With its 42-0 ‘showcase’ game vs. Pomperaug, Masuk retains the top spot in the regional Elite 8 for Week 3.
Masuk put on a clinic for the defending SWC champions and the casual observers in attendance at Arum Field. In addition to the five touchdowns Casey Cochran threw, Masuk saw no less than four receivers pile up big yards and saw the true potential of junior back Colin Markus emerge in this one. And the defense forced three turnovers and, outside of one 45-yard pass to Matt Paola, held Pomperaug to a measly 22 yards of offense on 31 plays.
Yikes.
The only thing stopping Masuk at this point is itself. Perhaps a dozen penalties were called on the Panthers, nullifying several big plays, including Markus’ long TD run in the second quarter. It’s nothing a season can’t fix. And it’s only Week 2.
They’re among the top 3 or 4 teams in the state at this point. For more, watch Masuk vs. Pomperaug: The Movie! below.
Rounding out the Elite 8: Staples took down Norwalk and remains a strong No. 2. New Canaan fits perfectly at No. 3 with a strong second-half effort vs. Trinity Catholic. Because we haven’t seen them play anyone of consequence yet, Central stays in at No. 4.
No. 5 we’ll stick with Notre Dame-West Haven, with potential to move up based on this week’s results.
Despite some struggles with Danbury, we’re going with Darien at No. 6 because of defense. Ridgefield, which has made mince meat of its first two opponents, debuts in the Elite at No. 7. And, finally, we’re adding Bunnell to No. 8 above several good candidates.
Trending up: Bethel, which pushed Newtown around despite missing four or five regular starters, returns among the ‘Missed’ …Wilton, which did the same to ailing St. Joseph, pops in as well. We threw West Haven in there based solely on record and because they’re a good bet to be 3-0 after this weekend. Shelton returns for its dominant effort vs. SCC Division II Sheehan. We think they’re a good match for the Green Knights Friday night.
Trending down: Newtown. Pomperaug. St. Joseph.
Staying Put: Wilbur Cross (Ward’s great, but where’s the defense?); Oxford (Strong victory over New Fairfield. Stratford up next); Ansonia (Montrell Dobbs is on the short list of top regional backs); Trumbull (Played much better vs. Westhill than they did in beating Wilton).
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Below, we present MASUK AT POMPERAUG: THE MOVIE here instead of a separate post. Enjoy.
What will the CT Post and SPB ever write about now that St Joes has fallen off the Elite 8? Surely you could spin that into an article – the heartbreak of it all? Maybe you can arrange a rematch….
Just trying to be helpful…. wink wink!
Oh hardy, har-har. Easy. I wrote one post and then a paragraph. Not my fault one of my colleagues went nuts.
how about some respect for trumbull
Trumbull’s in there.
I saw them agaisnt bunnell and they beat wilton who beat st joes. there pretty darn good
Barely….
We don’t count controlled scrimmages. …Penalties, turnovers and other mistakes almost cost Trumbull the Wilton game. They’re mentioned, but don’t deserve a Top 8 right now.
how do you figure that even after all those turnovers and penalties-Trumbull still WON the game!
@THS Fan … They played awful and won in spite of themselves. Doesn’t bode well. Sorry. Win some more games.
SPB – in full agreement on Trumbull. They are due for their mid-season, annual collapse. Maybe this year won’t be the same. Try beating Central and then some respect will come the THS way.
Great job Bulldogs, keep up the hard work. Over 100 points scored in the first 2 weeks. It’s terrific to see Bunnell. back in the “GREAT 8″. Boley you’re the man (for now at least) The showdown in stratford is looming in week 5.
Whatever you do, dont’ tell Masuk its a “showdown” they tend to take it personally.
More likely they just consider the rest of the SWC as a warm-up for December with all the talent they have.
West Haven beat Cross by 4 tds last year and they are much better this year.So far James Ward has played 2 slow teams .Lets see what happens when they play Xavier,WH,NDwh,Cheshire..You got to be nuts grouping Oxford,Bethel,and Wilton in same breath as WH.Do youy go to any games other than Masuk?
@EarlL As with Trumbull, Westies haven’t shown us anything yet. First game was kind of bleah. They’re in the discussion. Be happy.
