BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
NAUGATUCK — The Tug Valley High School football squad started the season off with a rare Thursday night game and got a strong 32-21 home win over Shady Spring at Bob Brewer Stadium in Naugatuck.
Shady Spring was ranked as one of the top teams in Class AA in the Mountain State. They made the playoffs last season and finished with a 7-4 record. They beat the Panthers 42-0 last season. But this year was a different story for Coach Hady Ford and his squad.
Neither team scored in the first quarter as both teams seemed to have some first-game jitters.
“Yeah we had some penalties that really hurt us in the first half. We were moving the ball but kept getting penalties that put us in long yardage situations,” Tug Valley Coach Hady Ford said. “It’s tough to dig yourself out of that hole. I do think some of it was being nervous the first game plus not knowing what to expect from them after last year’s game.”
Tug Valley took the lead with 8:31 in the second quarter as tailback Adam Slone scored on a 5-yard run. Caleb Totten kicked the extra point to make it 7-0.
Shady Spring answered on the ensuing kickoff as Tyler Mackey hit the wedge and scampered 75 yards for a TD. The extra point kick tied it at 7-7.
The Panthers regained the lead as quarterback Elijah Fluty scored on a 6-yard keeper with 6:36 left in the first half. Totten’s kick was blocked, but the home team led 13-6.
After a good kickoff return by the young Bryson Elia, TV marched down the field to the 29-yard line. The freshman halfback later scored from 5 yards out. The extra point pass failed, but the Panthers went into the dressing room at the half with a 19-7 advantage.
Elia and Slone each reached the end zone once. Slone rushed 23 times for 115 yards, while Elia had 16 carries for 87 yards. Elia also intercepted a pass on defense
Fluty, a sophomore, passed for a pair of touchdown passes to Riley Damron, covering 23 and 18 yards. He was 7 of 11 for 91 yards in the air. Damron’s two catches led the Tug Valley receivers. Sophomore Brady Brewer hauled in one pass from Fluty for 22 yards.
Defensively, Slone led Tug Valley with 11 tackles, while Burton had six tackles and Austin Smith 4, one for a 5-yard loss. Several other players had three total tackles.
“To beat a top 15 AA team is a big plus for our program,” Ford added. “It gets us going in the right direction to start the season and coming with a good attitude this week.”
“I was happy to get the win. There is no better way to start the year, but there’s always work to do. We just have to stay focused and keep working to get better each week,” Ford concluded.
Shady Spring scored another TD in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough as the Panthers pulled out the win.
James Sellards led Shady on the ground with 48 yards and Mackey had 83 yards through the air.
Tug Valley will look to go 2-0 this week, Friday, Sept. 2, as they travel up Corridor G to play Class A team Sherman.
SCORE BY QUARTERS:
Shady Spring: 0 13 0 8 – 21
Tug Valley: 0 19 13 0 – 32