Glory Days S3:E1 - Killingly Football

On this episode of the CIAC Glory Days Podcast, host Jada Mirabelle is joined by Killingly Football, the reigning CIAC Class SS State Champions! Head Coach Chad Neal and standout players Quinn Sumner and Ryan Webster share their championship journey, team culture, and their goals for the season. Don’t miss this inside look at one of CIAC’s football powerhouse programs!

Transcript

Introducing Killingly Football Champions

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to CIAC's Glory Days podcast. I'm your host, jada Maribel, and today I'm joined by Killingly Football, the reigning class SSCIAC state champions. I'm joined by Quinn Sumner, ryan Webster and head coach Chad Neal. Thank you for joining me today.

Speaker 2 0:13

Good morning. Thanks for having us.

Speaker 1 0:15

Of course. So, coach, we're going to start off with your coaching strategy. You've been leading the team now for nearly 20 years.

Speaker 2 0:31

So tell me what are the core values that you implement and what did you focus on last season to bring them to that championship win? Yeah, so our main value is about caring. I think that's, you know, encompasses a lot, but I feel like you know if you care about each other, you know and it starts with the players and coaches you care about everything you do within a school and community. That's important. I always it's cliche we always say family. So what does family mean to everybody? It could mean something different for everybody, but for us it's having each other's backs, understanding where we all come from, understanding our differences. Every player may have something going on in their lives and I think if you care about one another and you're going into a game, you're going to have each other's back. More than that, I think, really, that value of caring is important in our program. That's so important. What an asset to have when you're out there on the field with that family bond and that brotherhood is important in our program.

Speaker 1 1:25

Yeah, that's so important. What an asset to have when you're out there on the field with that family bond and that brotherhood yeah, it is.

Speaker 2 1:30

And our own families are involved. I know my family's involved, but our players' families are involved, whether it's team dinners or long bus rides home and preparing food. But again, it's high school athletics and you want to give the kids the best four years possible and we want to teach them. Also. It's not just about football, it's about in the school, the staff, the teachers, the custodians, the lunch ladies. They all play a part in our success and, again, the community and giving back to our community. So there's a lot that goes into what caring is.

Speaker 1 2:04

Yeah, that's a great perspective to have. It always seems that you have a very strong community following around Killingly football. At the championship and even through the regular season games, it always seems like people show up and really support the team.

Speaker 2 2:14

They really do. You pull into our parking lot on a Friday night, they're already there getting ready. You see it on the road games. It's pretty special and obviously I think one of the coolest things is when these guys walk up the hill, win or lose at the end of a game. The fans are waiting for them, kind of in a gauntlet, welcoming them and congratulating them or or just being there for them.

Speaker 1 2:37

Yeah, that must be awesome to feel that support, win or lose.

Speaker 3 2:41

Yeah.

Speaker 1 2:42

All right. So, heading into last season, did you guys have a feeling that you had that championship winning potential, or did the confidence build throughout the season?

Core Values and Team Culture

Speaker 3 2:50

Definitely built, I think, like we knew we were going to be good. Like we knew like we had Anthony was a big leader last year for us and he kind of led us to state championship. But through the year we definitely just started gaining confidence and got better and better and better and, like Coach Neal said, that caring aspect and we all just became tight. The previous season, the offseason, the preseason, before that, we had a very young year. We were a lot of sophomores, a lot of sophomore juniors, and coming back we just started building and building and building. We got better and better as it went on.

Speaker 1 3:22

You guys have had a good run since 2017. I mean, you've had what? Six state championship appearances.

Speaker 2 3:26

Yeah, we have, and it's a tribute to these guys. You know it's a player's game, you know, and they hold each other accountable. They work hard, not just during the season but in the offseason, and you know you can't do without players that really buy in.

Speaker 1 3:45

It comes down to that discipline. So that championship matchup against Sheehan, that was an intense game. I'm sure it was stressful to play in and coach, but it was fun to watch on the outside. But it was just back and forth the entire time and at the end of the third quarter you were up by just one point 34 to 33. So what was that switch? What was that mentality to ultimately take the lead and win 48 to 33?