@EearL – don’t waste your breath on SPB – he is stubborn! All his picks are falling off the chart week after week and he refuses to put the #1 West Haven and #2 Trumbull teams from the LL standings in.
I don’t understand the West Haven bandwagon. They beat a rebuilding Amity team by 2 points and a D2 team.
And didn’t we go down this road with Trumbull last year? They’ll be a .500 team at the end of the year.
@THS Fan – The CIAC rankings offer no insight after just two weeks.
Dude maybe so but at least we don’t cry when we lose!
SPB knows High School Football.I will also concur that by seasons end neither Trumbull nor West Haven will be in any of the polls top 10.Trumbull MAY slide into one of the 8 LL postseason spots while the Westies are a long shot if they do not improve rapidly.
And, may I add so you @High School Football Fan … Again, Trumbull’s win over Wlton was pretty ugly. Westies didn’t show much vs. Amity. We’re waiting to see some more from those teams. They’re in the discussion. Just haven’t proved they’re boss yet. These are evolving rankings.
Anyway, I think Ridgefield would have done something along the lines of 2-3 losses, maybe 4 if last year’s team played the SCC D1 schedule from last year. Of course, this year might be a different story. I’m thinking Ridgefield’s better than most of D1 (excluding Xavier, ND, maybe Cheshire. We’ll see vs. Cross. Tough to go down to New Haven (from Ridgefield, no less) in the afternoon and play ball on the slow turf at the WCAC. Should be a great game. We’ll see where Cross is at that point.
Bunnell has so many weapons this year that I suspect they will stay in the “elite 8″ – saw both games and the teamwork displayed was exceptional.
Hey let’s see what happens – we can always circle back after the fact! Just remember “no one likes a know-it-all” and blogs don’t play high school football games. The facts are the facts did i mention Trumbull is #1 in the FCIAC playoff race……
THS’s remaining schedule includes; Norwalk, Central, Greenwich, Stamford, Danbury, Ridgefield, Staples and SJ.
Realistically, can a 3 loss team qualify in LL, or will they need to finish with 2 or less?
Guys –
Here is the summary in case you missed it
Team FCIAC Points Average
Trumbull
2-0 220 110.0
Darien 2-0 210 105.0
Staples 2-0 210 105.0
Bridgeport Central
2-0 200 100.0
Dr. Football – realistically which of those teams do you see beating Trumbull?
@THS Fan … Again, these rankings mean nothing after two games. It just means Trumbull’s two opponents so far have won more games (2) than Darien’s two opponents (1), Staples’s two opponents (1) and Central’s (0).
WOW SPB – maybe we should just use your rankings to decide who should play in the FCIAC and States – this goes deeper than we thought…..
…and according to you, we should put Trumbull in the state title game because they lead the FCIAC standings after Week 2. Sorry dude. They’re not an elite team yet. Beat Central, Ridgefield and Staples. Then they’ll have our utmost attention.
THS Fan needs to relax. Yes, we all have heard that Trumbull has a contender. We have heard this every year for the last 5 or 6 and no trips to the rose garden. Beat some good teams and get to the “LL” play-offs and Trumbull will get plenty of respect. I still can’t understand how they are not competing for an FCIC championship or states at least every other year. This is a big school, with a strong football tradition and a good feeder program. Give me some answers – please! And oh yeah….a la ray brown…they can legally recruit from other towns with the AG program.
SPB – no reason to get your underwear in a knot – i am just stating the facts!
@ Dr Von You may be right its looking that Trumbull needs to do the following to finish in the LL top 8.That “May” I posted above is a little bit optimistic thinking.
I am thinking that these teams will have the best chance to defeat the Eagles:
Central,Staples
These 2 are pick um’s and are crucial to make states{Most Likely need both}
Ridgefield,SJ.
Games they should be favorites to win:
Norwalk,Greenwich, Stamford, Danbury,
Hey we all want to win – we’re not complaining, we don’t have all the answers! Heck, it took one school 19 years to win. It is what it is!
@THS Fan – You know it’s been 24 years, right?
