The Staples football team hit the gas early and never braked in their 49-6 win over Stamford on Sept. 19. The Wreckers led 21-0 after the first quarter and pushed it to 42-0 at halftime.
This was head coach Matty Jacowleff’s first home game in his new position, and the crowd was hyped.
“I can’t say enough about Staples Superfans and the community of Westport,” Jacowleff said. “We knew that there were going to be kids all over Westport this morning who woke up and just were dying to go to the football game later and to watch our guys play.”
The Wreckers let it fly in this one, following a season opener against the Glastonbury Guardians that relied more on the run game. Quarterback Nick Weil ’26 completed 75% of his throws for 239 passing yards and four touchdowns, and he ran for another. Justin Halky ’26 excelled on both sides of the ball; he had a pick-six and a 35-yard touchdown catch.
Three Wreckers scored their first touchdowns on varsity: Connor Petrosino ’28 with a 52-yard catch from Weil, Patricio Garcia ’26 with a two-yard run and Jules Cicero ’26 with a 40-yard catch. Charlie Clark ’26 added an 8-yard touchdown, and Mickey Ross ’26 hit all seven of his extra point attempts.
The Wreckers’ defense and special teams did their part too. Staples blocked a field goal attempt and a punt and held the Black Knights to 2.3 yards per carry. Through two games, the Wreckers have allowed merely nine total points.
“Leaving a team to six points,” Gavin Mayr ’26 said. “I mean, should have been zero, but we got the job done.”
Given the gap in the MaxPreps Connecticut Rankings (Staples No. 5, Stamford No. 81), the result wasn’t a shocker, but the blowout still spoke to the high level of play that this Wreckers team is willing to and can execute.
“We knew […] we were the better team here,” Halky said. “But it was all about playing to our standard […], not just showing up playing our B-minus game and still winning.”
Staples improved to 2-0 on the season and will play against the West Haven Blue Devils (a rematch of the 2023 state championship) on Friday, Sept. 26.
“We’re gonna scout them this week,” Halky ’26 said, “work hard all week, and hopefully [the] same result here on this field next Friday.”