Speaker 2 4:07

Well, staying ahead, obviously, but you know it really is going to come down to who could make one stop in the game and then maybe who has the ball last to get that last score. And you know it was a back and forth and forth and you know we're fortunately we, we caused that turnover um going in around the eight yard line and we got the ball back and we drove to midfield and we had a fourth and fourth and one and we broke it and that's, that's at that point where we knew we were, we were going to seal the deal and, um, it really just came down to that, that that game could have been, um, anybody's ball game just go play-by-play, Yep play-by-play it does.

Speaker 2 4:47

It comes down to one stop. Can you make a stop?

Speaker 1 4:51

What were you saying to one another to keep that focus and that energy?

Speaker 2 4:55

Well, Gwen.

Speaker 4 4:59

I feel like we were trying to stay together and not really panic with the situation, having such a close game and kind of from like together and like not really panic with the situation. Having it was like such a close game and kind of from like an offensive perspective, more of just trying to take care of the ball and kind of just like no, like uh, dumb penalties or like turnovers, so that we could just kind of keep driving down the field and like run some clock a little bit.

Speaker 2 5:18

Yeah, I think one of the keys is how we practice um putting these guys in situations of being uncomfortable, uh pressure, so when it does come to the game game time they can expect you know, it'll be easier for them to be uncomfortable and be comfortable being uncomfortable. I guess you could say and um, you know these guys have been in situations throughout the season that put them there. We were down two touchdowns to new london um late in the game and came back there. We were down two touchdowns to New London late in the game and came back and won. We were down the Sheehan actually in week three and came back and won that game. So they've been in situations like that before and I think that experience was important.

Speaker 1 6:00

Yeah, that definitely helps you, give you an edge in those moments.

Speaker 2 6:02

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1 6:03

Do? You guys have intense practices throughout the season?

Speaker 3 6:07

I would say, yeah, we have more intense days than others, depending on the day, but yeah, we definitely. He throws in a lot of different stuff every day so we get a little bit of a taste of something different. And just preparing for every game every week, Everybody's got different plays, different things so we're preparing for something different every week.

Speaker 1 6:24

Yeah, everybody's got different plays, different things, so you're preparing for something different every week.

Speaker 2 6:27

It helps keep you well-rounded as a player. I was reading about the barn last night, oh the barn.

Speaker 1 6:30

yeah, Does that help give you a little bit of an extra advantage?

Building Championship Confidence

Speaker 3 6:34

Yeah, definitely. It's like you're training a weapon almost for you to use. So you know how much you ever put in in the offseason is really what you get out of it during the season.

Speaker 2 6:45

So it just helps you a lot for sure If you could see these guys come in as freshmen and where they are now. I think that you look at the bottom. I mean Quinn. Now you know he's been to some camps and people ask him he's the defensive end, what position? And stuff like that, and he's a quarterback. But you know that is the secret to success.

Speaker 1 7:04

Yeah, it really helps. Set you apart.

Speaker 2 7:05

Yeah, it does.

Speaker 1 7:06

So what other traditions or culture within Killingly football do you think contributes most to the success of the program?

Speaker 4 7:13

We have like team dinners every Thursday and I think that helps, like just so that every player and like coach know that like we're all there for each other and that we're like a family basically, and just so that like everyone has each other's back, basically.

Speaker 1 7:27

Yeah, that team chemistry is very important.

Speaker 2 7:29

Yeah, I would say these guys too, as we talk about the caring aspect is they each share kind of their stories, their whys to learn about one another. And that's the coaches also. Where it's okay to be vulnerable sometimes, and I think that's something that's important, especially in adolescence, is you know it's okay Every day is not going to be great, right, like every practice is not going to be great. There's a lot going on in our players' lives. So you know it's okay to understand that we're going to be there for each other, that everybody's going through something different. And when you don't know everybody's background, so when you know our players come in and they're able to share their lives and you get to understand each other differently and you become a tighter builds that culture of a caring again and, um, yeah, I think that's important and I know, with these guys, you know the culture of the program.

