On Thursday October 8th, the Naugatuck Greyhounds football team lost to Derby and their record went to a disappointing 2-3. Naugy’s record improved to 3-3 with a win over Crosby last week. Naugatuck athletic director Mr. Pompei admitted this year would be tough replacing former stars like Jason Bradley and Bryan Coney, but that didn’t change the goal heading into the season. “The goal is to always be competitive,” said Pompei, and who could blame him? The last three years were very successful, and when you experience success like that, you want to have that feeling every year.

A 3-3 record may be something hard to swallow for the people of Naugatuck. When asked about the season so far, Pompei responded with, “I feel okay, but I don’t feel great.” His words weren’t too convincing, but when you have twenty new starters, could you expect anything better that a 3-3 record?

One of those starters from the previous year was quarterback Jason Bradley. Replacing players like Bryan Coney, P.J. Murphy, and Maleek Brooks would be tough, but Jason Bradley would be the most difficult. Going into the Spring there was a quarterback battle between sophomore Mikey Plasky and junior Tyler Deitalbaum. The decision was made that Plasky would be given the role of the starting quarterback. When asked about replacing Bradley, Plasky said, ¨Jason was a great quarterback and I knew coming into the season it would be tough putting up the numbers he had. But in the end, my job isn’t to be Jason Bradley. I just have to play within myself and help the team win.¨ Plasky has played like any inexperienced quarterback would. He’s struggled in some areas, has shown some flashes of good play, and his team has struggled to win. Plasky has improved in every game so far, and that is all his coaches could ask for.

Along with struggling to replace former players, the Greyhounds struggled with their tough, early schedule. In weeks three and four, Naugy faced two of the top teams in the NVL. Torrington and Wolcott were tough matchups for Naugy, and in the end, their talent and experience got the best of Naugy. But when Naugy went up against a struggling Derby, no one expected a loss. ¨Derby was a really disappointing loss,¨ said Athletic Director Mr. Pompei.

Naugy looks to get another win against Watertown this week. When asked about the second half of the season, Mr. Pompei said, “We have to get back to the winning games. It is a must to win the games we should win and compete against the better teams.” The football team accomplished that with a win against Crosby and look to get another win Thursday night against Watertown. Naugy has five games left on the schedule, and the two biggest are against rivals Woodland and Ansonia. But for now, Watertown is up next and that is where the focus is.