Cue the Paul Schaffer music:
Polls!
We’ve got your polls!
Delicious Polls!
Won-der-ful Polls!
Here are your Polls!
Ahem. Here are the state polls released intermittently Monday and Tuesday morning.
COACHES’ POLL
Team (1st) record………………………….Pts…………Last
1. Ansonia (10) 7-0………………………..382……….1
2. New Canaan (1) 7-0……………………358………..2
3. New London (1) 6-0……………………324………..3
4. Seymour (1) 7-0…………………………290………..5
5. Hillhouse 7-0……………………………..271……….7
6. Darien 7-0…………………………………243……….8
7. Southington 5-1…………………………202………..9
8. Glastonbury 7-0………………………..169……….10
9. Brookfield 6-0…………………………..152………NR
10. Masuk 6-1………………………………120………NR
Dropped out: Bunnell (4), Hamden (6).
Also receiving votes:
11. Hamden (6-1), 117
12. Cromwell (7-0), 104
13. Xavier (6-1), 93
14. Bunnell (6-1), 72
15. Cheshire (5-2), 68
16. Ridgefield (5-2), 61
17. Newington (6-1), 51
18. New Britain (6-1), 46
19. Norwich Free Academy (5-1), 45
20. Berlin (5-1), 38
21. Montville (7-0), 29
T22. Rocky Hill (6-1), 23
T22. Staples (5-2), 23
24. Wilbur Cross (6-1), 19
25. Shelton (5-2), 8
26. Greenwich (4-3), 7.
The following coaches voted: Tom Brockett, Ansonia; Jim Buonocore, Ledyard; Dave Cadelina, Bridgeport Central; John DeCaprio, Notre Dame-West Haven; Chuck Drury, Pomperaug-Southbury; Steve Filippone, Hand-Madison; Tanner Grove, Montville; Jude Kelly, St. Paul-Bristol; Tim King, Valley Regional-Deep River; Bill Mella, Southington; John Murphy, Masuk-Monroe; Marce Petroccio, Staples-Westport; Bob Zito, Maloney-Meriden.
Analysis: Other than the top 10 order and Seymour getting a first-place vote, I have no problems with this poll. Pretty good. Yeah, Berlin, Montville and Rocky Hill over Cross, Shelton, Greenwich and Staples is just silly. But whatever.
MEDIA POLL
Team (1st) Record…………………………Pts…………Last
1. Ansonia (17) (7-0)…………………….646……………1
2. New Canaan (3) (7-0)………………..592……………2
3. New London (1) (6-0)………………..569……………3
4. Seymour (1) (7-0)……………………..514……………5
5. Darien (1) (7-0)………………………..486……………6
6. Hillhouse (7-0)…………………………431……………8
7. Glastonbury (7-0)……………………..314……………9
8. Masuk (6-1)……………………………..284…………NR
9. Brookfield (6-0)………………………..241…………NR
10. Southington (5-1)……………………225…………10
Dropped Out: Bunnell (4), Hamden (7)
Other teams receiving votes:
11. Bunnell (6-1), 204;
12. Hamden (6-1), 203;
13. Xavier (6-1), 194
14. Cromwell (7-0), 161
15. New Britain (6-1), 110
16. Ridgefield (5-2), 87
17. Wilbur Cross (6-1), 68
18. Montville (7-0), 48
19. Newington (6-1), 45
20. Shelton (5-2), 30
21. Staples (5-2), 26
22. Berlin (5-1), 25
23. Cheshire (5-2), 24
24. Norwich Free Academy (5-1), 21
25. Hyde (6-1), 19
T26. North Branford (7-0), 10
T26. St. Paul (6-1), 10
T28. Ledyard (5-2), 8
T28. St. Bernard/Norwich Tech (5-1), 8
30. Rocky Hill (6-1), 7.
The following voted: Bob Barton, New Haven Register; Bill Bloxsom, Hersam-Acorn; Sean Patrick Bowley, Connecticut Post; Don Boyle, SportingNewsCT.com; Bryant Carpenter, Meriden-Record Journal; George DeMaio, WELI; Mike DiMauro, The Day of New London; Matt Doran, Norwalk Hour; Scott Ferrari, Greenwich Citizen; Noah Finz, WTNH-8; Brian Girasoli, Norwich Bulletin; Ned Griffen, The Day of New London; John Holt, WFSB-3; Mark Jaffee, Waterbury Republican-American; Ken Lipshez, The Herald of New Britain; Mike Madera, Elm City Newspapers; Joe Morelli, New Haven Register; Paul Nichols, Middletown Press; Mike Pucci, New Haven Register; Dave Ruden, Stamford Advocate; Tom Yantz, Hartford Courant; Jimmy Zanor, Shore Line Newspapers.
Analysis: Again, no big problems. Although again I don’t get the Seymour vote for No. 1. Without saying who I vote for (though anybody with half a brain could figure it out), I am shocked that Ansonia continues to get so many first-place votes. After all that’s happened, I would have thought the first-place votes would have been distributed evenly by now.
OH, and by the way: The Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance has announced the formation of an organizationally-run state girls basketball poll.
This is tremendous news. As somebody who has been advocating this kind of takeover for the last year, I’m thrilled and hope this is the organization’s first step toward assuming the ownership of ALL of the major media polls, including football.
The Alliance leadership should be applauded for this sensible move.
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If I was a Brookfield fan, I would be irate about the latest media poll. There is no way they should be ranked below Masuk.
How do you writers possibly justify that? It makes the whole thing a joke. Brookfield is undefeated, and they beat Masuk. What else is there to say?
