DHS football finished 3-7 in their first real season in two years.

On Saturday, Sept. 11, DHS Football left St. Joseph High School with a 49-0 loss. Going into the game, DHS was playing a fresh new brand of offensive football with a new starting Quarterback, Darnell Bronson (Fr.). A frustrating night for the offensive end translated to the defense, unable to stop St. Joseph’s Quarterback Matt Morrissey (Sr.) from throwing 4 touchdown passes. Tieri and the rest of the team definitely came out of that clash on the lower end but continued to work hard on aspects that needed to be improved on

Tieri and the team’s work ethic was displayed in the very next game against Stamford when they came away with a 35-12 win. A good offensive night for Kyle Thomas (Sr.) began with a quiet first half, but then picked up in the 3rd quarter scoring twice.

Eventually “I asked him [Coach Tieri] for one more play and on that play, I ran through the entire Stamford defense for a 25-yard touchdown.” He told as his performance also earned him a nomination for Player of the Week on the Ruden Report.

However, the Hatters left their 3rd game of the season with a 31-8 loss at home in front of the home supporters. A difficult night to stop Norwalk’s Running Back, Camryn Edwards (Sr.), who had two touchdowns for Norwalk on Hatter soil. With only 8 points on the scoreboard, Danbury looked to fix up points on both sides of the ball.

A better scoring night against New Milford, but the Hatters were just slightly unlucky in getting the win. DHS Football took a loss in Greenwave’s backyard, 29-28. While Danbury had to be heavily restricted to 28 points by New Milford’s defensive line, Greenwave Quarterback, Reese Vanek (Sr.), was able to throw two touchdown passes and score one for himself to ultimately decide the game.

After coming off a heartbreaking loss to New Milford, DHS Football came up short again with a 25-24 loss to Staples. This time at home, the Hatters were unable to add more points to the scoreboard and unable to stop Staple’s running back, Tanner Connors, from scoring 2 touchdowns.

After a streak of 3 losses in a row, the Hatters finally brought home the win as they beat Westhill Football away 26-10. Restricting Westhill to 10 points, the defensive line played strong and was the main contributor to the win.  On the offensive end, DHS Running Back, Artez Taft (Sr.), came up big for the Hatters with 3 touchdowns and earned himself a nomination for Player of the Week on the Ruden Report.

The Hatters continued their strong form with a dominating win over Bridgeport Central, 54-0. The offense could not be stopped, as they trampled the Bridgeport defense. Quarterback, John Bardin (So.), scored a total of 4 touchdowns. Artez Taft (Sr.) continued with his strong performances with 2 touchdowns alongside Jaden Leroy (So.) who scored 2 touchdowns as well. Apart from the offense, the Bridgeport offense just could not get around the strong Hatter defensive line. In particular, Michael Coons (So.) had a 48-yard interception touchdown and a 53-yard fumble recovery touchdown. Coons was a contributor for both ends of the ball and definitely was a standout performer as well as the rest of the defensive line.

Unfortunately, the Hatters could not keep the win streak going, losing to Greenwich 41-8. A night where Greenwich’s Chason Barber (Sr.) and Thomas Foster (Sr.) fueled their offensive line to ultimately overcome the DHS defense.

Danbury suffers their second consecutive loss to Trumbull 40-12. The Hatters offense couldn’t get anything more than 12 points and Trumbull’s 40 triumphs at the end of the night.

A disappointing end to the season, the Hatters are unable to prevent the extension of their losing streak as they are defeated by local rivals, Ridgefield, 13-8. The very close game sees DHS unable to catch up to Ridgefield who slips away in the nick of time. 

DHS Football ended the season with a disappointing (3-7) record, but that doesn’t reflect on the positive aspects coming off the season. Every time they took the field, the Hatters displayed an honorable amount of grit and determination. Even when faced with injury complications, every player overcame all uncertainties and doubts by giving it all they had whether they were in the play or off to the sidelines. 

After the Stamford game, Thomas explains, “I was definitely banged up after the game. For about an hour and a half, I couldn’t even feel my body. It was worth it, however, because it will be a moment I’ll remember forever.”  

On numerous occasions, a number of players put on outstanding performances that got them recognition by many. The final record to end does not tell the full story of this fall 2021 season, with great moments to look back on and moments to learn from.