West Hartford — Riddick Burroughs ran for a 45-yard touchdown and threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jason Colon as the Bacon Academy/Lyman Memorial high school football team defeated RHAM 23-0 Tuesday.

Colon also had a 2-yard touchdown run and an interception in the shutout and Lucian Dean had a tackle for a safety on RHAM’s first offensive play. The Bobcats finished the season 2-8.

Bacon/Lyman head coach Bill Chaffin gathered his team on the field after the win and informed the players that it would be his last game.

“I came here in 2022 to revitalize the program and think we accomplished that,” Chaffin said. “… I can sleep at night; I know that I have done my job here. I steadied this program and I’ve left it in better shape than I found it.”

Chaffin pointed to his team’s improvement, saying it was competitive in 20 out of 30 games in his three seasons as head coach. He took over an 0-7 team that had its 2021 season canceled after seven weeks.

Barely holding back tears, senior Jacob Cerniglia called Chaffin “the best coach we could have asked for.”

Men’s basketball

• Declan Rooney finished with 29 points on 11 of 16 shooting and added six rebounds and five assists as Coast Guard defeated Mitchell College 109-99. Ben Yagey and Luke Farrell each had 19 points and Jordan Frazer had 18 for Coast Guard (3-2), which scored 64 points in the second half. Jaylyn Clardy had 31 points and 11 rebounds and Wilton Causey had 21 points for Mitchell (5-2).

UConn’s Sammis a nominee for Broyles Award

• UConn offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis was named a nominee for the 2024 Broyles Award, which honors college football’s top assistant coaches. Sammis is one of 65 nominees selected from approximately 1,500 assistant coaches across the country.

In his third season as part of head coach Jim Mora’s staff and his first as the team’s offensive coordinator, Sammis has guided the UConn offense to an impressive turnaround in 2024.

UConn is averaging 31 points per game, up from 19.1 last season, the first time the Huskies’ offense has averaged 30 or more points a game since 2009 (31.2). The Huskies have scored 341 points through 11 games, marking the most points scored since the 2010 season (343).

Sammis, also the team’s offensive line coach the past three seasons, has the Huskies again excelling at protecting the quarterback, ranking 16th nationally in sacks allowed (1.09 pg) as well as tackles for loss allowed (4.09). His offensive line was named to the Joe Moore Award Mid-Season Honor Roll.

The Broyles Award selection process includes the Football Writers Association of America, broadcasters, a college football hall of fame selection committee, and current college head coaches. The committee will select 15 semifinalists, five finalists and an overall winner.

Calendar

• The Southern New London County Mutiny Independent Football Club has expanded operations to offer spring tackle football to area youth players. The Mutiny will be competing in the New England Youth Tackle Football League, Inc. at the 14U level for Spring 2025 competition. The NEYT league is in its eighth season of operation with teams throughout MA, RI, and CT, has provided competition at the 9U, 11U, 13U, 14U, and 15U levels for several years and has been recognized as the premier youth spring league in New England.

The Mutiny will play a six-game regular season schedule starting with a league-wide jamboree on April 6, 2025. The league doesn’t apply boundary limits so players are welcome to join from all over with the primary recruiting area to be SE Connecticut. A 15U program is currently being explored due to significant interest in the 14U level. Lower age groups will also be available due to a partnership with another program. An official announcement will be made soon.

Anyone interested in information on signing their young players up as well as those interested in coaching or sponsorship opportunities can email snlcfootball20@gmail.com or call head coach and president Eric Whitman at (207) 735-3970. Registration is tentatively scheduled to begin the first week of December.