Shelton High School's Jon Groth works out with the team the second day of football practice on Tuesday August 24, 2010. Shelton is looking to improve on last year's 7-3 record.
Again, not definitive here. Just looking for answers (Thanks to @CurrenSCC for an assist).
Note: One slight edit on the Shelton post, but it’s notable news.
1. Just how good will last year’s state champs be?
If you believe in the few preseason rankings out already, Cheshire (Class LL champ) and Notre Dame (L champ) are the best teams in the state. I’m going out on a twig here and say the official preseason polls will have them 1-2.
Some of my colleagues love to just take last year’s rankings and slot them into their preseason vote.
Bah! We try to do some homework for you and, from what we can tell both teams have many gaps to plug, holes to fill and decisions to make.
At Cheshire, all of last year’s stars QB Greg Palmer, DB/WR Brian Havilcek, FB Dan Sweeney, DB Paul Tuscano, FB, linemen Luke Scinto and Craig Thorne are gone. They *do* have nice QB back in Max Slade, who filled nicely for Palmer. Cheshire also has a stable of backs led by Mike Skibicki. Will throwing be an issue? Havicek’s big-play ability will be missed and we’re wondering how the revamped offensive lines will fare.
Actually, Notre Dame almost has the exact same problem. Their QB is Sean Goldrich, the Walter Camp QB award winner who is attracting all sorts of preseason attention. WR/DB Conor Keniry is gone, RB/LB Justin Willis is gone, but huge RB/LB David Rose returns as does speedster Tirrel Young-Williams. ND will need to fine some good lineman to replace Rob Bowman and Dom Diglio.
Of the two, I’m giving ND (which plays in Class L) the slight nod. Cheshire (LL) should be good, but its schedule is brutal.
Remember, two losses isn’t (quite) a death-knell anymore in the new playoff system.
2. Who are Graham Stewart and Austin Ahern, and are they enough to make Xavier a winner?
They’re two tremendous defensive players and the key components of Xavier’s 2010 season. Stewart is one of the state’s top recruits — he recently committed to Boston College. Ahern is a hard-hitting strong safety.
But, of course, they can’t do it on their own and Xavier defense, while good in spots last season, did surrender 25-or-more points in four of its five biggest games last year. This time, however, the offense might not be in position to bail them out. QB Alex Pace, TE Connor Brownell and, of course, tailback Julian Hayes are all gone. Those are big spots to fill. Ryan Murphy, a nice junior TE, returns and I’m sure there’s plenty of unknown talent waiting in the wings.
We’ll find out about Xavier real quick:
Game 1?
at Notre Dame-West Haven, Sept. 17.
3. Can Shelton contend with the big boys?
Football head coach Jeff Roy, left, gives instructions to C.J.(Charles) Mojcik during tackle drills at Shelton High School on Tuesday August 24, 2010.
The Gaels had the makings of a good team in 2009, but injuries and, well, poor tackling pretty much killed the Gaels during a 1-3 start, including losses to Cheshire, Xavier and Hamden.
Speedster Paul Piccirillo is gone, as is QB Ray Pendagast. But there are plenty of skill guys returning: WR/DB Mike Georgalas RB/LB Ryan DeAnglelis, and LB Cody Kitson. Kicker Jonathan Groth takes over at QB.
Edit: It looks like RB/LB Ryan DeAnglelis is lost out for the year due to a torn ACL in the spring. Already a tough break for the Gaels.
Regardless, the Gaels should be fine offensively. It’s the defense we worry about. Who’s going to step up on the front-seven?
Shelton won’t have time to figure it out. It opens with dangerous Wilbur Cross (which features RB James Ward, QB Dontay Long and more skill guys than an opposing coach cares to count — speaking of which, look out for Cross) and Sheehan at home before a big match at Notre Dame. Home vs. Xavier and away vs. Cheshire also loom.
(On a side note, I haven’t seen the Shelton coaches, but how’s that new $400 student activity fee affecting the team? Can’t imagine very well.)
4. So what’s Hamden’s story now that Scott Benoit’s gone?
Well, all-league back Jordan Teague is returning. And, with the Green Dragons looking for a new QB and (both new and former) coach Tony Martone back a the controls, could we be seeing Hamden circa 1998? Instead of Horace Dodd carrying the ball 50 times a game, maybe it’ll be Teague left, Teague right, Teague up the gut?
Outside of Teague, Hamden lost pretty much everybody from last year’s team. You name the player, he’s gone.
5. Will we ever hear from Fairfield Prep again?
Well, we’ll hear from them again, it’s just a question of when. It’s a school with nice tradition that has violently fallen on hard times. But like the fight song says, “We will laugh, we will cry, but we’ll never say die.”
We’ll see. So, what’s in store for this year? Prep brings in a rookie head coach in Tom Shea, who’s a 1973 alumni and knows his Prep history. He played for Earl Lavery and coached in and around the program for years while running successful technology companies.