It does not matter if you think that if they played 10 times, Masuk would win 8. Because on the night they actually played on a field and not in a simulation in your mind, Brookfield won the game.
Why is it not surprising at all that the coaches have Brookfield ahead of Masuk. Because they understand that what happens on the field counts.
Comment by Rob — October 28th, 2008 @ 4:44 pm
SPB,
If Ansonia merits 10 and 17 first place votes, Seymour getting one shouldn’t be such a big surprise no?
Comment by johnny ribbs — October 28th, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
That’s a good point Rob. In my haste, I missed that.
Also: What do you do in the case of Hamden, Xavier, Wilbur Cross… SCC Division I teams that all have one loss in the same league. Hamden does play WC later, so I guess that question will be answered.
Comment by SPB — October 28th, 2008 @ 4:47 pm
Why, Johnny? Seymour isn’t Ansonia.
Comment by SPB — October 28th, 2008 @ 5:11 pm
In case anyone missed it,Seymour took a 7-0 lead into the final qtr vs winless Wilby from the NVL.I would love to find out who the writer is that voted them #1 and never read his paper again.SPB is right when he say’s the votes should be evenly distributed.Lets give more love to NC&NL.I like and respect Ansonia’s team, but lets face it they have played no big games to date,and will play none and thats including Seymour and the hapless class S division.I keep reading their fans talking about meaningless scrimmage games that besides the Shelton game are controlled scrimmages.Lets give them their due though, as they continue to beat everyone they play.
Comment by JACK — October 28th, 2008 @ 5:12 pm
Masuk is just a better team than brookfield. we saw that when they played bunnell. if brookfield does to bunnell what masuk did to them then i will say brookfield is better. untill that happens swc is masuk newtown brookfield bunnell in that order
Comment by roger clemens — October 28th, 2008 @ 5:47 pm
The reason we argue about the poll is because many teams do not play each other, and do not play any common opponents. For example, if they stay unbeaten, someone could make a valid argument for Ansonia, New London, and the NC-Darien winner as #1. It is impossible to prove them wrong based on results from games because none of these teams play each other and they play no common opponents in the regular season.
But that is not the case with Brookfield and Masuk. They played each other and Brookfield won the game. That is why the games are played. That is why we keep score. Brookfield proved themselves to be better than Masuk on the field. I don’t care if Masuk “played bad that night.” They got their chance to prove they were better than Brookfield, and they lost.
Comment by Rob — October 28th, 2008 @ 6:57 pm
If you don’t think Seymour deserves any first place votes, fine.
But to JACK: saying the Ansonia game with Seymour is not a test is just wrong. Seymour is now ranked 4, and the whole time hearing how Ansonia and New London are both going to roll over them. Seymour is good enough to beat both of those teams. Will they? I don’t know. What I do know is that they are the defending Class SS champs, the 4th ranked team in the state, and the FCIAC fans best hope to knock off Ansonia.
Comment by Cats 1 — October 28th, 2008 @ 7:13 pm
if Brookfield is as good as you claim, Rob, they will win out and be in the SWC championship, right?
Comment by round 2 — October 28th, 2008 @ 7:49 pm
It’d be great to see a Brookfield vs. Masuk re-match in the SWC championship. I bet it’d be a blowout the second time around after seeing Masuk’s potential last week. Anyone know if it is a possibility for that game?
Comment by E — October 28th, 2008 @ 7:51 pm
New London is the best team in the state with the best player in the state Jordan Reed.
Masuk does not belong in the top ten they beat a decent bunnel team and bunnel didnt have their best player for most of the game.
Comment by Fp Sam — October 28th, 2008 @ 8:03 pm
MASUK LOST TO BROOKFIELD!
they really should be below them
it has nothing to do with how masuk played against Bunnell, THEY LOST THE GAME TO BROOKFIELD. there is no way to get around it. This proves how useless these polls are.
Comment by Ridiculous — October 28th, 2008 @ 8:37 pm
Its apparent that some of these people have never been to a brookfield bobcat game. it’s all about heart and loving the game. bottom line brookfield wanted it more and won.
Comment by bonnie cypher — October 28th, 2008 @ 9:51 pm
I WAS AT THAT GAME AND BROOKFIELD BEAT MASUK, AND MASUK DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!! BROOKFIELD HAS A BETTER RECORD AND THEY OUTPLAYED MASUK NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. WHEN THE GAME ENDED AND BROOKFIELD HAD MORE POINTS THAN MASUK THAT MEANT THEY BEAT THEM AND SO THEY WERE THE BETTER TEAM. THIS IS WHY WE KEEP SCORE AT THE GAMES SO WE KNOW WHO WINS, WHO PLAYED BETTER AND WHO LOST. JUST COMMON SENSE.
Comment by JOHN — October 28th, 2008 @ 9:51 pm
agreed that brookfield clearly played better, i dont know why we are arguing about it, i think that the best SWC championship would be Masuk v. Brookfield rematch what do u think?
Comment by masuk rules 3.0 — October 29th, 2008 @ 7:15 am
First: Brookfield, Masuk, Bunnell, and Newtown would ROLL Prep. The 2008 Prep season is over so I will stop talking about them. Get ready for hockey guys!
Second: Brookfield is not getting a ton of respect in the polls (they are getting some) because they have only been good 2 years out of the last 20 (1996 and 2004). not saying that that is how teams should get voted, but that is the reason this is happening this year.
Third: Bonnie Cypher, every kid in this state plays with heart and for the love of the game. So leave the football talk to those who can contribute.
