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Welcome to the first day of the rest of your season.
Staples coach Marce Petroccio (left) visits with his players during a time out. The Wreckers (8-0) take on Trumbull (7-1) Saturday at 1:30 in Westport.
It’s the end of the idyllic Friday night football portion of our schedule. It’s the last regular season game without fanfare attached to it.
Aside from a few stragglers, next week is for conference championships. The week after that is Thanksgiving, the greatest day on the Connecticut sports calendar, the day where most teams play the biggest game of their season. The weeks after that are the state playoffs, and only 32 lucky teams get to participate.
This week, we set the stage for the final act of the 2010 season.
Years from now, when we look back at the records and results, when the players have moved on and the memories have faded, all we’ll have are the records.
What will the numbers next to your team tell us? How many games did you win? Were you a playoff team? Did you have a winning record? A .500 record? A losing record? Did you win any games at all?
You have two weeks left to improve your story — two weeks to turn 1-7 into a 3-7, or turn a 4-4 into a 6-4. Two weeks to turn a 7-1 into a 9-1, and get a chance to add a title next to it.
And it starts tonight.
The Week 9 primer.
If the playoffs began today (and, once again, thank God they don’t), here’s what we’d have:
CLASS LL – No. 8 West Haven (7-1) at No. 1 NFA (8-0); No. 5 Trumbull (7-1) at No. 4 Staples (8-0) // No. 6 Glastonbury (7-1) at No. 3 Hall (8-0); No. 7 Newtown (7-1) at No. 2 Xavier (8-0). Out — Southington 7-1, Conard 6-2, Pomperaug 6-2, Stamford 5-3, Greenwich 5-3, Ridgefield 5-3, Shelton 5-3…
CLASS L – No. 8 Bristol Eastern (7-1) at No. 1 Masuk (8-0); No. 5 Naugatuck (7-1) at No. 4 Wethersfield (7-1) // No. 6 Maloney (7-1) at No. 3 Hand (7-1); No. 7 Avon (7-1) at No. 2 Darien (8-0). Out — New Canaan 7-1, Windsor 6-2, Fitch 5-2, Middletown 6-2…
CLASS M – No. 8 Enfield (5-2) at No. 1 Berlin (8-0); No. 5 Coventry/Windham Tech (6-1) at No. 4 Lyman Hall (7-1) // No. 6 Brookfield (6-2) at No. 3 No. 7 Cheney Tech (5-2) at No. 2 New London (7-1). Out: Platt 6-2, Bullard-Havens 6-2, Hillhouse 5-3, Gilbert/Northwestern 5-2, Putnam/Tourtellotte/Ellis Tech 5-2, Waterford 5-3, Bethel 5-3 …
CLASS S — No. 8 Sacred Heart (6-3) at No. 1 Ansonia (9-0); No. 5 St. Joseph (6-2) at No. 4 Montville (7-1) // No. 6 Coginchaug (6-1) at No. 3 Hyde (7-0); No. 7 Woodland (6-3) at No. 2 Valley Regional/Old Lyme (8-0). Out — Cromwell 5-2, Holy Cross 5-3, Capital Prep/Classical 4-3, Oxford 5-3, North Branford 4-4…
Still plenty of football left to change these pairing dramatically. The Mad Playoff Scientist — His Madness — has been itching to get out of his cage. We’ll unleash the beast on Sunday.
Here’s what to look for …
THE BIG GAMES
West Haven at Xavier, tonight, 7 — The Westies, fighting for their playoff lives at 7-1, head right into a hornets nest at Middletown’s Palmer Field. Xavier 8-0 is pretty much a lock for the Class LL, even with one loss at this point. While critical for West Haven, the state’s eyes are on this game to see just how Xavier, the state’s No. 1-ranked team does against another first-class foe on its way to the playoffs.
Central at New Canaan, tonight, 7 — Amazing that one 2-point conversion try has put highly ranked and regarded New Canaan’s Class L hopes in jeopardy. The real culprit is NC’s schedule. Six of its seven victories have come against teams with a combined 8-40 record. The other is Greenwich (5-3) which makes New Canaan’s opponents 13-43. Three of NC’s opponents are still winless (Bassick, Seymour, Ludlowe). So NC is put in the unenviable position of needing to win out and hope it’s enough. Luckily, Central and Darien will be worth a potential 350 points. Central, meanwhile, is in a tailspin. Do the Hilltoppers have anything left to knock NC out of the race for good?
