Naugatuck football stared down a first-half shutout and a touchdown deficit Friday night against Torrington, but then Qwentarvous Lee unleashed two explosive plays, including a stunning 78-yard fumble return, to ignite a 29-14 comeback victory. The Greyhounds are now a perfect 9-0 on the season, proving they are absolutely for real.
Torrington’s Ball-Control Nightmare Almost Sank Naugy Early
Coach Chris Anderson warned his Naugatuck squad all week not to overlook Torrington, especially with that massive Thanksgiving battle against Ansonia looming. And boy, was he right. Torrington came out swinging at the Robert Frost Athletic Complex, snatching an 8-0 lead by halftime. It honestly could’ve been worse, too, if a second Torrington score hadn’t been wiped off the board by a false start. The Raiders completely owned the first half, running 39 plays from scrimmage, more than double Naugatuck’s 17. Their ball-control single-wing offense just ate up the clock, keeping Naugatuck’s high-powered offense off the field and scoreless for the first time all season. Anderson was right there, admitting, “Yes, we’re high-powered, but when you don’t have the ball, it doesn’t matter. When you’re able to eat the clock like they can, they have the formula to beat us.” Down in a hole, just like they were against Holy Cross and Woodland, Naugatuck needed a spark, a *big* play.
Qwentarvous Lee: The Two-Way Game Changer We Needed
Someone needed to flip the script, and Qwentarvous Lee was absolutely that guy. Torrington, leading 8-0, was driving again to start the third quarter, looking to extend their lead. That’s when Cameron Roxbury coughed up the ball at the 22-yard line. The pigskin squirted out of the pile, right into Lee’s waiting hands, and boom! He was gone, all 78 yards to the house for a touchdown. Brandon Andoh punched in the conversion run, and just like that, it was tied. Lee later said, “Coach put me in on defense in the second half. I noticed we weren’t getting to the ball. I was driving to the ball, and all the effort paid off. The ball came out right in front of me. Josiah (Loyd) stripped it out. The ball came right to me and I took off.” Torrington tried to answer back, with Nick Coleman ripping off a 61-yard score, his second of the night, to retake the lead. But Lee, unstoppable, responded immediately. On Naugy’s *very next play*, he exploded through the line and bolted 80 yards for another touchdown. Gabriel Bello’s point-after kick put Naugatuck ahead for good. Lee knew what was up, crediting his big boys: “I got Llir (Mamudov) and (Logan) Washenko, two 300-pound guys, in front of me. I told them if you make your blocks and Josiah goes through and blocks the linebacker, I’m going to take off, and that’s what happened.”
Naugy Closes It Out, 9-0 and Looking Ahead
Torrington, reeling but still fighting, drove down to the Naugatuck 6-yard line, but their hopes were crushed when Coleman was stopped short on fourth down. That was the opening Naugy needed to seal the deal. The Greyhounds marched an incredible 96 yards in eight plays, capped off by Andoh’s 12-yard touchdown run with 6:29 left in the game. Then, after yet another Torrington fumble, Andoh swept left end for 22 yards, pushing the lead to 29-14 with only 2:10 on the clock. Josiah Loyd summed it up perfectly: “We just have to keep swarming to the ball. That was the big emphasis for the game. It means a lot to get to 9-0, especially against a good team like this. They’re coached well and have good athletes.” This team is resilient, no doubt about it.
Next up for these undefeated Greyhounds? The annual Thanksgiving battle against Ansonia. With a 9-0 record, Naugatuck has all the momentum, but we know anything can happen in that rivalry game. Get ready, because these Greyhounds are coming into it hot!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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