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Joey Zelkowitz and Nick Kelly combined for 291 rushing yards and five touchdowns as Staples improved to 6-0. Quarterback Jack Massie added 267 yards through the air with three touchdowns and added a 72-yard scoring run.
“We’ve had a lot of great players,’’ Petroccio said. “I don’t think we’ve had a collection of weapons like this. There’s a lot of different ways to go. We were fortunate a lot of them got the chance to show what they could do today. But it all starts with the offensive line.”
Kelly and Zelkowitz ran through gaping holes all day for Staples. In the first half, Staples scored on its first four possessions. The fifth one ended when the clock ran out in the second quarter.
“With the line blocking that well, it’s easy to run through gaps,’’ said Zelkowitz, who rushed for 142 yards on 10 carries. His 41-yard touchdown run on Staples’ opening drive put the Wreckers up just 1:06 into the game. He also scored on a 3-yard run and outran the secondary on an 83-yard touchdown pass.
Kelly rushed for 149 yards on 13 carries, including a 1-yard scoring run in the second quarter. He also caught a 4-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Staples led 28-7 at halftime and 42-7 after three quarters.
“Nick is bigger, longer than Joey, and he can make people miss,’’ Petroccio said. “Joey can get you the tough yards. Other times he’s out there playing lacrosse. They can’t tackle him. They’re both tough to bring down, and both very explosive. When they see a hole they get through it.”
Massie had his best game of the year Saturday as well. His 72-yard run with 9:02 left in the game was the final dagger, putting the Wreckers up 49-14.
Darien (4-3) was supposed to be the one remaining test on Staples’ schedule before its much-anticipated game against Greenwich for the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference championship. With all of those offensive weapons, the Wreckers will be tough for anyone to stop.
“We don’t have a competition about scoring competitions or anything,’’ Zelkowitz said of running in the same backfield as Kelly. “We don’t care who gets them. We know that if our team gets a touchdown, it’s a good thing for us.”
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