Bunnell at Brookfield, tonight, 7 — Brookfield is in decent shape in a pretty weak Class M field. Beating Bunnell and collecting its 170 points will pretty much put this group into the playoffs. Bunnell, at 6-2 is in rough shape in Class L but that’s out of their hands. This game has some SWC title game implications for Brookfield if Stratford somehow rises from the dead to beat Newtown.
Darien at Norwalk, tonight, 7 — Darien is 8-0 and one victory away from its second FCIAC championship game appearance in two years under Rob Trifone. The Blue Wave take on Norwalk, which was noisy early but quickly faded out of the limelight. Do the Bears have another upset in them? Darien has one of the region’s top defenses and a no-frills offense that just gets the job done in crunch time. FCIACs aside, the Wave must also win this game to clinch a Class L playoff berth.
Lyman Hall at North Haven, tonight, 7 – Not a game in our area, but a huge one that affects area teams. North Haven is fighting for a spot in the crowded Class L field and a victory over the 7-1 Trojans just might do the trick of putting Joe Schwab and the Indians into position for Thanksgiving. Joe and John DeSandre and Lyman Hall could use one more victory to solidify their spot in Class M. A game worth keeping an eye on.
ADD: As is this one … Holy Cross at Naugatuck, tonight 7 — The Greyhounds are 7-1 and trying to stay in the thick of said Class L race (who isn’t?). A victory also makes the NVL title game a Thanksgiving affair at Jarvis Stadium. NVL fans will be out in force for this one.
Newtown at Stratford, tonight, 7 – The 7-1 Nighthawks have gamely been hanging onto playoff hopes with a patchwork squad. Beat Stratford, and they’ll host a winner-take-all SWC title game vs. Masuk at newly renovated Blue and Gold Stadium on Thanksgiving.
Greenwich at St. Joseph, Saturday, 1:30 — A year ago, St. Joseph 
needed to sweat through its entire Thanksgiving week to see if enough broke its way to qualify for the state playoffs. This year, it’s almost no sweat at all. The Hogs, even at 6-2, are in great shape in an unsteady Class S field. They’ll improve their chances considerably by beating Greenwich for the first time in school history.
Trumbull at Staples, Saturday, 1:30 – This is the biggest FCIAC game since… um… Trumbull-Central in Week 4. It’s actually the biggest FCIAC game of the season. Until next week.
In the northeast corner, wearing the black and metallic gold pants, featuring playmaker Phil Terio, dual quarterbacks Ian Milne and Brian Gallo and a physical offensive line, are the 7-1 Trumbull Eagles. A heavyweight contender for its first FCIAC title since 2005, Trumbull looks healthy and ready for the stretch run. Trumbull has to win to get in the FCIAC game. It’s Class LL playoff hopes also depend mightily on a victory here.
In the southwest corner, wearing the blue and silver pants, featuring a physical defensive front seven of Rob Gau, Greg Lewis, Pat Murray and Chris Coyne and playmaker Tyler Jacobs, are the defending league champion, 8-0 Staples Wreckers. They’ve suffered more than their share of debilitating injuries — running back Ryan Burke in the spring, back Nick Kelly a few weeks ago, and then QB Chet Pajolek right after. A year ago, Staples slotted in a senior and reached the state title game. This year, they’re counting on a freshman, Jack Massie, Jacobs … and even Kelly — who may return from a dislocated kneecap to play this game. Staples must win to defend its FCIAC title. It can afford maybe one loss in Class LL.
Apollo, you wanna ring the bell?
“Ding. Ding.”
ON THE AIR
FRIDAY
Lyman Hall at North Haven, 7 – WELI 960-AM
Notre Dame-WH at Fairfield Prep, 6 – Sportingnewsct.com or Gogreenknights.com
Holy Cross at Naugatuck, 7 – WATR 1320-AM
Central at New Canaan, 7 — WSTC 1400-AM/WNLK 1350-AM
SATURDAY
Trumbull at Staples, — WWPT 90.3-FM
Greenwich at St. Joseph – WGCH 1490-AM
LIVE SCORING BLOG
As always, there’s no magic to this, the updates you see come from people using Twitter on their mobile phones. If you want to know how that’s done, check here (we can always use more citizen journalists, especially from people in the SWC).
