Stafford/Somers/East Windsor Football Coach Wins Statewide Award

STAFFORD-SOMERS-EAST WINDSOR, CT — The most successful season in Stafford High School football history finally concluded Sunday, with the selection of Brian Mazzone as state Coach of the Year by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association.

Mazzone, who was presented the award at the All-State banquet at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, had been a finalist for the same honor from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, which was won by John Marinelli of Class LL champion Greenwich.

The Bulldogs' tri-op program, which includes Somers and East Windsor, posted a perfect 10-0 regular season record, outscoring opponents by a whopping 345-121 margin in capturing the team's second Pequot Uncas title in three years. SSEW trounced Cromwell 41-6 in the opening round of the Class S playoffs before dropping a 21-14 overtime heartbreaker to Haddam-Killingworth in the semifinals.

Nine Bulldogs were named to the All-Conference team, while three received All-State and Walter Camp honors.

Mazzone, a 2000 graduate of Enfield High School who played collegiate football at Westfield State and was a longtime assistant at Ellington, took over the tri-op's reins in 2015, and has guided the Bulldogs to a 32-8 regular season record since then, including 28-2 over the past three seasons. He has earned three conference Coach of the Year awards in that span, and was a member of the coaching staff for the annual Connecticut vs. Rhode Island all-star game in 2018.

Photo credit: Tim Jensen

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