He inherits a very young team that didn’t just get kicked around the league in 2009, it was battered and bruised. Returning are C.J. Donahue, the quarterback, RB/S Kyle Vignone, TE/LB Brian Golger and OL/DT Hayden Collins. They’re not names, but they’re kids who no doubt remember the beatings they’ve endured.
But can they play ball and do something about it? No idea. The last time I actually saw a Prep game was the replay of their 49-0 loss to Hamden. So far, I haven’t heard a word about Prep yet. I don’t know Shea’s philosophy. They are truly a big question mark and a team that will be dismissed until they accomplish something.
Non-pressing (yet): …Are there any good SCC Division II teams out there? Foran has Tucker Schumitz but an absolutely brutal schedule. North Haven? Hillhouse? Law? How about the Wallingford schools? … Now that Nick Merullo’s gone in Madison, what’s Hand got? Amity isn’t quite starting from scratch, but close enough, especially with new coach Bert Mozealous. West Haven is another mystery and have been for awhile.
We’ll take your questions, comments and ponderings …
Edit: An original story had Xavier tight end Ryan Murphy’s name wrong. It has been corrected.
How come ND-WH got a crossover game last year in a 10-game season, but not this year? Instead, Shelton and ND-WH play each other, which does not happen all that often. I’ll hold off on judgment about the conference until after the ND-Xavier game. In Conn HS football, preseason predictions are usually worthless. Remember last year you had Hamden preseason #1 and were ridiculed by the “experts” for including ND in your preseason Elite 8?
The playoff format change should be good for the league. A lot years I felt 1 or 2-loss SCC teams that killed each other in the regular season then stayed home would have beaten teams from other conferences that played easier schedules.
I didn’t think my Hamden pick was bad at all. They just , well, self-destructed.
And, yeah Notre Dame turned out to be a pretty good preseason pick for the 8. But, remember, I also had Shelton at 2 or 3.
The one that didn’t make it was Pomperaug.
When I wrote “crossover”, I really meant “out-of-conference”. Now that more teams will make the playoffs and a loss won’t kill you, I would like to see SCC teams play one game per year against FCIAC teams.
Well, CIAC scheduling vs. Conference size does not allow for many crossovers. The SCC has 11 crossovers (including Xavier-Middletown, Cheshire-Southington, Shelton-Derby) because of the void that still remains from Derby. The SCC is actively looking for a school to fil the gap. I know Masuk declined and New Haven Public schools declined on behalf of Hyde (much to my chagrin. That add just makes the most sense.) So the SCC is left with open dates for the four remaining D2-East teams (North Haven v. Trinity, Platt Tech vs. Foran, Sheehan vs. Ludlowe, East Haven vs. Platt Tech) two D1 teams (Cross, which plays Ridgefield, and Prep, which plays Griswold) and two D2-West Teams (Law vs. Prince Tech, Lyman Hall vs. Platt Tech).
Anyway, I’m pretty sure the reason why NDWH didn’t get a crossover game is because the SCC went through its usual (two-year, I think) schedule reconfiguration. Prep and Cross got the open date (had Derby not left, that’s who they would have played).
Add: Now, if the CIAC came to its senses and let schools schedule 11 games… Those last scrimmages on the last week before the season starts is practically live.
It will be interesting to see the roster size at Shelton with pay for play. Last year they dressed about 60-64 players. So if there is more than a 10% drop then the Shelton BOE should hang their heads in shame if kids miss the chance to compete because of fiscal mismanagement
I believe we’ll have a story on that shortly.
I really can’t see how you can rank Cheshire or ND 1-2 based on what they lost last year. I think they’ll both be solid (7-3, 8-2 type years)but not great. But then again Seymour started off ranked in the top 5 last year and look how that worked out
I agree. But watch it happen.
The SCC top teams are usually dynamite but this I think the FCIAC might rule te roost. NDWH, Xavier, Cheshire and Hamden, Shelton can’t be as good as they were last year and I am not sure what happened to West Haven. They compete each week but can’t seem to win enough. I still think those top SCC teams will be tough come November.
I also assume that glastonbury, NB, Southington, Conard, and Simsbury will also be in the mix but not as good as last year either. I think Masuk might be king of the state in 2010. That labor day scrimamge vs greenwich will tell alot about both teams. It is always the last one and is played like a real game.
Dave K, That’s a great point. Shelton currently supports three football leagues within the town, so youth football is alive and well. Shelton High assistant coaches coach the older AYF teams. The problem may be that with the high school coaches establishing a pecking order/depth chart in 7th and 8th grade, you may lose the kid who has not grown but who’s parents don’t wish to pay the $$ to see their child stand on the sideline in high school.
Contrast that with Greenwich, which shows up with two busloads for freshman games. I asked one of the parents about the # of kids. The response was that the coach encourages all of the younger kids to stay with the program…because all kids mature at different ages and you never know from year to year who will grow.
Let the great Conference debate …. BEGIN!