Only 24 lucky teams?
While I know its not “the”game, you should have also mentioned Trinity vs Stamford. The City Chanpionship in Stamford is a very big deal, & tomorrows games should be a good one. Alot of good players on both sides, with kids that have played with or against each other since they were in 2nd grade going for bragging rites.
Show those guys some love as well….
Whoops. 32.
“It was my understanding there would be no math…”
@crusader joe – Yes, yes. I’m just trying to cover the ones with major playoff implications. Technically, every game counts. We’ve done a preview story on that game.
why do i feel like # 10 team in most polls is favorite over #1 Xavier?
FCIAC fans can talk and rave about thier league all they want.Class L champ will be either Masuk or Hand who is best team I saw all year.Class LL will be Xavier or West Haven
Look at SPB’s Elite 8 – Staples at #2, other FCIAC teams are 3, 4, 6, and 8. Staples regular season schedule includes exactly one of those opponents (#6 Trumbull). The Wreckers may also play #3 New Canaan or #4 Darien in the league title match – a game that won’t count for CIAC playoff purposes. So, according to SPB’s ranking, Staples definitely does not play anything close to the best competition IN THEIR OWN LEAGUE.
Now it’s easy to flip that and say that the reason there are so many FCIAC teams in the Elite 8 is precisely because they largely avoid playing each other.
Now look at the SWC: After Masuk, you have 3 SWC teams in the “Just missed” category… Newtown, Bunnell, and Pomperaug. The first 2 played, but Pomperaug plays neither of the other two. Again, you have a situation where all of the best teams don’t play each other. This makes for an abundance of non-competitive games.
*Please note, dear reader, that this is no commentary on whether Staples or Masuk might be the best team in the state, or might be capable of winning a state championship.
This is why the SCC earns the designation as the “Best League” – because the top teams all stand up and say “We are going to play each other”. It’s ultra competitive, and it’s fair.
To weigh in on the 2009 vs 2010 strength of season, I come out clearly on the 2009 side. If we played 2009 over again, either of NC, Staples, Central, Ridgefield, or Greenwich would have a decent shot of winning the FCIACS or States. If we replayed this year, it would just be between NC, Staples, and Darien.
NC’s offense is again high-powered, but the defense was better last year; if not for one wildly windy rainy day… Staples had a big-play offense last year and a lights-out defense, compared to an average offense and “just” an excellent (but still flawed) defense this year. Ridgefield dominated everyone but Staples in ’09. This year the wheels fell off after losing again to Staples. Central had an incredible group of athletes last year. This year, still good, but not great. Greenwich kept losing games by a point or two in 2009. This year they are being dominated.
BTW, to the Xavier assistant who says “How do you like our offense now?” how about asking “Whoever accused West Haven of having a defense?”
SPB we need to fix this. New Canaan is going to ho 9-1 and not qualify for states with 1 loss when teams with worse records are going to make it. New Canaan crushed central tonight and actually fell from 10 to 11 is the state playoff race. Tell me how this makes any sense to you. A 1 point loss is going to keep one of the best teams in the state out of title contention. Absolutly absurd.
@Truth – Preliminary calculations say NC will get in by beating Darien
NC is an unstoppable machine! Im sure that Staples and Trumbull are happy they dont have to play them this week. NC #1 Team in the State!!!
Had a conversation with a NC father last night at the game about the best QBs in the State. He had me thinking when i left the game. New Canaan’s Matt Milano may be one of the best if not the best quarter back in the State. I watched him last night and for the first time all year i was awe struck with what a high school quarter back could do. he looks from receiver to receiver trying to find the open man. I looked on the Maxpreps to check his stats early this morning and saw that he has thrown for more yards and touchdowns then both the Masuk QB Cochran and the St. Joe’s QB Della Veccia. And if i remember correctly for the first 5 games of the year he was done in the first quarter or first half. it was really eye opening to me. He is definitely an All-State kid. 30 passing touchdowns and 4 rushing through 9 games. I think that he is a kid that has to be mentioned with the Elite CT QBs now for sure.
p.s. we had an early dinner before the game and if you are ever in new Canaan for food you must go to Ching’s Table and get the Sechuan Dumplings or Sesame Chicken…unbelievable, best food i have ever had.
