Coming off a shattering week 1 loss to St. Joseph, the Darien Blue Wave football team returns to the gridiron, and for the first time in 2022 to the DHS Stadium Field. Their opponent will be the 0-1 Bridgeport Central Hilltoppers. Central fell to Bullard/Haven Co-op on Saturday by the final of 32-12 and looks to rebound against the Wave.

Darien on the other hand had a subpar showing at Dalling Field with

Quarterback Simeon Doll going 11-35 on passing attempts and throwing 2 interceptions. However, the running game for Darien also struggled against the Hogs with senior Jake Wilson getting 21 carries only for 57 yards. The good news for the Wave is the defense of Central shouldn’t be as rock solid as St. Joseph’s. The Hilltoppers defense gave up an FCIAC-high 435 points against a season ago. Darien’s defense had a nice outing though only allowing 199 total offensive yards, and most of those yards were in the 4th quarter when the Hogs had a couple nice touchdown passes. Junior standout OLB Ryan Girlamo had an impressive varsity debut shutting down St. Joseph WR Mickey Covino creating havoc over the middle. This week’s contest will be a good setting for Darien to get the younger talent rolling while also giving the offense a chance to spark for the first time in 2022.

Last year when they met it was all Darien with the Wave taking a landslide 47-0 in week 2 at John F. Kennedy Stadium. Bridgeport will enter this matchup on a 32-game losing streak that spans all the way back to 2017.

Previewing the 2022 Bridgeport Central team, a key player to watch out for is #8 junior quarterback Amadeus Bonilla who is in his first year starting for the Hilltoppers after transferring from Newport News, Virginia. He will be looking to throw the ball to their star receiver in senior Jason Villa. Central’s big vocal point will be their offensive line returning two key players in Jeremiah Torres and Wellington DaSilva. Last year Bridgeport saw only 29 players on their roster however under second-year head coach Thomas Broschardt the team has seen an increase in players for 2022.

While Darien might have the upper hand coming into Saturday’s matchup, this is still one that could get one of these teams on the right track for the 2022 season.

Saturday Gameplan

It’s the home opener for the 2022 Wave football squad, so everyone is encouraged to pack the student section and bleachers of the stadium to cheer on the Darien Blue Wave. The forecast is shaping up to be another perfect day for football with temperatures in the mid-’70s and nothing but sun.

If you find yourself having a busy weekend or stuck studying for the first exams of the school year, DAF has you covered with the live stream. You can listen to DAF commentators Braden Schenck, and Michael Mercein call the action with kickoff at 1:30pm.