And @Brian casts the first stone!
#7 – The Dude
Regarding your comment – Seymour was obviously overrated, even with Connor Shugrue at QB and Taylor Searles at RB/FL. Those were two of their top-three players and they were gone for the season after a couple of games.
Even then, Seymour would have been a mid-to-low finisher in the NVL last season.
@Remmy It all goes back to my statement here that many poll writers like to just slot in last year’s top 15 into their preseason poll votes and then let the season work it out from there, which is just asinine for too many reasons to count.
Seymour had gone to the state final the previous year, and won the title the year before so those not-in-the-know made voted and made them a Top 10.
Look, nobody’s going to ever get it completely right. Too many variables. Besides, it’s nice to see a few surprises. I’m just saying we should at least try to work out the season in our heads.
SPB, to your credit you did not have Seymour in your preseason anything last year, and I trust your first Elite 8 will be pretty solid when we look back on the year. To the majority of us posters with nothing except a rooting interest in a certain team (myself included), it seem too much to even try to work out the season in our heads before the first scrimmage. Too many unkowns.
I sense you won’t have Notre Dame or Cheshire in your top 2. Fair enough. Am I sensing vibes that you think Masuk is the top team in the state? I can’t see them not making the playoffs given the schedule they play in the SWC, but they won’t have a walk through the park in Class L this year like they did last time.
I try, but we all make mistakes. (Anyone remember Norwalk in 2008? Talk about a gut-reaction failure).
If I remember correctly SPB took the time to attend the Seymour/Shelton/Staples scrimmage last summer and could see that even before a big injuries that CATS were in a “transitional period”.
SPB – any idea what day/time the Shelton/Seymour scrimmage is this weekend?
SPB – I’ve heard alot about NDWH in the off season and over the summer. Deadly passing attack is still intact. If they put some size together on the line, they would be deserving of a #1 pick IMO. Heck, no one’s dethroned them yet and they have plenty coming back.
Is Shelton going to give out Championship Rings again this year if they “beat” Masuk in their scrimmage next week? That was totally awesome last year!
Why does West Haven get no respect?
Just don’t know enough about ‘em yet…
football,
Shelton may give out rings but its Masuk with the ringers
Seymour, Staples @ Shelton Sunday at 1PM
Conard,since the CCC Realignment in 2009,will once again most likely go 10-0 with Esposito putting up silly numbers.Now come playoff time it might be a different story.Berlin again will be a another team from the CCC to be another force to wreckin with come late November.Southington with first year coach DJ Hernandez and New Britain{a team that has NOT qualified for postseason play since Cochran left}will struggle for play in December IMO…..Lets get the season going
SCC- D 1 is just crazy… you get beat up weekly and to answer robby the westies run a whack offense .. they have tough kids every year
SPB I personally dont know one kid on our team that has quit or dropped the team because of the 400. we all found ways to get the money and pay.
We’ll have a story on pay to play in tomorrow’s Sunday Post.
Just back from Ken Strong WH scored 3 tds with first teams facing each other.Hyde literally didnt gain 10 yards in 20 or 25 offensive plays.In real game would have been over by halftime.WH has a good quarterback and some tall recievers.#14 for West haven had three long runs on sweeps.He is very fast.
Attended the Seymour, Staples @Shelton practice. Can’t get too much out of it. If anything I would say Staples is a little down. Seymour played well on defense stopping Staples in a 10 down series but their offense was slugish. Shelton looked ok on both sides on the ball. Shelton moved the ball well against Staples in a 10 down series scoring once and driving deep. Seymour stopped Staples in impressive fashion in a controlled series. Roster size: Seymour 30+,Shelton 60+ Staples 60+
How come we haven’t heard anything from Prep. The word from the Prep camp is that he doesn’t really have a game plan and is kind of loss. All those Prep parents will turn on him as fast as you can say Jesuit!!! I would like to know what is going to happen when they go 0 – 10 or 1 – 9. He still is blowing his horn and he doesn’t even have a win.
My advise to Shea is, chalk up a win first and then you can talk a little bit. It won’t be long before they will looking for Pinto.
@Steve Blowing his horn? What are you talking about?
Xavier’s Tight Ends name is Ryan Murphy not Tyler Murphy.
Apologies. Thanks!
I went to Hamden yesterday, for the Hamden, Cross, Newington scrimaage. Both Teague and Ward took their first plays for TD’s. Ward looked very good on offense and cross looks like they have a ton of athleticism on both sides of the ball. I think that Hamden will be ok, with Teague shouldering a lot of the load. They also had a couple of other players (24 and 44) who look like they can vomtribute. For what its worth they both looked better than Newington. Who other than one big play when a hamden defender slipped looked rather anemic on both sides of the ball
Austen Ahern from Xavier is spelled Austen, not Austin. thnks for the correction.
Post #23 was not too off the mark.Not sure how Conard lost to Wethersfield.I would pick Conard again in this matchup if they played Tuesday night.