Just like the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jonathan Law football team approaches the gridiron with black and gold on their jerseys.

The similarities between the two teams don’t end there.

The Lawmen are anchored this season by a solid running game, behind a strong offensive line, and a smash- mouth defense.

"If our defense can be strong and keep our offense in the game, we will have a positive chance of winning," senior captain and linebacker James Quish said.

So far this season, that is exactly what the Lawmen have been able to do. With victories over East Haven, Guilford and Fairfield Prep, the Lawmen are riding high. That win over Prep marks the first time in 47 years that the Lawmen have been able to beat the Jesuits. "This was a major win and confidence booster for our team," said Mihalov.

The running game is led by a "thunder-and-lightning attack." The explosive senior captain Chris Ballas and hard-running junior Josh Patterson provide that punch. "Patterson and I can be a strong force and are one of the best running tandems in the state," said Ballas. The offensive line is strong and creating large hole for the runners. "We never want to become strictly a passing team," said head coach Mr. Robinson. Anchored by senior center Paul Mastrianna, and senior captain right guard Buddy Bajerski, the rest of the line is filled with juniors including Division 1 prospect left tackle Chris Laporte.

The passing game is not completely non-existent as the Lawmen have looked to take advantage of the play action pass more often this year. Ballas and junior quarterback Ryan Falaguerra has a plethora of receivers to look for downfield. The receiving core is led by senior captain Corey Vienneau, who is in his second year as Law’s number one receiver.

On the other side of the ball, the Lawmen lost defensive coordinator Mr. Beler III who moved to Notre Dame of Fairfield.

"The biggest thing that we miss from Beler is his tremendous energy," Robinson said.

His replacement is Coach Cotto, who ran a similar defense while playing in college.

The focus of the defense is on a hybrid safety/linebacker titled the "monster back." This position is likened to the Steelers’ Troy Polamalu. For the Lawmen, this player is senior captain Alex Mihalov.

The traditional 5-2 format defense remains with the option to bring this extra safety into the box on running downs.