Speaker 2 8:24

Everybody talks about culture and that's you know, your good team culture and that helps build that culture. I really, really believe that you know we have different traditions. Practice is different each day. They know that. They know Saturday mornings after Friday night, they've got to be there at 730. They're going to run, they're going to lift, we're going to have film, but we're going to have fun, we're going to laugh, we're going to bust chops. So all those things you know, combined into one, is important in a football program, in any team for that matter.

Speaker 1 8:53

Yeah, that's so powerful to know that, no matter what you guys have each other on the team, you have each other's backs. Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2 8:58

I think that's key because you know and you just talked about, when you get to a situation you have a one-point lead in the fourth quarter, you know you've got to count on each other.

Speaker 1 9:07

Yes, yeah, you know you got to count on each other. Yes, yeah, and you have to have that team chemistry to know everyone's going to be who you can count on for what, and you got to trust one another.

Speaker 2 9:13

You know, these guys got to trust me, I got to trust them and, um, you have that trust. It's, it's pretty special yeah, absolutely so.

Speaker 1 9:21

how do you and the team try to handle setbacks? I know last season was undefeated season, but even in games and moments where you know you have to work through that together, how do you handle those?

Speaker 3 9:31

Honestly, just keeping your head high.

Speaker 3 9:32

Make sure, like the leadership council we have and we all kind of work together, keep the other guys high, keep the sideline the energy, high Energy just transfers over from the sideline to the field. So when everybody else has good energy it just transfers over like a trend effect, domino effect. Everybody has good energy and that's what kind of lifts the team back up, like from sheehan going into half, come back out of the half. That was definitely one of those moments where it was like the energy, we got the energy up and we just kept pushing through it yeah, the positive thing can keep the momentum going.

Speaker 1 10:03

So what are some of the takeaways that you have all gotten from high school football and high school sports that have helped shape who you are off the field as well?

Speaker 4 10:11

I think it kind of makes you like realize that you can't always like do, like what you want to do, but sometimes it's what you have to do and like you have like responsibilities in the real world.

Speaker 1 10:20

Yeah, that discipline and that's such an important life skill.

Speaker 3 10:22

Yeah, you have something bigger than yourself. You have the team to look at, like you always represent a team when you wear the shirt. You're representing something bigger than yourself.

Speaker 1 10:30

It's the name on the front, and on the back right. So how do each of you prepare mentally and physically for a game? How do you get into the winning mindset?

Speaker 3 10:38

Mentally, definitely. We have a pregame routine, definitely the school day we start off. You know, bring our jerseys, everybody shows up on time. You're wearing your jerseys and then after school gets out, you do whatever. You come back, we do our pregame music, we do all that. We have a specific pregame routine that we go through. I think that just all builds up to the moment when you walk down that hill and then the tunnel and the smoke, and by then you're all ant up and ready to go.

Speaker 1 11:05

You've got the energy going.

Speaker 3 11:10

What's the pregame routine? Routine, if you don't mind sharing. So he comes out with a pregame like schedule and we just go through, like the offense defense special teams, all that type of thing. So but playing music in the in the locker room before games and taping up and it's all good stuff.

Speaker 2 11:24

Yeah, it's quite the quite the music too. Like coach has to go in there and turn it down once in a while.

Speaker 1 11:31

What are you guys playing in there?

Speaker 4 11:33

It's his music usually.

Speaker 3 11:36

It used to be our Anthony's music and all that, but it'll change.

Speaker 1 11:40

You're on aux now, so that's a big job.

Speaker 2 11:44

One thing I do like about these guys is there's a lot of 80s hairband music.

Speaker 1 11:48

That's what gets you amped up. It's not bad can't complain about that. No, so in the off season, as individual athletes, what does training look like for you to keep conditioned for the upcoming season?

