​Cheshire linebacker Will Wable helped spark the Rams’ 31-6 win over Guilford with a fourth-quarter interception on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, at Cheshire High. (Ron Buck/For Hearst Connecticut Media)
CHESHIRE – By playing complementary football, Cheshire unofficially wrapped up a CIAC playoff berth Friday night.The Rams turned two timely fourth-quarter interceptions into touchdowns and scored 14 points in just over a minute late in the game to pull away from Guilford 31-6.Cheshire improved to 7-2 with the win and remained No. 3 in the CIAC Class L playoff standings.The Rams finish the regular season on Thanksgiving morning against Class LL top-seed Southington, which improved to 8-1 with a 38-14 win at Maloney. The neighboring rivals play for a 30th time in the Apple Valley Classic to wrap up the regular season.Guilford is also 7-2 after losing the Southern Connecticut Conference affair, but had already unofficially clinched a Class M postseason spot. The Grizzlies sit No. 5 in playoff points.Nursing a 17-6 halftime lead, the Rams’ defense shut out Guilford in the second half. Neither team scored in the third quarter, but the game turned early in the fourth quarter when Will Wable picked off Guilford’s Ryan Lynch.The turning point came with Guilford driving. But on fourth down, with 9:36 remaining, Wable stepped into the passing lane at the Cheshire 38 and returned the ball to the Guilford 35.Five plays later, Noel Martinez scored the first of his two touchdowns over the next 1:15 to put Cheshire up 24-6.”I saw (Lynch) roll out but it wouldn’t have happened without the defensive line playing great all day,” said Wable. “They helped me out a lot, filling the gaps so I could get outside and make a play.”On Guilford’s next possession, Evan Gonzalez also intercepted Lynch. His interception set up a 28-yard Martinez scamper with 5:44 to play that sealed the Cheshire win.Martinez finished with 142 yards on 18 carries.While the Rams failed to sack Lynch, the sophomore was under pressure all night. Cheshire’s bigs up front also kept Guilford running back Shane Connelly in check all night.Connelly came into the game with nearly 1,200 yards (15 TDs) and finished with just 12 yards on 10 carries.The defensive line’s play wasn’t lost on Gonzalez.”Honestly, the D line is the main part of our defense,” Gonzalez said. “When they control the line of scrimmage, that’s it. It makes it easy on us on the back end to just flow.”The Rams never trailed, taking the opening kickoff 62 yards to a 7-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Ryan Plouffe.Cheshire made it 14-0 on the first play of the second quarter when Plouffe found Chase Bellair for a 24-yard touchdown pass.”As the game went on, we were able to create some turnovers; and when you win the turnover battle you are going to win a lot of football games,” Cheshire head coach Don Drust said.Plouffe, who stepped into the starting quarterback role after Cheshire lost back-to-back games to Staples and Hand midway thro