Comment by giveitup — October 29th, 2008 @ 8:13 am
SPB – didn’t say Seymour was Ansonia. Not sure Ansonia is Ansonia this year. I think the Cats can beat Ansonia, so my logic was if the voters think Ansonia is #1 and that gets them 10 votes, its not totally ridiculous that a team they play that can beat them garners ONE vote.
And in reality its probably Brockett in the Coaches Poll (to be nice). Media poll? No clue.
Comment by johnny ribbs — October 29th, 2008 @ 9:27 am
How can you say Seymour is nothing? You have no clue if that is what you are saying…Not one FCIAC or SWC school has a player even close to Mike Ocieski..He would hurt the kids in those leagues..
Comment by gary — October 29th, 2008 @ 9:39 am
Waiting for all of you CCC haters to jump all over Glastonbury (#8 and #7). I will say right now that Gbury has a primarily soft schedule, but they’re a very strong, well-coached team. They have yet to play Southington and New Britain, but I predict that they’ll beat both (having seen all 3 teams play). They’ll certainly make it to the LL playoffs and I believe that they have a chance of winning the LL state championship. Only time will tell…
Comment by CTfbfan — October 29th, 2008 @ 9:43 am
First of all rob never said brookfield was good. He said they played Masuk and won so how could masuk possibly be in front of them in the polls. Secondly if Anyone thinks that the Ansonia Seymour game is not going to be competitive they don’t watch these two teams play. Whoever thinks New London is the best team should read the arguments against Ansonia and their schedule. They beat a mediocre Hand team 21-6. As for Jordan Reed being the best player maybe he is the best QB i don’t think he is the best player. No question that Reed is in the top 5 in the state along with roberts and oseski. Also the Ansonia Seymour game is going to be #1 vs #4 which will be the two highest ranked teams that play each other all year until New Cannan plays Darien on Thanksgiving. The games on a thursday night so all the naysayers should comeout and watch it will be worth it
Comment by AnsoniaVinny — October 29th, 2008 @ 9:56 am
It could be that Hillhouse is a better team than we give them credit for. They beat a top rated team from New Jersey and destroyed Fairfield Prep. Not sure how good Prep is though-can someone with knowledge of Prep inform me. Hillhouse vs. Shelton friday night. Shelton vs Hand will be for a state tournament berth. Even though Hand has lost three games they are in the thick of a CLASS MM selection. Can Seymour give Ansonia a GAME? Is Seymour good or is it because they play in the NVL and their record looks good to many outsiders. How come a great sports town like Torrington rarely has a good football team?
Comment by gman — October 29th, 2008 @ 10:12 am
I do not see Newtown in any poll?? One loss to Shelton first game, tough calls, away game, bad night. Since then 6 – 0 and dominating every game. Beat Pomp by 2 TDs, Bunnell beat Pomp by 2 points. This team should be in the top 12. No votes?? I don’t get it! Big O line and excellent skill players, good coach too. Watch out SWC..
Comment by SWC fanatic — October 29th, 2008 @ 12:07 pm
JACK
how could you say ansonia plays no big games and then make an argument for new london??? as vinny said they beat a mediocre hand team, the rest of their schedule is a joke. MUCH weaker than the nvl.
seymour vs ansonia will be the game of the year in the state, this season. at least until NC vs darien. and as far as this blog is concerned it is lose/lose for both teams. if ansonia wins its because seymour is not that good. if seymour wins its because ansonia was overrated. im sure it has nothing to due with the fact these are 2 of the premier teams in the state.
gman the problem with torrington is coaching. you cant get the players to come out for a team that has a losing tradition like them…… if there was ever a 6’10 260 lb kid at ansonia or seymour. i promise you he would not be playing only basketball.
Comment by joe — October 29th, 2008 @ 12:30 pm
yes Seymour-Ansonia is the game of the year- IN THE NVL.
And whoever said Osieki would ‘hurt kids’ in other leagues has never left their shanty in Ansonia. That is absurd considering the NVL is bar none the weakest league north of the Mason Dixon. Wouldn’t he have been hospitalizing players all season in that ugly league?
Comment by yeehaw — October 29th, 2008 @ 1:11 pm
Ok, let’s try to make sense when we post things.
Osieski would not hurt kids in the SCC or the SWC any more than he would hurt kids in the NVL. I didn’t think the point is to hurt kids to begin with, but whatever.
Also, the NVL is not the weakest league in CT. If you don’t think it is as strong as the FCIAC or the SCC, that is your opinion. But please don’t make ridiculous comments like that.
Constitution State Conf, ECC, Nutmeg Conf, Pequot League….do you know these exist?
Comment by Rob — October 29th, 2008 @ 4:09 pm
Yeehaw ! we have our first sign that people are running out of solid arguments.
Must be time to start bringing up the fact that Ansonia is not a wealthy community and has a high number of minorities. Yea, we know that already.
What that has to do with football, not sure.
Comment by Rob — October 29th, 2008 @ 4:14 pm
gman
I think that prep is better than their record indicates. The Hand loss came down to the last play, they only trailed Hillhouse 13-6 at the half,a punt return and a int return put them away. They trailed Shelton 14-7 at the half after Shelton intercepted twice in the end zone. Prep may still be a tough out for Cheshire or Xavier who play them at Fairfield U. Some one earlier said that four SWC teams would roll over them,I doubt it. They are as good as Newtown.
Comment by Dave k — October 29th, 2008 @ 4:28 pm
Joe,
1st of all Cochran has never ducked any competition.He scheduled Hand not knowing Merrullo and three other starters were injured.Granted his league is also down but he is scared of no-one.2nd-If Seymour/Ansonia is the game of the year,we are in serious trouble as a stae football program folks.Both teams have one marquee player[Roberts/Osieski]that carry their teams.Ansonia’s team reminds me of those in the past where they roll everyone during the regular season and if they met a state power in states would get beat[ex:Bloomfield].Lucky for them there is no one out there to beat them this year.
