HAN on demand: Darien Blue Wave at Staples Wreckers football

The Darien vs. Staples football game from Oct. 13 is available on demand by clicking here

Original Story: The Staples Wreckers football team will look to end the Darien Blue Wave’s state-best 29-game winning streak on Friday night and the game will be carried live by the HAN network.

Coverage will begin with a pregame show at 6:45 p.m., with kickoff set for 7.

Darien hasn’t been touched this season and Staples, which has postseason aspirations, is looking to bounce back from last week’s loss to the Ridgefield Tigers.

The game is available on the FCIAC’s home page and at HAN Network’s website by clicking here. The game will also be simulcast live on Frontier Communications’ Vantage Sports Network (Chs. 600/1600).

Note: To view past HAN Network/FCIAC events on demand, click here.

Some preseason predictions had Darien taking a step back due to graduations, but the Blue Wave has kept rolling along and is the only 4-0 team in the league. Darien is also looking to stretch its winning streak to 30.

Darien’s overall numbers  — 180 points scored and just 29 allowed — are eye-popping, but more impressive was the way in which the Wave dominated Ridgefield, 38-12, and St. Joseph, 42-10.

Senior safety Brian Minicus was huge in both games, getting three interceptions against Ridgefield, and holding St. Joseph’s All-State receiver Jared Mallozzi to just one catch for two yards.

Offensively, quarterback Jack Joyce has been solid, racking up 942 yards and 10 touchdowns against three picks. He’s also mobile, with 15 rushes for 156 yards.

Mitchell Pryor leads the ground game with 281 yards and five TDs on 53 catches, while the receiving corps is led by Nick Green (13 catches, 288 yards, 4 TDs) and Patrick Burke (15 catches, 241 yards, 2 TDs).

Staples is in a rough spot, coming off its first loss of the season, 24-20, to the Ridgefield Tigers. In that game, the Wreckers erased a 17-0 deficit, gained a 20-17 lead in the third quarter, and then saw it slip away when Tigers’ QB Greg Gatto connected with Luke Gaydos on a one-yard touchdown pass with under two minutes to play.

Senior RB Harris Levi is the main cog in Staples’ offensive engine, and he’d rushed for 390 yards on 68 carries with a team-best 10 touchdowns.

Quarterback Danny Thompson, who helped lead Staples back into last week’s game, has passed for 672 yards in four games, connecting for six touchdown with just one interception.

Wide receiver Max Lonergan, another senior, has been Thompson’s top target, with 15 catches for 269 yards and three touchdowns.

Darien’s Nick Green (26) chases down St. Joseph’s Jaden Shirden during the Wave’s win in week three. — Darien Athletic Foundation photo

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