Rockville Took A 'Special' Path To the Class M Football Title Game

VERNON, CT — Rockville High School's road to the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class M title game has certainly been more interesting than any of the 12 teams in the state tournament.

The second-seeded Rams take on top seed Daniel Hand at 1:45 p.m. Saturday at Central Connecticut State University. Rockville came away with two identical 14-13 wins over Berlin and Holy Cross in the quarters and semis and both games came down to a 2-point conversion stoppage (against Holy Cross) and a blocked extra point (against Berlin).

When asked if it were no coincidence that a little more emphasis was placed on special teams this season, Ram Head Coach Erick Knickerbocker just smiled.

"When we made that stop (in the semifinal) with about four minutes left, I looked up the clock and saw the same exact score (as the quarterfinal)," he said, shaking his head. Knickerbocker said a surreal feeling came over him at first, but then reality hit home.

"Yes, we've invested in special teams," he said.

The emphasis on special teams, Knickerbocker said, began with assigning assistant coach Eric Senger to spend more time on that aspect of the game. At first he was working with kicker Molly Wilson, but eventually he took charge of special teams as a whole.

Knickerbocker smiled again, because he also knew he had the athletes to put on the corners of the extra point team, like most of the track team's 4-x-100 meter relay team.

"They're fast and they get off the line very quickly," Knickerbocker said.

Flash back to the Berlin quarterfinal.

"I just missed the ball on their first extra point," RHS senior Lexington Hunter said. "Both Amir (Knighton) and I knew we could get that second one."

Hunter, Knighton and senior Garrett Paul all beat Berlin blockers off the line.

"We were unblocked," Hunter said. "And I think Amir and I both got a piece of the ball."

Knickerbocker said extra points by Wilson also played a big hand in the RHS playoff success.

Knickerbocker said he relishes having the lowest point differential in the entire CIAC field and going up against Daniel Hand's 77 points scored, the most in the tourney.

"The last two programs we beat were big-name programs and that says a lot," he said. "Now, we have another. I don't mind being seen as an underdog. We've been to the championship twice now in three years and we belong. Beyond the special teams, our defense has also been playing well, so we definitely belong."

Click here for facts and figures on all the CIAC championship football games.