Comment by SAD — October 29th, 2008 @ 4:48 pm
Most likely SWC Champ scenarios, barring any upsets are:
Brookfield beats Bunnell and loses to Newtown, Brookfield would get a second chance against Newtown in the SWC Champ game.
Brookfield loses to Bunnell and beats Newtown, there would be a Brookfield-Masuk rematch in the SWC Champ game.
Brokfield gets swept – Masuk vs Newtown in the SWC Champ game and Thanksgiving (uggh!, one reason why FCIAC is a better run conference).
Bunnell gets in if they beat Brookfield, and Newtown or Masuk have two losses . Based on remaining schedule, more likely that Masuk loses another one (tough games with NM & Pomp, they are both playing great now). Bunnell-Masuk rematch in the SWC Champ is unlikely though could happen in the Sates.
Comment by tj — October 29th, 2008 @ 5:00 pm
Cant wait to see how SWC boils down. Either way, there is some real talent out there & it will be a great end of season!
I do have one question maybe someone can answer. Why are there games on Thanksgiving that dont count toward the points for championships? Yet they played a week earlier this year in non-conference games, why didnt they shift the season a bit? Dont really get that when those points can mean so much at years end-Masuk/Newtown, Brookfield/Bethel, Pomperaug/Oxford, Immaculate/Notre Dame-those are all teams in the same scheduling group. Anyone know the answer to that?
Hey giveitup, before you start criticizing people & calling them out, think about what you’re saying – I’m not who you spoke to but noticed you were pretty nasty – no reason for that! Heart & Passion is the whole reason these kids play & we watch & love it! Isnt that what its all about?
Comment by Love this game — October 29th, 2008 @ 6:06 pm
I don’t get all the negativity.
Even people who despise the NVL would have to admit that #1 Ansonia vs #4 Seymour is a big game.
If that is not a big game, what is?
Comment by Cats 1 — October 29th, 2008 @ 7:06 pm
SAD:
The years where Bloomfield beat Ansonia in 98 and 99, Bloomfield was ranked #1 in CT and was the heavy favorite in both games. It was not like Ansonia came into those game all hyped up and then got shown to be pretenders. Everyone knew Bloomfield was the better team and they proved it.
Jack Cochran is scared of no one, you are correct. And if you think so, he will punch you in the face.
Comment by Rob — October 29th, 2008 @ 7:15 pm
Ansonia Vinny your comment about Reed not being the best player in the state give me one other player in the state even getting looks from big time D1 schools? Never mind that Florida is one of the best teams in the SEC from best confrence in the country by far.
I think its real clear who the best in the state is.
Comment by Fp Sam — October 29th, 2008 @ 7:28 pm
to tj
if bunnell loses to brookfield, and then brookfield triumphs over newtown, what would the scenario be for the swc game. It would have to be brookfield vs masuk re-match. newtown would have 1 conference loss as would masuk and bunnell, but being that they have the other loss against shelton they would be ruled out. and being that brookfield and masuk both beat bunnell making them having 2 conference losses, it would be masuk brookfield re-match for the SWC championship. Which personally would be a very tough and physical game on both sides of the both
Comment by jetsfan — October 29th, 2008 @ 8:24 pm
Fp Sam,
Reed is a tremendous player with a huge upside. He is being recruited purely on his size, athletic ability, and POTENTIAL. He is big, can run, and has a big arm. He is a recruiter’s wet dream, but he is not the state’s best player. Look at the size and talent he has around him. New London would still win games, if he weren’t there. The best player(s) are not always D1 material. The two best players in CT are Billy Ragone (Cheshire) and Mike Osiecki (Seymour). There are no other players in CT that mean more to their teams success than these two. They are on the field every snap of every game and are great players on both sides of the ball. Ragone has D1 interest, but is leaning toward the Ivy’s. Osiecki is committed to UConn, but had major D1 interest from some of the big boys including USC. USC doesn’t have to look on the East coast to recruit, but if they were interested, Osiecki obviously is pretty good for Pete Carroll to call. There is no college program who recruits better than the Trojans.
SAD,
As for Ansonia being a one-man show, you obviously haven’t seen them play. Alex Thomas is gone. Tristan is a very good player, one of the state’s best, but he has not carried the entire load for the Chargers. Ansonia can throw the football, and have a number of weapons to go to. To be honest, Tristan has not had a great year to this point. He is just starting to find his rhythm after being hampered by an ankle injury. Eight different Varsity players have scored TDs. Tristan has 12 TDs, Tyrell Moore (WR) has 11, Montrell Dobbs (RB) has 6, Nick O’Connor (WR/RB) has 4, and Sheldon Clarke and Marty Lawlor (TEs) have 2 and 1 respectively. Ron Bilodeau (QB) has completed 78 % of his passes for over 700 yards and 13 TDs. He has also rushed for a score. This Ansonia team is not as deep or as powerful as the ’06 and ’07 teams, but they can beat you in more ways offensively.
Comment by kris1 — October 29th, 2008 @ 10:16 pm
Fp Sam,
The SEC is not the best conference in the country. The Big XII is.
Conference Rankings
Last Updated: Thursday, January 05, 2006 6:22 PM
Records include games against Division I opponents only.