Speaker 3 12:00

uh, it's four days a week in that barn, like the story has been told many times. But, um, yeah, in the barn it's a squat, bench, deadlift type of thing and it's just building your strength, gaining weight. Our coach kaffrey is very good, uh, keeping us getting weight and, um, you know, his rule of thumb is one or two pounds a week. Really, no matter what size you are, if you're unless you're like a lineman, you're a little bigger you can still deal with that. But, um, yeah, the barn definitely helps, helps you gain weight game, gain you, uh, strength and power that's awesome advantage to have you have a similar routine, do you?

Speaker 4 12:32

just yeah, I go bond usually four days a week and then I go to like a QB velocity it's a quarterback trainer and I like bringing some my receivers down in the field and throw. Sometimes that's awesome.

Speaker 1 12:43

Yeah, really honing on those skills. So, coach, how do you think the new CIAC rule allowing for teams to practice two days a week for two hours per session helps to benefit your team?

Speaker 2 12:52

Yeah, it's a good question. So for us, this summer is a little bit different. Last year these guys were coming still pretty young and experienced, so they got a lot of reps in the summer. This year we have a lot coming back and we really looked at it. Okay, what can we do? As a coach, you're always looking a year ahead of the future. So we have a lot of guys that were new last year. But we're behind these guys with everybody coming back.

Team Traditions and Brotherhood

Speaker 2 13:16

So we we really turned our focus on to those players who may not have the experience, um, that some of these guys have and, uh, really focused on them and I think it was very beneficial to have that time with them, um. The other thing, obviously, is being able to, you know, use one of those nights in passing league. So we were able to coach these guys, the skilled players, in passing league one night a week. So, you know, I think it is great for all sports, for us, because now we're able to have that interaction with them and not to say, don't want anybody else, but they're being taught the right things that we want them to be taught. In the same breath. We're certified to coach. We've been through the training. You're looking at that aspect also, the mental and health well-being of them.

Speaker 1 14:10

It really helps you get that head start ahead of the season.

Speaker 2 14:12

It does, it does. It's a good kickoff to it.

Speaker 1 14:14

So, as you had mentioned, you had a very junior-dominated team last year. It's very young. Do you have any changes to the O-line or D-line this year, heading into the season?

Speaker 3 14:23

I don't think we have many huge changes. I think definitely, like, like you said, we're going to be trying to implement the more the little guys, more younger guys, more, try and leave less of a gap. As a senior class, I think we're going to work collectively to kind of get those guys in and teach them your position so there's just less of a gap next year for sure.

Speaker 1 14:43

So how are you two going to help lead the team this season? Is there anything you're going to change from last season or anything you want to improve upon as leaders?

Speaker 4 14:50

I would say kind of something like the same, like core values, but also kind of just like More like leading like the younger guys and the kind of show them the path to be successful in high school, like football, but then also kind of knowing that as Like I would say, all of our seniors this year are gonna lead together, so it's easier on like instead of just one of like a couple of us having to lead, I would say a majority of us would be leading, so it's gonna be pretty easier yeah, kind of like a lead by example type thing, yeah, and that goes such a long way it does, and these guys do a great job, not just on the football field but um in the classroom, in the school, but in the community.

Speaker 2 15:28

We are very involved in our community year-round, whether it's volunteering at events, in downtown food drives, you name it. These guys youth football, doing chains for that. So it's very important that they're out there, because the town does a lot for us.

Speaker 1 15:45

Yeah, that's so important to show what Killinley football represents off the field as well.

Speaker 2 15:49

It is, it is and again it goes back to that culture and those values and caring.

Speaker 1 15:55

Absolutely so. Who do you think your toughest matchup this season is going to be? I know we you open with a big one with Bishop Hendrickson.

Speaker 2 16:02

Bishop Hendrickson right now. Then after Bishop Hendrickson, week two would be East Lyme, and then, after East Lyme, it's going to be week three. Week by week, week by week, and I know we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves with that. So that's kind of been IMO since I've been there.

