Barlow of Redding faces St. Joseph in the Class M semifinals Saturday at Bunnell High School. And we know what you’re thinking: How’s little ol’ Barlow going to match-up against against one of the big, bad teams from the mighty FCIAC?
Well, lucky for you, we dipped back into the GameTimeCT preseason video vault and unearthed actual footage of the two teams engaging in their first scrimmage of the 2013 season.
This was also the first scrimmage I attended as the producer of GameTimeCT. I received a lot of strange looks as I walked onto the field at St. Joseph. “What? You get lost?” I was asked.
Hey, I wanted to check out St. Joseph, which was already receiving high praise from the preseason chatter. But I also wanted to see how Barlow’s Jack Shaban was holding up in his first game back in a Barlow football uniform since separating his shoulder in November 2012 vs. Masuk.
His injury all but ended Barlow’s playoff hopes. Without their electric QB, they lost to Weston on Thanksgiving that year and finished 8-2. Weston advanced, Barlow stayed home.
But now it was a new year. Shaban, a lacrosse star for the Falcons, was back with his teammates. And he put on a nice show vs. St. Joseph. At one point, a St. Joseph player drilled the 5-foot-7 quarterback so far into the turf, the St. Joseph players though they’d need some shovels to dig him out.
Shaban merely sprung up, patted the defender on the rear and said, “Nice hit,” before going back to his huddle.
That play isn’t included here. I didn’t stick around long — just a few series before turning off the camera. But Shaban and Harry Wilson did move the ball, and move it well. Touchdowns were scored on both sides.
Is it a Class M semifinal preview? No. We’re a long way from that August day. Both teams have been through battles since. They are markedly different teams.
But if you want to see how they matched up, this kinda, sorta gives you a glimpse.
Enjoy.
Below, Barlow coach Rob Tynan joined the CPTV Sports show ‘Game Time’ to talk about his team, his program’s first state playoff game and victory, and this match up. And yes, he talks about the scrimmage:
