Trumbull’s Mileeq Green looks for running room during the Eagles’ 41-13 loss to Darien on Friday in Trumbull.
David G. Whitham / For Hearst Connecticut Media
TRUMBULL — Darien coach Rob Trifone crossed his arms and looked out at the football field following the Blue Wave’s 41-13 victory over Trumbull at McDougall Stadium on Friday night.
“It was a strange one,” Trifone said. “We couldn’t get a rhythm going. It seems every time you turned around there was a penalty. In spots we played well.”
Leveling the up-and-down contest was the Blue Wave’s Will Kirby, who ran for two touchdowns and was on the receiving end of one of Peter Graham’s three TD tosses.
“With Will Kirby what you see is what you get. He runs the ball, he catches the ball. Will is as humble as can be and you have to love him.”
Darien’s Will Kirby scored 3 TDS in win over Trumbull @GameTimeCT #cthsfb #blox354 pic.twitter.com/FQCEv5RZec
— Bill Bloxsom (@blox354) October 5, 2019
Kirby scored on runs of 1 and 17 yards to help Darien to a 27-6 halftime lead. He caught a 23-yard scoring pass when the Blue Wave opened up a 33-6 lead on the first drive of the third quarter.
“We just really want to get better each week,” Kirby said. “Trumbull is a great team and we had a good game. … We just want to get better for all these big matchups coming up.”
Darien had outscored its first two FCIAC opponents 90-0. The only points the Wave had allowed this season came in a 24-8 win over now 11th-ranked Southington in Week 2.
The Blue Wave defense limited Trumbull to negative-2 yards on its first 15 plays from scrimmage. During this stretch, the Eagles’ defense thwarted Darien with strong play from its secondary.
Gaining field position with each change of possession, Darien took over at the Trumbull 41. Six plays later, Kirby scored from 1 yard out and Hayden Hall added the first of his seven PATs. Hall tacked on two second-quarter field goals (29 and 31 yards).
Down 17-0, Trumbull quarterback Riley Simpson sparked a drive, connecting on a 10-yard completion to Kyle Atherton before hitting Ray Leonzi for 44 yards. On the play Leonzi gathered in a tipped pass and raced another 27 yards to the Darien 11.
Mileeq Green then came out of the backfield to catch a 5-yarder from Simpson to get the Eagles on the board with 4:36 left in the first half.
Going tit for tat, Graham found Michael Minicus cutting across the middle for an 83-yard touchdown.
With 3:05 left before the break it was 24-6.
“Hats off to Trumbull,” Darien coach Ron Trifone said. “They did a great job in pass coverage and throwing the ball.”
Simpson threw a 58-yard pass to Atherton and then found Leonzi open for a 12-yard score with 11:23 left to play. Andrew Ilie added the conversion kick and it was 34-13.
Jackson Peters got those points back with an 8-yard catch with 5:32 on the clock.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Darien’s Will Kirby ran for a pair of first-half touchdowns. He added a 23-yard TD catch.