Speaker 1 16:19

Yeah, that's a smart way to think about it. Do you have any games circled that you're most looking forward to or any big rivalries in the schedule?

Speaker 3 16:26

Personally definitely Bishop Henshin, because I know it's a good game. They're going to give us a run for our money and I like games like that, where it's tough and it's going to be tough to prepare but we're going to be ready. But personally, I actually came from Grizzled, so I think Grizzled's going to be a good game for me and a couple other of my friends.

Speaker 1 16:44

Yeah, that helps raise the bar when you're playing those tough schools in the BNC.

Speaker 4 16:50

Get you ready. Do you have any? You're excited? Uh, I agree with bishop hendrickson. And then I usually like our thanksgiving day game because especially at uh our school, because the hill, hill and like all around, like the whole thing kind of gives that like bowl kind of experience, it's pretty nice.

Leadership and Community Impact

Speaker 2 17:03

Yeah, that must be packed on that day it is yeah, imagine, yeah plus it's a morning game, so that's you don't usually play those morning games, so especially if it's a nice day, it's it's pretty cool yeah, that's.

Speaker 1 17:12

That's awesome. That's a great memory to have even thanksgiving games years later. So if you had to choose one motto or mantra heading into the next season, what would it be?

Speaker 3 17:20

I think we're gonna stick with the same thing as run people over. I think it's what it's always been. I think it's gonna.

Speaker 1 17:24

We're gonna stick to that was that last season's, or has that always been the motto of the team?

Speaker 3 17:29

I think it's been since 2017 or so Yep 2017.

Speaker 1 17:32

We can't change it. Yeah, whatever works.

Speaker 3 17:36

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 17:37

So, as the current reigning Class WS champions, if you had to share a piece of advice to fellow athletes and coaches, what would it be?

Speaker 3 17:45

You kind of got to live the game. You got to like it a lot. It's kind of almost got to be your life. You got to do it every day and do it over and over and over again and you got to like it. You got to like what you do.

Speaker 1 17:57

Yeah, that's very true. You have to make everything you do to be great at something. Have fun.

Speaker 2 18:03

One question you asked earlier setbacks. One of my favorite shows in last year I think I watched was that Ted Lasso and the goldfish. You know 11 seconds. There's a lot of plays in football, a lot of things in practice. It's going to pass, look forward to it. But again, have fun. I mean you only have four years. Have fun doing it. Make it challenging, make it, with some discipline, dependable, teach those skills. But again, you know, have fun doing it. You know we're together all the time, so you're going to be around these guys more than you're around their families. Have fun doing it.

Speaker 1 18:41

Yeah, it's a great time to develop, but that's really what it comes down to is to make sure you're having fun and enjoying it.

Looking Ahead to Next Season

Speaker 4 18:48

Clint, do you have any advice for athletes? I would just say show up and like show up every day and you're going to face some adversity, but as long as you keep like working hard and like getting after it, things will most likely work out yeah just give it 100% and always put in the work.

Speaker 1 19:01

It's a good answer. All right, so now we're going to head into some rapid questions. These are a surprise. They're fun, so whatever comes to your mind first is the answer Be careful. It's dangerous.

Speaker 2 19:12

All right, Quinn favorite quarterback of all time. He's a Jets fan.

Speaker 1 19:20

This is tough. Oh, that is tough, uh-oh.

Speaker 4 19:22

I'll go with Justin Fields for now.

Speaker 1 19:28

Okay, ryan, best football movie, waterboy. That's unique, coach. One word to describe the team Together Good one.

Speaker 4 19:44

Quinn pregame hype song. I don't even know.

Speaker 1 19:45

I was going to say I should have asked him. I didn't know. He was on Hawks.

Speaker 3 19:48

I'm going to go with Finito.

Speaker 1 19:55

I don't even know what that is.

