Platt football rolls past South Windsor to keep CIAC Class MM playoff push alive

Platt's Austen Standish passed for four touchdowns and ran for another in a win over South Windsor on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Meriden. (Ron Buck/For Hearst Connecticut Media) MERIDEN– It's one thing to have playoff aspirations. It's another to play like a team that belongs in the postseason.The Platt football team showed why it's among the top CIAC Class MM teams Friday night with a 49-13 rout of CCC foe South Windsor.Behind senior quarterback Austen Standish (five TDs), the Panthers improved to 5-2 and remained among the top eight teams that will qualify for the postseason.Platt came into Friday's game as the No. 6 ranked team in a stacked Class MM that features two teams with two losses already on the outside looking in."There is no (margin for) error in MM," Platt coach Jason Bruenn said. "You can try to figure out who is going to win there and who is going to win there, but the bottom line is you have to take your fate into your own hands. And tonight, we started that process.""I told them, we had the two losses and we can't lose again," Bruenn added. "We have got to keep winning; keep pushing. And we have to continue to get better."Platt scored on all four of its first-half possessions and put the game on ice with a 46-yard interception return by 14-year-old sophomore Amari Bowman with 1:05 left in the half that capped off a 21-point barrage in the final five minutes of the second quarter.Platt led 35-7 by halftime.Leading 14-7 after South Windsor (2-5) scored on a 6-yard touchdown run by Colton Kyle Flaherty, the Panthers got a 52-yard kickoff return by Lyjon Bel to set up shop at the Bobcats' 33.Eight plays later, Standish ran it in from 12 yards out for a 21-7 lead.Standish, who has played on the Platt varsity for four years and played on the Panthers' last playoff team in 2023, threw for four touchdowns and ran for a fifth in the victory.After South Windsor was stopped on fourth down, Standish turned his team's own fourth-and-30 situation into the second of three scoring tosses to Maurice Christie via a beautiful 42-yarder on the run to make it 28-7.Then, 50 seconds later Bowman put to rest any drama when he hauled in an overthrown ball and raced 46 yards untouched down the sideline into the end zone to make it 35-7 with 1:05 left in the first half.Bowman actually bookended the Panthers' 21-point scoring spree with a 12-yard touchdown run that answered the Bobcats' touchdown and made it 21-7 with 5:41 left in the half."Our goal is to come out on the field and dominate teams because we know we can do that," Standish said. "Some days we come out flat, like last week against East Hartford (a 21-20 win). The score never should have been that.""The mentality tonight was punch them in the mouth; we knew we were the better team," Standish added. "We don't always come out strong all the time. So, our goal was to come out strong and finish strong. And that's what we did."Standish sat out Platt's back-to-back losses earlier this year to Windsor and Sheehan. Now 5-0 this season, Standish finished with 199 yards through the air on 11 of 18 passing. The clear heart-and-soul of Platt's offense, Standish also ran for 50 yards and caught a pass on the Panthers' opening drive that resulted in his first of three TD passes to Christie.Christie, the main beneficiary of Standish's right arm, had TD grabs of 12, 40 and 42 yards. The junior finished with 162 yards on six catches."We came out aggressive and disciplined," Christie said. "It started Monday. Our coaches told us to buy in and clock in. And that's what we did."Christie and Standish hooked up for a third time three plays into the second half, which resulted in a CIAC mandated running clock the rest of the way.South Windsor's final touchdown came with just over five minutes to play when Jalil Montgomery scored from four yards out. It was an otherwise frustrating night for the senior who ran for 37 yards.Player of the GameAusten Standish, Platt: The senior quarterback threw for 4 TDs and ran for a fifth touchdown. He also caught a pass in the Panthers' first drive of the game, finishing with 199 yards through the air and another 50 yards on nine carries.Quotable"I said this earlier in the year, we have a lot of talent. When it shows up, it shows up." – Platt head coach Jason BruennPlatt 49, South Windsor 13SOUTH WINDSOR 0 7 0 6 - 13PLATT 7 28 7 7 - 49P – Maurice Christie 16 pass from Austen Standish (Ignacio Vasquez kick)P – Standish 12 run (Vasquez kick)SW – Colton Kyle Flaherty 6 run (Deniz Kayra Satar kick)P – Amari Bowman 5 run (Vasquez kick)P – Christie 40 pass from Standish (Vasquez kick)P – Amari Bowman 46 interception return (Vanquez kick)P – Christie 40 pass from Standish (Vanquez kick)P – Adam Roberts 8 pass from Standish (Vanquez kick)Team records: South Windsor 2-5, Platt 5-2.Sign up for the Connecticut Briefing from CT Insider. Get the biggest headlines of the day from our network of journalists around the state.This article originally published at Platt football rolls past South Windsor to keep CIAC Class MM playoff push alive.