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Ludlowe’s Toothaker Primed For Big Season
Dave Ruden
08.28.2024
FAIRFIELD — As one of the top returning playmakers for one of the more creative offenses in the FCIAC, it is no surprise that Fairfield Ludlowe’s Justin Toothaker has been counting the days until the start of the season. Whether as a receiver, out of the backfield or on special teams, Toothaker was a key piece to the Falcons’ 7-3 finish a year ago, due in large part to their averaging 33.6 points per game.
“I’m super excited,” Toothaker, who also owns one of the league’s best names, said after a practice last week. “We had a super exciting season last year for our school. We’ve never had a winning season, going 5-5. Last year was our school’s best record so it was an exciting season for everyone.”
Toothaker finished with 953 total yards, split almost equally between receiving (349), rushing (327) and on returns (278). He ended up with eight touchdowns.
After a run of finishing near the bottom of the standings, Ludlowe changed its fortunes by hiring Darien offensive coordinator Mitch Ross seven years ago. Following a 1-9 rookie season, Ross led the Falcons to a 7-3 mark in 2018.
Ludlowe is 30-20 the past five years. Toothaker and the other seniors missed their freshmen years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After a pair of .500 finishes, the Falcons had their second 7-3 mark under Ross.
The Falcons’ offensive ingenuity has been a big reason for their success. During the last five seasons they have averaged 29.3 points and been involved in some of the most entertaining and highest-scoring games. Most memorable was last year’s 53-44 win over Ridgefield. Toothaker traded five touchdowns with the Tigers’ Kyle Colsey — three by Toothaker — that averaged 43 yards before the game was two minutes old. The halftime score was 40-32.
“It’s nice to have someone who has a lot of experience and gained plenty of yards,” Ross said. “He can attack the defense in multiple ways. He has speed, he is quick, he’s fairly tall. He has footwork. He has the physical talents and he’s a tougher kid, despite the fact that he’s not huge. So he doesn’t mind mixing it up. We’re looking forward to him building on that success from last year.”
Toothaker, who also plays in the secondary, was named to the league’s All-East team.
It’s fun having the ball in my hands,” Toothaker said. “I know I can make the plays. If it’s running back, quarterback, receiver, corner, safety, returning a kick, returning a punt, knowing I have a chance to make a play is always great.”
Though All-FCIAC quarterback Chris Bellantoni and two key offensive players graduated, wide receiver is one of the deepest positions on the team, and Grant Stupak, who takes over behind center, got decent playing time a year ago.
“We return most of our receivers, which obviously helps us in our offense,” Ross said. “And we have a quarterback who got a lot of experience last year though he wasn’t a starter. He should be ready as well. Things are looking up for us.”
The only thing that has held Ludlowe back from making the playoffs is the absence of a signature win. The Falcons have not defeated Darien, New Canaan or any of the other top contenders in many years.
“The sky’s the limit. I just want to make the playoffs,” Toothaker said. “I don’t care about myself, as a team I just want to make the playoffs. We just have to win our key games. We can’t lose to Darien or Wilton. We have to win those key games.”
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