New beginnings on the gridiron: What we learned from week 1 -A new era began for Staples football as the Wreckers (1 – 0) defeated the Glastonbury Guardians
(0 – 1) 17-3 on the road in head coach Matty Jacowleff’s first game in charge.
The defense picked up where they left off from last year, stifling their opponents all night long and containing the running game.
Running back Chaz Darby ’26 led the way for the Wreckers on the ground with 80 rushing yards and a touchdown run on the opening drive.
“I thought about just keeping my head down, keep going, going through the line, do what we went through in practice, trust my holes, and I can’t do it without my linemen, so I gotta give credit to them too.” Darby said in an interview with PrepZone.
Mickey Ross ’26 showed off his kicking ability, drilling a 46 yard field goal and converting both of his extra point kicks.
On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker and team captain Harry Fiala ’26 totaled 11 tackles and recorded a sack as the Wreckers were able to contain Glastonbury all night.
The Wreckers capped off the night in the fourth quarter with a five yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Nick Weil ’26 to add to his 48 rushing yards and 70 passing yards to seal the game. Overall, it was by no means a one-sided affair but was still a promising showing from the Wreckers, as they showed they were able to overcome adversity and stay true to how they want to play.
The first half was filled with textbook smashmouth football from the Wreckers, running the ball through the Glastonbury defense and stuffing the offense on the other end. At halftime, Staples led 10-0.
However, in the beginning of the second half the Wreckers struggled to move the ball on offense, while Glastonbury scored a field goal and was able to move the ball down the field and into scoring positions.
Despite this, the defense stood strong and drove Glastonbury back when they needed to. The defensive line was able to stuff the running game and make life difficult for the Glastonbury quarterback, while the secondary was able to negate any deep passes the Guardians tried.
The season is still young and there seems to be no doubt that this Wrecker offense and its weapons will begin to click and the fitness of this team will only get better as the season progresses.
