SPB's High School Football

Just a couple of quickies, one you’ve probably already seen and another that’s just a glorified interview reel.

First: Pomperaug beats Bethel 42-14, a game I only hung around for a 1 1/2 quarters because of its lopsidedness.

The matchup of two 2-0 SWC teams showed the disparity between Pomperaug and maybe the rest of the SWC. They’re big, they’re bad, they’re nasty. And they put a beat-down on a Bethel squad that was feeling pretty good about itself after blowout wins over Immaculate and New Milford.

Bethel just couldn’t do anything against the Panthers, who have climbed up to No. 5 in my Elite 8 rankings. On offense, the Wildcats couldn’t run and ergo, they couldn’t pass.

Pomperaug, meanwhile, just blew up the Bethel defense–scoring on three straight possessions to take a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. When Bethel finally got moving on the ground, two critical turnovers turned this game into a rout. First, Bethel’s Brandon Schmidt was laid out by Ben Crick and fumbled the ball, which Andrew Reel took 24 yards for another touchdown and a 28-0 Pomperaug lead after one.

Early in the second quarter, with Bethel moving the sticks somewhat, a sack backed the Wildcats into a third-and-long around its own 40.  Bill Ramirez‘s next pass found Pomperaug QB/DB Andrew Clements, who took it 85 yards untouched the other way. 35-0. Game over.

Here was the scene from Pomperaug’s Arum Field.

Next was the aforementioned Staples-Ridgefield game at Staples field in Westport. Had a lot of problems going into this game: 1. I was late. 2. I’d left the camera on and the battery was dead, so I had to charge it in the press box throughout the first half. 3. Nothing really good happened in the second half, and I got caught yakking with my friends on the sidelines or checking updates on my phone instead of shooting video when Staples actually scored a few touchdowns (Brandon Pacilio‘s Houdini touchdown pass to Pat Murray happened right in front of me. The camera was off).

Grrr.

So I just threw together the best stuff (which wasn’t much of anything) and some interviews afterward.

Add And, of course, then some of last week’s Amity-Cross game shows up at the end… consider it bonus coverage. (Edit, Sean, edit.)

In Friday’s guide to the games, I wrote this of the Stapes-Ridgefield game: “Finally, an FCIAC game of worth.”

When I thought of this game, I envisioned one of those glorious, Saturday Staples High School football crowds, the home and visitor stands overflowing with fans. People lined around the fences, up on the hill and around the back of the school for this 2-0 vs. 2-0 FCIAC clash of titans.

But when I got there, it looked more like a Staples game against an also-ran, not nearly the atmosphere I expected. Perhaps it was the weather, which was mild but overcast and pocked with rain? Or maybe, just maybe, fans knew to stay away from this one. Judging by the overwhelming, 30-0, Staples victory, it even looked like Ridgefield decided to stay home, too.

Unless you were wearing blue and silver, it was not a great game by any stretch. And I wasn’t alone. Mike Quick of MSG, who was there with his MSG Varsity crew, expressed his disappointment in the atmosphere, too. “I thought there’d be more people,” he said.

Then Mike said something that confirmed a thought I had had rattling through my mind the last month or so. “It’s really a down year in Connecticut.”

I mulled it over for a second and said, “You know what, Mike? It really is.”

Consider: What are the top teams in the state right now?

Hamden? OK. Lots of good athletes, but not an amazing, amazing team yet. Greenwich, but everybody agrees it’s not the kind of Greenwich team overflowing with talent as in previous years. New Canaan? They’re No. 1 in the polls but, on this Saturday lots of people echoed some of my thoughts on the Rams. “They’re good, but…”

In the SCC, Cheshire is the only other unbeaten Division I team. And they’re not looking dominant, dominant. Wilbur Cross certainly had the Rams beat, but let it get away. Notre Dame-West Haven… yes, a good team, but one that frittered away that game against Xavier. The Falcons aren’t overly impressive, either.

Add: The SWC is, honestly, just Masuk and Pomperaug. While Pomperaug looks strong, and Masuk good despite being pretty young, there’s really nobody else close to their level in this league.

Who else? Southington’s lost twice. New Britain isn’t exactly a juggernaut. Simsbury and Glastonbury are looking like the top teams in the CCC, but who are their top guys? Pierre Narcisse and Windsor are looking better, but still have a loss. Berlin is 3-0. I haven’t heard anybody talk about Conard, which is 3-0 and hasn’t surrendered a  point yet. …Lots of people are talking up Montville in the ECC based on their returning talent. New London…?

Ansonia is suddenly looking down. Seymour has been crushed by injuries. Naugatuck, everybody’s darling after Week 1 of the season, lost to Derby in overtime. Who’s left in the NVL? Wolcott, Watertown?

Could Mike be right?

It got to the point where Quick floored me with one comment that summed up his feelings about Connecticut football right now: “Have you seen King?”

The Fairchester school? The one with Penn State recruit Silas Redd who ripped up Hopkins two weeks ago to the tune of 360 yards and six touchdowns?

“You have to start ranking King in your Elite 8,” Quick said. “I know what everybody says about the Fairchester, but they’re good. They’re real good. Put them in the FCIAC right now and they would probably win it.”

Whaaaat?

“I’m telling you…”

(I admit, coming from the Connecticut Post, we traditionally don’t pay close attention to the Fairchester schools. OK, OK, we pretty much ignore them, mostly because we don’t have any in our immediate coverage area. We’ve strictly gone CIAC for years and years. But now that we’re a member of a four-paper conglomerate in Fairfield County, perhaps it’s time we changed our tune. )

King, huh? Perhaps the state public schools are down and King is up. Or is it that the state isn’t down, and King is way up. Whatever it is, something’s amiss right now. And I can’t put my finger on it.