Non-Conference
# Conference NPI Wins Losses Pct Best Team
1 Big XII 73.0607 31 5 0.8611 Texas
2 Big Ten 72.8481 28 6 0.8235 Penn State
3 ACC 71.4546 27 9 0.7500 Virginia Tech
4 Pac 10 70.7170 23 8 0.7419 USC
5 Independent 70.0248 18 11 0.6207 Notre Dame
6 SEC 68.6746 27 9 0.7500 LSU
7 Big East 65.2188 19 13 0.5938 West Virginia
8 Mountain West 64.6263 13 15 0.4643 TCU
9 Conference USA 61.3229 15 21 0.4167 Central Florida
10 Mid-American 59.0635 9 30 0.2308 Toledo
11 Western Athletic 57.9369 9 22 0.2903 Nevada
12 Sun Belt 52.5963 6 26 0.1875 Louisiana-Lafayette
Comment by kris1 — October 29th, 2008 @ 10:23 pm
fp sam didnt we have this argument last year—35-0? as far as reed he hasnt played a game inthe sec yet.And if he plays like he did against ansonia he might not play at all.whos new london have next bacon academy?p.s. ansonia doesnt have to recruit to field a respectable football team.
Comment by RAY BROWN — October 29th, 2008 @ 10:44 pm
sidebar-is it me or does stamford stink every year,but always produces d-1 or extremely good talent?
Comment by bigmikect — October 29th, 2008 @ 10:56 pm
Stamford has decent talent – Evans is far and away the best, may be a low D-I prospect.
Going back up a couple of posts (forgot who said it), someone mentioned the “game of the year”. This is an interesting question. REGARDLESS of conference/division, what is the game of the year looking like it’s going to be in the next couple of weeks?
Try to keep biases out of it.
My vote: NC vs. Darien (could be even better if they play each other twice – once for the FCIAC title, one for the MM title)
Comment by fake Rob — October 30th, 2008 @ 8:58 am
Wow now people are saying things that they don’t have a clue about. The two years Ansonia lost to bloomfield does anyone remember who played on that bloomfield team. Ok lets do one better. Can anyone name a team in the last 20 years better than the 97-98 or 98-99 Bloomfield teams. I’ll name a few players. Andrew Pinnock played for the Chargers and not Ansonia the ones who get payed. Jamel Lewis went to Iowa. They had a reciever that went to temple and Jelks was young but he played went to yale and another o lineman that went to purdue. Madsen was young but went to Iowa. But don’t mention when in 1994 and 95 Ansonia beat bloomfield but i am sure they weren’t good then. SPB tell the readers who a better team was in the last 20 years than those two bloomfield teams. Cmon SAD do a little research before you look like a donkey on here.
Comment by AnsoniaVinny — October 30th, 2008 @ 9:39 am
Ray i’m not sure if we did have this argument last year but if we did that 35-0 settles that. But you will have to admit (i was at that game and im sure you were too) those were not reeds conditions he was facing a great ansonia team and his new london team didnt have much talent around him. His recievers dropped numerous balls. Also i dont understand why they have championships at Ken Strong the field is a wreck and it gets extremely windy and cold because of its location on the swamp. You have to admit Reed is a great player. And where does Cocoran get these guys?
Comment by Fp Sam — October 30th, 2008 @ 11:23 am
Kris 1
Good point with Ragone he destroyed my team last year and ended our playoff hopes. I did forget to mention him and he deserves a lot of credit. I don’t know much about Osiecki but just because a coach or a team has interest that doesn’t mean much. College coaches/recruiters will tell you anything. He ended up commiting to Uconn. Committing to Uconn and USC having interest in you are two VERY VERY different things. Jordan Reed is one of the rare Connecticut players that will play on a team in a league as strong as the SEC that kind of talent does not come around to often.
As for that chart you’ve posted im not to concerned i watch plenty of college football and i know where the best football is. Their league is the best because within their confrence the SEC teams are the strongest most consistant teams. Its like the NFL there are no easy games and every week SEC teams face other very strong SEC teams. Example Florida lossing to Ole Miss this year. Anything can happen in that league and no win is guarenteed that is why the league is so strong. You do not see that in anyother league. Also thats why its rare for an SEC team to make it to the BCS championship. An SEC record with even two losses is a tremendous feat. The point im trying to make is that the SEC has the most amount of good teams and their top 5 teams are better than anyother confrence’s top five by far. The best talent comes from the SEC.
Big 12 is having a great year though. This is the only year they can compete with the SEC.
Comment by Fp Sam — October 30th, 2008 @ 12:03 pm
The best team I have seen in the past thirty years was Bloomfield. In back to back years they beat Ansonia 56-0 and New Canaan 55-6 in the state championship game. They were awesome-skill players at every position. To my knowledge there hasn’t been a better team since then or maybe even before. Maybe someone can enlighten me to some other great teams they have seen.
Comment by gman — October 30th, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
Brookfield is going to win on Saturday. The current Bunnell players were stuck on the sidelines last year and are going to get a large dose of their own medicine. The Bulldogs won’t be in the top ten of any poll for another decade.
I have to thank the “Mad Scientist” for lighting a fire under the SWC. However, Bunnell won’t be Masuk, Brookfield, or even Newtown good for a long time.
Comment by Masuk Rules 2.0 — October 30th, 2008 @ 1:31 pm
There is not as much SCC pride on here anymore. It’s sad that the best team in conference is all the way in Middletown. Where is Fairfield Prep ranked? I can’t find them anywhere. We all know that they will be all falsely hyped up next year and be on MSG’s game of the week no matter how bad they are this year.
Comment by Masuk Rules 2.0 — October 30th, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
yea vinny those earlier bloomfield teams werent that good in the mid 90′s…..they just had dwight freeney.