Speaker 4 19:57

That is Finito, no clue.

Speaker 1 20:02

All right, Ryan, turf or grass.

Speaker 3 20:03

That's tough. That's really good grass. I'd rather play in grass Really.

Speaker 1 20:10

Yeah, coach, favorite team tradition Coming up the hill after a game. Quinn any pregame superstitions.

Speaker 4 20:21

I tie my cleats a couple times to make sure they're tight, because I get worried that they're going to get like untied yeah you've got to make sure they're secure, yeah.

Speaker 2 20:29

If not, his mom will make sure.

Speaker 1 20:32

All right, ryan, if you could be in the O-line or D-line of any NFL team, which team would it be?

Speaker 3 20:37

Ooh, D-line of a Cowboy, so I could play with Micah Parsons.

Speaker 1 20:47

All right, that's good Coach football role model.

Speaker 2 20:51

Whew, good question. I'd probably say my high school coach, joe Humphrey. He instilled a lot of values in me and his positivity that would probably be it.

Speaker 1 21:05

Yeah, it must have been a huge impact.

Speaker 2 21:07

Yeah, it really shaped me into what I wanted to do.

Speaker 4 21:09

do wow, quinn favorite football memory um, I also probably last year, when I stayed championship with all like my best friends yeah, I can't beat that yeah ryan.

Speaker 1 21:20

One song, you know all the words to finito uh probably everlong by foo fighters okay, that's a good one. Yeah, coach, what's your main goal for this season?

Speaker 2 21:35

to be one and out of this week, each week.

Speaker 1 21:38

Um, that would be the goal I like that, just take a week by week by week all right. So lastly, on the podcast, we always like to wrap up by asking what do you think the purpose of high school sports is?

Speaker 3 21:47

we always like to wrap up by asking what do you think the purpose of high school sports is? Um, definitely sounds kind of cliche, but become a better man, become better, you know, husband or whatever. Um definitely helps you in life. Football especially I think cgo skills is a long season and uh, it's mentally and physically tough. It's. It's one of the physically one of the most tough sports. Wrestling probably has it a little bit. Definitely it's physically and mentally tough on you through this whole season.

Speaker 1 22:13

That's an awesome answer though.

Speaker 3 22:14

Prepares you for a job, being an employee or whatever.

Speaker 1 22:18

Is you ready for?

Speaker 2 22:18

life.

Rapid Fire Questions

Speaker 4 22:23

Yeah, you want to go, Quinn, I'll go. All right, I would say, I teach you life lessons that you kind of take beyond high school and college and like kind of bring like with you for your whole life, definitely.

Speaker 2 22:34

So there's nothing better. So, as a coach, you see them come in as freshmen, see how they grow when they leave you. But for me, I feel when you see a player years down the road and see how successful they are and they come back and some of those values that they have, is great. And again, our job is to prepare them they said it to be successful and teach them those skills that are going to allow them to someday have a great job, to be, as Ryan said, a great dad, a great husband, a great son, all of a sudden go a great mom or whatever, because we do have females on our team too in the past.

Speaker 2 23:11

So I think there's more to it than just the wins and losses. If they can come out of the four years and we want them to have the best four years of their life. We were just riding up here and Ryan said I can't believe how fast the season's coming. I said you think it's fast now? Wait until Thanksgiving is going to be here before you know it's going to fly by. So make the best moment, excuse me. Make the time, each moment, the best for the next four years, or each game, week by week, day by day.

Speaker 1 23:38

And that must be so rewarding to see years later when the Valley's really stuck with them. It is, you see, how they developed.

Speaker 2 23:45

It really is, and you see them get married and you go to their weddings and players like that and you hope you play just a little bit of a part in that.

Speaker 1 23:53

Mm-hmm. Oh, absolutely, that's what it's all about. It's a big part of sports.

Speaker 2 23:57

Absolutely.

Speaker 1 23:57

Well, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. You guys did awesome. Of course, I wish you the best of luck. This what's up Us too.