Said Kearns: “Matt does his talking on the field. If my line is quiet out on the field. We won’t do well. I make sure my lines chatter. Good things happen when we do our job. We are body-position oriented to push or turn the defense.”

Stanko and Weiner go back a long way.

“I’ve coached Matt since he was 6-years old when he was on my Pop Warner Mitey Mites team,” Stanko said. “He was 6 playing 7 and 8-year-olds. I was showing the guys leverage against blocking shields. I remember saying to myself, ‘Who is this kid?’ Matt was grabbing and pitching me way back then. I knew he was going to be a special player.”

Weiner was short shrift in assessing his approach to football.

“Wrestling definitely helps me. All wrestling is about leverage and moving people. Most of my leveraging skills comes from that. I’m not a rah-rah guy. I just like to have fun out there,” he said.

What is fun?

“Doing your job and walking off the field with a win is satisfaction enough.”

Weiner was expansive, however, when asked about his fellow linemen.

“We change little things game to game, blocking schemes, zone blocking, gap blocking,” he said of the offensive line made up of fellow tackle Tyler Radzion, guards Mike Camiglia and Jason Santos along with centers Jeremy Oko and Jake Giard. “The most fun part is getting the block and seeing your guy run by and score a touchdown.”

Weiner started as a sophomore, but broke a foot midway through the season.

“He was tearing it up,” Stanko said. “I have techniques I teach against the pass rush, how to use your hands. I watched Matt. He mimicked what he does from a standing position in wrestling and put his hand into the body. I told him, ‘Dude, just do that. You are a natural.’ Matt does what is instinctual to him.”

Shelton had to rebuild its defense this season.

“It is a patchwork group,” Stanko said. “We plugged them in. At interior we have Matt and Mike Camiglio. Rotating in are Jason Santos, Jake Giard and Ty Wood. Our starting ends are Joey Giliotti and Jeff Wojtowicz. I call them WO-JO.”

Nicknames are a standard form of communicating for Stanko.

“I have about 16 nicknames for Matt,” he said. “I call him Mongo from Blazing Saddles. I call him the Kool-Aid Man when he bursts through the wall of the line. He’s not a talker, but let me tell you a story. Matt made a play in the Greenwich game (a 35-14 win) where late in the half he fought off a triple team. He ran down the line and chased the quarterback toward the sideline. He hit him just as he threw the pass that was incomplete. That’s Matt. He speaks softly and carries a big stick.”

Weiner and the Gaels are expected to face a stern test from Newtown, the first of three straight strong opponents. Shelton plays Fairfield Prep Nov. 5, then Cheshire Nov. 12.

“We’ll make our calls on offense and make sure the d-line and linebackers are accounted for, “he said. And on defense? “Each guy has a job to do. You feel more accomplished getting it done against a good team.”