Comment by joe — October 30th, 2008 @ 2:26 pm
those two bloomfield teams were the best teams to come through this state….. EVER!!!! there is really no disputing that. no team in ct has ever had that many D-1 players on 1 team. they are 40-50 points better than any team to ever play in this state……. i guess thats what happens when you get to recruit, and no one cares
Comment by joe — October 30th, 2008 @ 2:29 pm
Where did Cochran get Jordan Reed from?
That’s easy….New Britain.
He is from NB, but he “lives with” a family in New London. That sure is nice of them to let him stay there.
Comment by Rob — October 30th, 2008 @ 2:47 pm
Masuk Rules 2.0 I am pretty sure you should be rooting for Bunnell.
Comment by Famoso — October 30th, 2008 @ 3:06 pm
gman
thirty years is a long time, but the Cheshire teams in the mid-nineties were loaded with talent including D1 players. They still hold the consecutive game winning streak. Other than that you can go back to the 1968 West Haven team they were in the USA top ten or so the placard says at West Haven High’s field.
Comment by Dave k — October 30th, 2008 @ 5:03 pm
kris1, great point regarding SAD’s comment about the Chargers. Moore and Bilodeau have been killing teams through the air.
Comment by Remmy — October 30th, 2008 @ 5:44 pm
I don’t get how people are completely writing off bunnell. they were there with masuk untill harrison went out. harrison is back this week. although you were right about 10/24 masuk rules, Bunnell is going to beat Brookfield. And why are you saying brookfield is going to win anyway? If bunnell wins, masuk is in to the swc championship.
Comment by Eugene — October 30th, 2008 @ 6:08 pm
masuk rules 2.0 you are nothing but a hater and you get off on getting on “the mad scientist”
Comment by whoever — October 30th, 2008 @ 6:34 pm
PLEASE-someone who is a football fan of the NVL respond to this post: I told my friend from White Plains that I was going to see the Torrington-Ansonia football game tonight. He told me ” save your gas money” He was right. Torrington was the worse High School team I have seen in the last ten years and they have beaten three teams in the NVL. I was one of thirteen spectators in the torrington stands at kickoff a total of 28 fans at the end of the first quarter. One minute into the second quarter I left. I don’t know the final score but if Ansonia wanted to win the 100-o they could of. It was 28-0 and the four touchdowns Ansonia scored they went untouched into the end zone. If it was a touch football game they still would have scored. The first play of the game Ansonia got off a poor kick that went 23 yards-the problem was-no Torrington player even went for the ball and The Ansonia team fell on it. The officials gave the ball to torrington because they have never seen anything like it. -The Ansonia bench,rightfully so went crazy and thay gave the ball to Ansonia. /WHAT kind of a league is this? This is embarrassing !! The NVL should be ashamed and the Ansonia players and coaches deserve to play against teams that can compete. What fun is playing a schedule when you know you are going to win each game before the season even starts. Can somone with a NVL background explain the history of this league and what they feel should be done to have a more balanced and competitive league
Comment by gman — October 30th, 2008 @ 8:29 pm
Masuk Rules – I like how you talk on this board. Not a lot of hate from what I can see which is a welcome thing. You seem to have seen all teams that are considered “players” in the SWC. Love to have your overall assessment of them, weaknesses, strengths, etc. I find it really interesting to hear what others think about the big picture! Any players you really like to watch?
Comment by Love this game — October 30th, 2008 @ 8:37 pm
I agree gman, that Bloomfield team was the best team I ever saw. The second best, in my opinion, was the ’89 Ansonia team that finished #1. They were huge upfront, averaging about 6’2, 260 pounds across the line, which at that time was big. Keith Pelatowski (6’2, 180) was the QB, a smooth lefty, who went on to play baseball at Yale. Kevin Sharkey (6′, 185) and Dennis Tinney (5’9, 175) at RB and Chris “Bull” Kinnebrew (6’0, 290) was the FB. He went on the play DL at Arkansas. Erik Lacko (6’3, 190) was the WR and Brian Johannsen (6’2, 200) was the TE. Many of the players on this team were also on the Ansonia Baseball team that won the Class S State Title that spring, beating East Granby 1-0. Keith Pelatowski went the distance on the mound and scored the winning run to earn MVP honors.
Comment by kris1 — October 30th, 2008 @ 10:11 pm
I wouldn’t say Xavier is the best team in the SCC. They just got pasted by Amity tonight 48-16.
Comment by kris1 — October 30th, 2008 @ 10:35 pm
gman: I never saw the Pinnock Bloomfield teams of the late 1990s. I was a college student covering Donovan McNabb and crew up at the alma mater.
(Speaking of which, in this election season, let’s get Steve Addazio for SU football coach! Please, let’s get this done Syracuse fans and fellow alums. Restore this once proud football program)
Also gman, I can understand your feelings about the NVL this year. This year the league is especially down outside of the top two. But then again, so is the entire state. So let’s not go too nuts. Although it’s no fun for anybody (especially me) when you’re a slam dunk to win every week.
As for Torrington, give new coach Dan Dunaj time up in T-Town. He’ll get it going.
Comment by SPB — October 30th, 2008 @ 11:49 pm
in anyones opionion,wuts yur guys top 5 ct teams you have seenin recent memory? im not gonna include those bloomfield teams only because i was young and im a frfld county guy mainly,but lets have a lil fun with it,heres mine(in no order)
1.mcmahons 94(mabee 95?)team-i think they gave up like 6 points a contest,but played wilton very close that year,pretty much walked thru states.
2.last years ansonia team-these guys seemed to be a mission week 1 thur finish.saw them play once,but read about them every week,self explanatory
3.greenwich last season-their mix of size and speed was just scary at times,remeber these guys beat both ncanaan&staples by like a total score of 62-0 last year,thats pretty big.
