Last year at this time, the DHS Varsity football team was on the road to a winning season under the leadership of its new coach and a senior quarterback.

But Mark Ecke and Anferny Ith are both gone from the field and the Hatters are rebuilding again under the direction of head coach Alex Trasacco, who was Ecke’s defensive coordinator.

“Right now it’s a stretch to make playoffs, but anything is possible if we work hard enough,” said Trasacco at the beginning of the season, when the Hatters were 0-2. “It’s possible to clinch a playoff spot if we play better from where we are.”

But things have changed as quickly as the colors of the leaves on the trees. As of this week, the Hatters are now 0-5 after falling to conference foes: Staples, St. Joe’s, Stamford, New Canaan and Darien.

Trasacco said he runs a spread offense, mixing in a lot of run. “We’re trying to have multiple offensive formations this year.”

Although Ith has graduated,  the Hatters have several returning standouts. Captains Pierre Moudourou, Tyren McCrea and Judah James will help lead the offense while Titus James is back on defense. Junior Marvin Payton has replaced Ith in the quarterback spot.

When asked about Danbury’s new starting quarterback, James states, “He’s young and is learning new ways to succeed. Marvin has plenty of potential. We’ll start to win if we play well together.”

“Judah has been playing pretty well defensively; the kid loves to hit. Pierre has also made some great gains catching the ball. Our receiving corps is really good and can make plays when Marvin gets them the ball,” McCrea said.

“I know our record says different, but we have been fighting to the end of each and every game. After every game we grow as a unit and mature further toward a season where we as a team can truly make some noise,” Moudourou said.