Food for thought on this lazy Sunday. But I know it’s going to bug me all week.

Don’t feel like schlepping about in the rain? Want to get all the scores from the comfort of your own home? Then click the window below and settle in with us.

We’ll be attempting to get as many scores as possible today and post all our updates here, especially from Staples-Ridgefield and St. Joseph-Darien.

If you’re at another game, and have a mobile phone and a Twitter account (like our pal, former Central standout and proud big brother Kelleray Gill) send us your updates through Twitter. Just send a tweet with the score and add #ctfb to the end. It will show up live, right here.

Kelleray (@itsmeKgill) does it. So can you!

The live blog will begin early this afternoon and continue into the evening. Enjoy.

New Fairfield's Andrew Kerner (23) picks up yardage before being stopped by Masuk's Shawn Flynn (behind) and Nate Coleman (2) during an SWC football game Friday night at New Fairfield High.

Friday night of Week 3 was quite revealing about which way this season is headed.

First impressions: Week 1 meant absolutely nothing. Teams that were a little slow to get into the season have suddenly turned on the jets.

Xavier looked strong in putting away shellshocked Shelton on Friday night. Derby, after a one-point loss to St. Paul Co-op, turned around and shocked Naugatuck 20-14 in overtime. Law, which struggled in a loss to Sheehan last week, rolled Fairfield Prep for its first win over that program since the 1970s. McMahon, which was hammered by Danbury in Week 1, has suddenly won two straight.

Then there were other teams that got off to great starts with big wins — Ansonia, Naugatuck, Bethel, New Milford, to name a few — have suddenly been looking shaky lately.

The Chargers lost to Holy Cross in a real head-shaker. Not because Holy Cross isn’t a worthy team, but because the Chargers looked so dominant in crushing Hillhouse in Week 1. …Then again, Hillhouse (now 0-3 after a loss to Branford) isn’t even remotely looking like the team it once was.

After a pair of big wins, Bethel felt what it’s like on the other side in a 42-14 stomping by Pomperaug in a battle of two 2-0 SWC teams (raw video footage below).

And then there are the teams that are firing on all cylinders right now: Pomperaug, New Canaan, Central, Masuk, Hamden, Cheshire. Even Notre Dame-WH, after a meltdown vs. Xavier, got back to work with a thorough win over rival West Haven (now 0-3).

(By the way I’m very impressed with Bassick. A 6-0 lead into the fourth quarter on one of the FCIAC’s latest darling teams. Remember when this team was guaranteed to surrender 49 by halftime? No longer. … Also, gotta feel for poor Tom Lennon and Seymour. Running on fumes, and they only lose to Torrington 20-14.)

Anyway, if you’re new to high school football season here, all of this fluctuation is typically happens in Week 3.

Week 1 means nothing, Week 2 not a whole lot more. But Week 3… it’s always the swing week and, so far, the 2009 season certainly seems to be heading in a strange direction. Buckle up.

Lots and lots more to on what’s supposed to be a stormy Saturday. Staples-Ridgefield, Darien-St. Joseph…

Make sure you check out our live scoring blog for all of Saturday’s news here or elsewhere on this blog. If there are any weather postponements, you will be able to get them here, too. So keep checking back.

In the meantime, peruse our high school football page feel free to add your thoughts. I’ll try to approve all your comments as I get them.

See ya out there Saturday!

Tyler Matakevich at St. Joseph's football practice in Trumbull, Conn. on Wednesday Sept. 30, 2009.

Good morning and welcome to Week 3 of the High School Football Season.

I’ll be back in a few hours (real busy here at the home office), but for now, here’s the rundown of all the featured stories appearing in today’s Connecticut Post and online on our high school football page.

Read our feature story on St. Joseph junior Tyler Matakevich by William S Paxton

Dave Ruden’s column on Stamford LB Patrick Atkinson

My Weekly ‘Guide To The Games’

And, of course, capsules of the region’s best matchups in The Games to Watch

The SCC/NVL Notebook — With an item on Seymour’s crushing injuries

The FCIAC Notebook — With notes about Fairfield Warde,Staples and Greenwich

The SWC Notebook – With a short on Pomperaug and Oxford’s home debut

And you can see the Elite 8, the standings, scoring leaders and everything else on the High School Football Page here

If you have any thoughts about this week’s games, feel free to add a comment here. Who’s going to win? Ridgefield or Staples? St. Joseph or Darien? Will Ansonia beat Holy Cross? Shelton over Xavier? Howabout your thoughts on Bethel-Pomperaug?

Let ‘em fly, I’ll start approving comments as soon as I drag myself out of bed today.

Also, don’t forget to check out our live scoring blog and, if you’re at a game, help us get the scores out there for everybody using your mobile phone and Twitter.

You know the drill by now, hopefully. If you can’t get to the games Friday night, look no further than here where we’ll be getting as many scoring updates as possible to you with the help of our correspondents in the field, our colleagues in the high school football business, and any other fan who has a Twitter account and a mobile phone.

Beginning at 3:30 p.m., we’ll start the live blog with Stratford at Oxford and continue with all the evening games, including Bethel-Pomperaug, where I will join the chat and take questions while watching the SWC showdown at Arum Field.

If you’re going to a game and want to get your team’s score onto the blog, just send a Twitter update and add #ctfb at the end of your tweet and it will show up on the live blog.

Otherwise, just follow along and don’t forget to check back approximately 8 p.m. when we’ll field questions and then around 10 or 10:30 when we will field more questions from the home office in Bridgeport, Stamford or Danbury.

Enjoy!