4.staples team(jimmy hughes finalk year)-to me these guys hd so many weapons,and some may agree or argue,but if hughes was healthy come playoff time,they woulda won the chip that year in my opinion.
5.pomperaugs(2004?)state champion team-alotta people didnt give these guys a chance against branford belive it or not,but they took it to them that game.
*****honorable mention****
*brookfields scot lutrus team
*holy cross(team tht beat up stratford in finals)
*wodland(team tht beat brookfield in states)
*bpt central(akeem wrights team,these guys were *fun to root for every week,and if you were a fciac follower,they way they scored points so fast was pretty scary)
*nbritans team(mike mccleod year)wasnt a believer until i actually saw them beat up southington that year and the awesome greenwich game,they were pretty impressive.
Comment by bigmikect — October 31st, 2008 @ 12:06 am
The Bloomfied team with Andrew Pinnock and Jamelle Lewis was by far and away the best team I have seen.
The reason that there was only 13 people on the Torrington sideline is because of this fact…
” The people who live in Torrington stay in Torrington”
Comment by master of meaningless information — October 31st, 2008 @ 7:55 am
Bigmikect
That 2003 Staples team would have still lost to Shelton even with Jimmy Hughes. Shelton ran back two kick offs for TD’s No team should win a state title with special team play like that.
Comment by Dave k — October 31st, 2008 @ 8:11 am
I played against the 05 Xavier team, they were very good. Huge up front on both sides, and deep at the skill positions. And, of course, they had Spivey.
Comment by hamden football — October 31st, 2008 @ 8:22 am
If you want me to defend Torrington and tell you they are good, I will not. They are not a good team.
In regards to the lack of visiting fans: Torrington is a 45 minute ride from Ansonia, plus it was a Thursday night and they had no chance to win.
In reagrds to Ansonia blowing them out: We see lopsided scores every single week in high school football. Many times even the unranked teams will blow other teams out. So why should we expect anything different from the #1 ranked team in the state? When playing the #1 ranked team, wouldn’t you expect the opposing team to look bad?
Torrington is a below average team playing against a team that hasn’t lost a game since 2005. Did you go expecting to see the upset of the decade?
Comment by Rob — October 31st, 2008 @ 8:36 am
Hello. Not every team north of Cheshire stinks. They actually play some football in the northern part of the state and some of the teams are actually good. SPB, sometimes I think you don’t think anyone north of Hartford should ever be ranked (RHill, Berlin) at all or receive a single vote.
And geez, this is high school football. We can’t throw a team out of the league because their football team hasn’t been very good lately (Torrington). Take it easy.
oh well. it’s just a poll and i keep forgetting that.
Comment by northern CT — October 31st, 2008 @ 9:47 am
bigmikect
good post about great ct teams of the past. How about that 02 west haven team i think it was. They had that great game against greewich in the state championship were the coach smashed the 2nd place trophy. And no one can forget Tommy Dimoro(however you spell it) the little white reciever who only ran fades and no one could stop him. That was a great game.
And how about that 05 Xavier team. Spivey and that awesome defense. They pummbled Southington in the LL ship.
Comment by Fp Sam — October 31st, 2008 @ 10:19 am
Remmy, Rob, and Kriss1. You guys crack me up. your nonstop political banter as to why Ansonia should retain the top spot is awesome.
Really I am impressed by your dedication.
I will now call you “The three pershing drive stooges.” Continue sharing a brain and defending the NVL for all eternity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by seriously — October 31st, 2008 @ 11:12 am
Every league has its top and bottom teams…..lets be reasonable. Holy Cross and Woodland being down is hurting the NVL’s legitimacy this year but by no means is it the “worst league in the state”. The Seymours and Ansonias of the world can go out and compete with just about anyone in the state year in and year out and they do. How can you penalize a team for being in a conference when for the most part they have no say in where they are.
When these teams start making the playoffs and getting embarrassed by other programs then you can start to say their records are a product of their league.
Comment by valleyguy — October 31st, 2008 @ 11:25 am
I remember the 1968 West Haven team. Actually they recently had a reunion. They were ranked 5th in the country.They beat Ansonia 72-16 and Hamden 95-6. All there games were in the 60 or 70 pt range. They basically scored on every series of plays. They were the best this state has ever seen..
Comment by Ernie — October 31st, 2008 @ 11:44 am
g-man-im sure if you went to a harding game-or a weston game.ora east haven game,or a bullard havens game youd see the same results.as far as the nvl is concerned it wasnt too far back when they won three of the six state championship games won that year.as far as results can you picture being tabbed as the best team in the scc and then getting beat by four tds? gimme a break.as for those bloomfield teams they may have had one of the best teams ever.cheshire had 2 d-1 players-mcintosh and wagner———bloomfield had about 12 that actually played d-1
Comment by RAY BROWN — October 31st, 2008 @ 11:51 am
ROB-I enjoy your post-the point I was making was that this Torrington team actually beat three teams in the NVL. What does that say about the NVL? Maybe I saw them on an off night.
Comment by gman — October 31st, 2008 @ 12:05 pm
Ernie,
And that 72-16 win by west haven over Ansonia in 1968 was a real game that counted not a scrimmage
Comment by Dave k — October 31st, 2008 @ 2:19 pm
To whoever was saying prep is as good as any SWC team, Brookfield absolutely wrecked them in their scrimmage, not saying that means much, but if Fairfield Prep is so good than really they should have toyed with them.
Comment by football1 — October 31st, 2008 @ 2:37 pm
It would be good to break this “Best Ever Team in CT” argument into a “best of a certain era.”
