andrew Maley, Matt Brown six each, Vanderhorn five, Tommy DiMauro, Will Lochtefeld, Bognar each made four, Brian Weigand, Theo Frelinghuysen, Matt Vossler, George Reed, Kyle Blummer, Myles Ridder and Chris Hamernick two each, and Jimmy Weinstock, Brian Abberley, Matt Coley, Stratton Powers, Graham Lesko each had one.
Hamernick, DiMauro, Whiting, Lochtefeld, D’Andrea, Brown, Ridder, Blummer clocked in with a sack apiece.
Reed and Hamernick each had an interception.
Hebert punted one time for 40 yards.
He kicked off eight times for 432 yards.
Darien averages 288 yards passing per game and goes into week three with Lombardo its top scorer with 36 points.
Baldwin has passed for 576 yards.
