Vitals
- Coach: PAT SMITH (17th year)
- Conference: ECC Small
- Playoff Class: S (340 boys enrollment)
- Home: Plainfield Football Field, Central Village
- 2014 Record: 3-7 (1-5 ECC Small)
- 2015 Kickoff: Sept. 9 at Stonington, 6:30 p.m.
- Team website: MaxPreps
Top players
- CAMERON GONZALES, Sr. RB/LB
- MARCUS ROBINSON, Sr. QB/DB
- DEVINN McGALE, Sr. RB/LB
- NICK BURLINGAME, Sr. TE/DB
- ZACHARY ROY, Sr. RB/DB
- CULLEN HOERCHLER, Sr. OL/DE
- SAM ZUROWSKI, Sr. OL/DL
- CRAIG BLAIR, Sr. OL/DL
- MATT MAHER, Sr. OL/DL
- DYLAN GLENNON, Jr. OL/DL
- CHASE LATOUR, Jr. OL/DL
- IZAIAH THOMPSON, Jr. OL/DL
- BRENDEN OGDEN, Jr. RB/DB
- KEGAN MARCROUX, Jr. RB/LB
- KYLE HOLT, Soph. RB/LB
Key losses
RB/DB Tyler Balard; TE/DE Isaiah Fort; RB/DB Xavier Gonzales; TE/DE Alex Gaudreau, OL/DL Kyle Coady, RB/LB Hunter Griffin.
Outlook
Plainfield had a tough act to follow in 2015. The Panthers were coming off a 9-2 season and graduated every player of consequence. The 2015 Panthers started off well enough. They defeated Fitch, Montville and Central Falls, R.I. and were 3-2 by mid-October.
But beginning with a social media controversy, which prompted school officials to suspend the entire football team for a week and forfeit a game vs. Waterford, Plainfield’s season went south. (It was the second time in as many years that Plainfield found itself embroiled in a controversy).
After the forfeit, the Panthers were competitive, but ended the year on a four-game losing streak, including the program’s 13th-consecutive loss to Thanksgiving rival Griswold.
Though six seniors, including All-ECC picks Tyler Ballard, Isaiah Fort, Hunter Griffin and Kyle Coady, have graduated, Plainfield returns seven starters anxious to erase last year’s misfortunes from its collective memory and take a run at an ECC Division III title.
Pat Smith, now in his 17th season as coach, says this year’s players are “young and hungry.” But it’s also a group stocked with seniors, a majority of whom are linemen. Nine of those seniors them saw action a year ago, including returning starting quarterback Marcus Robinson and tight end Nick Burlingame.
The biggest question is who will lead the Plainfield run game now that Ballard, a two-year standout, has graduated. Senior Cameron Gonzales — a member of the school’s standout sprint relay teams — is a good bet to take over. Smith also lists seniors Devinn McGale and Zachary Roy, juniors Brenden Ogden and Kegan Marcroux and even sophomore Kyle Holt as ballcarriers.
There are also plenty of underclassmen hoping to make their mark. Their development, Smith says, is key to the team’s success this year.
Plainfield is a part of the new ECC Small Division aligment alongside Killingly, Griswold and Windham. They also play ECC Medium schools Stonington, Montville, Waterford and Bacon Academy. Plainfield doesn’t play New London, Fitch or Ledyard (the new ECC alignment doesn’t require the Small Division to play the Large Division). The team picked up independent CREC Co-Op and Public Safety Academy and the CSC’s Thames River (formerly St. Bernard). Plainfield also plays next-door Central Falls, R.I. again.
2016 Schedule
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| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 9 | vs. Stonington* | 6:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 16 | vs. Montville* | 6:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 23 | at Windham** | 6:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 30 | BYE | |
| Oct. 7 | vs. Thames River | 6:30 p.m. |
| Oct. 14 | at Central Falls, R.I. | 6 p.m. |
| Oct. 22 | at Bacon Academy* | Noon |
| Oct. 28 | at Killingly** | 6:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 5 | at CREC Co-Op | 11 a.m. |
| Nov. 11 | vs. Waterford* | 6:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 18 | BYE | |
| Nov. 24 | vs. Griswold** | 10 a.m. |
**Division game
*Conference game