I was not even close to being born when 1968 West Haven team played but I have heard stories from people who played against that team and seen the plaque at Ken Strong that show those amazing scores from that season. In their day, that West Haven team might be the best of their “era” but certainly any Top Ten team from the present, with year long lifting and camps would most likely beat that West Haven team. Its not taking anything away from a team from the past, its just differentiating.
That being said, in this modern era, the Bloomfield Teams of the late 1990s are the best (98 or 99 team is a coin flip), followed by the Chesire and Ansonia teams of the mid-1990s. Close on those teams heels is the 2002 West Haven team that finished #1. An NFL player in Rob Jackson and others who went onto play college ball, they were an excellent team.
Comment by chris — October 31st, 2008 @ 4:09 pm
ernie that west haven team would have gotten beat by the freeney bloomfield team.plus do you remember the 68 derby team? just as good.that may have been the last time west haven beat ansonia.good post chris.
Comment by RAY BROWN — November 1st, 2008 @ 12:08 pm
WELL I GUESS THE PROOF IS IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BROOKFIELD IS THE BETTER TEAM. THEY SPANKED BUNNELL LAST NIGHT 30-17 IN CASE GIVEITUP OR ANYONE ELSE DIDN’T SEE IT. BROOKFIELD BOBCATS PROVED ONCE AGAIN LAST NIGHT THAT THEY ARE AN AWESOME TEAM AND IT’S TIME TO SHOW SOME RESPECT! JORDAN BURANDT IS IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN AND SCOTT BENZING, THE TREIBT TWINS, THE DEFENSE AND OFFENSE PLAYED WITH HEART AND MAD SKILLS! IT WAS AN AWESOME WIN!
Comment by John — November 2nd, 2008 @ 7:15 am
heres another one,how bout the best team in recent memory NOT to make the state playoffs,il throw a few teams out to get the ball rolling
1.last years law team 9-1(loss to prep)
2.last years stratford 8-2(losses to pomperaug,& bunnell)
3.06 bristol eastern(1 loss,1 tie,and if they win on thanksgiving instead of tying,bunnell doesnt make the playoffs that season)
4.06 bpt central team 8-2(i think better than the 07 version which actually did make it,1 point loss at staples,very questionable game,and another loss vs greenwich)
5.06 newtown team 8-2(1 td loss to bunnell,and big gamne loss to masuk tht kept them out to end thier season)
6.hall h school(a 2 point loss to bloomfield ended their perfect season,and their playoff hopes.they pretty much cruised through the rest of their schedule)
just a few off the top,inte rested to see what people think.
Comment by bigmikect — November 2nd, 2008 @ 11:20 am
almost forgot the 2005 ndfrfld team was donright scary.only lost to brokfield twice on the season,these dudes put up like 50 on everybody that year,great team
Comment by bigmikect — November 2nd, 2008 @ 11:23 am
bigmikect – I agree with your list of the best teams NOT to make the playoffs. It should also be mentioned that Bristol Eastern’s Thanksgiving Day tie in ’06 was against Bristol Central, with senior Aaron Hernandez (best TE in the country that year, who started as a true freshman at Florida the next year). BE completely shut down Hernandez and the tie knocked BC out of the playoffs…
I would also add ’07 Newington to the list. They were 9-1 in class L and did not make it to the playoffs…
Comment by CTfbfan — November 2nd, 2008 @ 1:14 pm
Dont want to sound like a downer but COME ON with the reminiscing! I think its great you all enjoy talking about past teams & such but isnt this poll about THIS YEAR? I find all of your talk about who was the best to be both boring & off-topic. If YOUR team was on that poll, I have to believe that thats who you’d be talking about. Bottom line, lets talk about what is valid, THIS YEAR…
Comment by Getoffthetimemachine — November 2nd, 2008 @ 1:22 pm
bimikect you are crazy if you think that the 07 law team was a great team you are out of your mind. They played a weak D2 schedule. I was on the Prep team that beat that law team and that was one the worst teams ive ever played in all of my sport years. How can you say that law was a great team and then not mention the team that destroyed them that same year. Prep didnt make the playoffs that year either. Do your homework.
Comment by Fp Sam — November 2nd, 2008 @ 9:56 pm
fp sam,your words are a bit harsh against the lawmen,yeah u guys beat them,but the fact of the matter is they pretty much had their way against everyone else on their schedule besides you guys,plus north haven was a playoff team last year,and if im correct,they beat a cheshire team that beat you guys 42-07,just simply the truth.your guys game vs shelton was awesome last year,and had you beat them,u prolly woulda edged out central to dance,but i dont think people will agree law was as bad as you make them out to sound.
Comment by bigmikect — November 3rd, 2008 @ 12:53 am
I believe a Trumbull team went 10-0 and missed the playoffs in the early to mid. 90′s.
Comment by Undefeated — November 3rd, 2008 @ 10:25 am
your right bigmikect i did get alittle heated while writing that. Just my point is law should not be in the conversation of great teams to not make the playoffs.
Comment by Fp Sam — November 3rd, 2008 @ 11:22 am
How about that 02 prep team only lost one game to a great 02 westie team.
Comment by Fp Sam — November 3rd, 2008 @ 1:04 pm
Oh….Roger clemens! We are WAITING!!!!! And..I Quote…”Posted by: roger clemens at October 28, 2008 5:47 PM…Masuk is just a better team than brookfield. we saw that when they played bunnell. if brookfield does to bunnell what masuk did to them then i will say brookfield is better. untill that happens swc is masuk newtown brookfield bunnell in that order”
Comment by BroofieldFan — November 4th, 2008 @ 10:26 pm