Year Sport Class Champion Runner-up Score
1997 Football LL Cheshire Trumbull 34-12
1995 Football LL Shelton Trumbull 14-7
1986 Football L-I Trumbull Notre Dame-West Haven 27-9
1985 Football L-I Trumbull Glastonbury 27-21 (OT)
1981 Football L-I Greenwich Trumbull 14-0
1977 Football LL Trumbull Hamden 21-20
1976 Football LL Fitch Trumbull 29-7
that does not look right – i could be wrong but i thought we lost to X at some point? in the 2000′s
Trumbull lost to Xavier, 20-7 in the state semifinals of 2005 at Palmer Field. I was there. Very winnable game for Trumbull. Too many penalties and too much Amarie Spievey in the 2nd half
I should have listed the source as the CIAC website. The search function only lists Champion/runner-up.
I knew the other know-it-all would chime in Dr. Football. Of course he has to throw in some negative comments!
#16- THS Fan.
You know how you know Playoff standings mean nothing after two weeks? Currently RHAM is listed in the Class L playoffs, and New Canaan and Bunnell are out.
Sucks for New Canaan and Bunnell!
THS is an idiot, trumbull isnt a good program they havent really been anywhere in the past ten years so quite bitching about how trumbull isnt up there, because they dont deserve it
Masuk is here to stay at #1.
now masuk is a real program they had a set back last year but thats one year and they still went 9-2
If sj beats darien are they back in the race… i dont think darien has proven anything by beating up on warde and danbury… very winable game for sj
Before I can put Trumbull into the mix they have to beat somebody worthy. Circle the date 10/15 Friday night at Greenwich. Greenwich is down this year due to both talent and injury. To have any shot at states, THS has to win this game since Central, Staples, Ridgefield, and Joes are still on the schedule.They would have to split those 4 games to have any chance at LL. Everyone knows I’m a huge greenwich fan and I’m telling u GHS will be a lot better by 10/15 then they are now if they can get a few kids back at the skilled positions especially the QB. They play Harding (not sure why) then Danbury at home before THS comes calling. If they get to 3-1 when trumbull comes in Trumbull should be very very nervous of the game. If THS wins they have a shot, if they lose to greenwich they will finish 5-5.
sooooo wait…. xavier beats NDWH, and then move to 2-0 after week 2, and still aren’t on the list, and NDWH is #5?
Curious to see if Trumbull is going to compete over the course of a season this year. The program has unfortunately lost some of it’s luster in the recent years. Is the training and prep been what it once was under the coach whom their field is named after? Is chicken salad being turned into chicken *&^%?
Maybe things will be different this year?
@steven – these are regional rankings. South-West CT. Half of the SCC and the NVL north of Woodland are not included. We let the polls rank the rest of the state.
Sean…..are you joking with this list. How do you not include Cheshire? They beat Cross last year, killed Shelton, got beat by a late score by Notre Dame in a down to the wire game, killed West Haven, and oh yeah beat your #2 Staples for the LL state title. This list is a joke, joke, joke!!!!
@RamFan …Read what it says: This is a *regional* list. CTPost region only goes as far northeast as Hamden/New Haven. You honestly thought this was my state top 10?
Let’s not push it Bowley – you can’t even get the regional list right let alone the state list?
SPB,
I didn’t notice that. I was reading your paper today and getting all fired up. Your paper had tons of games and not ours. Now I understand. Not affraid to admit I was wrong.
@RamFan – No worries. I’m thinking we should expand the list a tad more. This isn’t 1995.
I’ll be sure to check out your blogs and coverage. Hope to see it expand.
We get far too many complaints about this. Maybe next year, we’ll change the Elite 8 to include all of SCC & NVL. I don’t know. …There are enough polls to reflect the Top 10, so we don’t see the point in doing state-wide ranks.
because this regional list means nothing, thats why a state poll has more validity.
ramfan…are you clueless or just out of shape like the rams….please
Do you not recall staples scoring 30 points on xavier…hmmm you scored 7 last night.
After this week these names will be more familiar to you experts.Kevin and Ervin Phillips,Malik Douglas,Gerardus Barnes,Nick Nieves.Look out Sean Goldrich.West Haven starters have given up 6 pts in 3 games.
That Phillips name has been around for awhile in a Westie Uniform,I think I should remember it after all the past years.