@NC Rules- NC is looking great right now. Very impressive. Arguably the best team in the league. Rams are certainly playing like they can BEAT the #1 team in the state, which IMO, is Masuk. The strange thing? NC might play Masuk in the first round (quarterfinals) of the Class L playoffs. I’m sure Masuk is thrilled about that draw! Sarcasm. It will be the best quarterfinal game in the history of CIAC football (even though it’s the first year of the quarterfinal system…LOL! Seriously, I doubt there will be another quarterfinal match-up between two great teams like this in the next 25 years) However, there’s very little chance NC can finish the year #1.
@Quail- thanks for the tip on the Sesame Chicken. My favotite dish. But all those new restaurants in New Canaan–kind of out of my price range. I’m more of an Uncle Joe’s guy.
As far as Milano is concerned, yes, he is having an amazing year. And NC gets him back next year, too! I think he has better touch on his ball than Turner Baty had. I know that sounds strange. Baty was a thrower. Milano is a passer. Call me crazy, but dare I say, Milano is better. I’d like to see if he can run, though. He did a few times in big spots vs. St. Joe’s, which was nice. He doesn’t seem like he likes too. Sometimes you have to if the other teams bring heat. Anywway, if NC plays Masuk, the Rams must put pressure on Cochran. You can’t give him time to throw. But, first, NC has to get by a very good Darien team. Get there early. Very early. I’m not kidding. There’s going to be alot of people standing at Darien High School on Thanksgiving morning. More than most people expect.
how can new caanan be no.1 when they have 1 loss?
hate to clip your wings quail,but the best qb and receiver for that matter play for sacred heart.it might sound crazy till you see them.
Judging from the voices of those who vote in the three statewide polls, Hyde is a highly-regarded team (Hyde is in two of the state’s top tens). And Hyde deserves to be such a highly-regarded team, because Hyde is a good team.
But Coginchaug is better.
ray brown its hard to say that their is a wideout in CT better then Macari. You can make an arguement for a better QB but not a better wideout. MAcari might be the best player in the state.
hey ray we saw vs woodland the best qb is at sj no question be objective when you watch the game will ya
Got so quiet – where is everyone??
macari is the the best player in the state of connecticut.
I hate the 50 point rule.
Any who – enjoy the crow and humble pie! Come on down to watch the pride of Trumbull at FCIACs.
make sure to invite Coach Hoctor and his Stamford High Black Knights to your tailgate party.
Kudos to THS they played tough today and it really never should have gotten to that point. Not sure what Trumbull’s coaching staff was thinking throwing the ball on 2nd down late?? Just becuase the detroit lions did it last week doesn’t mean THS should follow suite. I will take 2 things with me from this game.
1) Staples is good. very limited play selection due to the injuries at QB and RB. The Freshman is going to be really good. The kid has an unreal arm for 14 years old. Touch will come in time. They have to win at Greenwich, if not, no shot with 2 losses. not enough points from other opponents.
2) THS is a strange group. Some weeks they look real good and others they do just enough to get by it seems. With the size and phsicality they have they could win LL. They wear u down up front but coach maffai is past pluto. Where was Terio today? They threw 4 passes to him. 2 on WR screens and 2 meaningless ones before the half. Get him touches !! More than enough talent their to do a lot more on offense then they call. Against teams that can score they will need to open it up. Against Darien on Friday I would run play action to terio on my first play from scrimmage.
Even with a loss to Joes, THS is in good shape to grab a LL birth.
Pat – everyone is invited! Don’t be such a sour puss – that was a big win for Stamford!
New Canaan offense vs Darien defense
I see two problems for Darien:FIRST- Darien has the championship game against a physical Trumbull team, if they survive that(win or lose) Darien only has five days to get ready for NC.SECOND- NC can score in in bunches and quick,if Darien can’t control the clock they will not out score NC.Just a side note, Darien is in the states, NC needs this win to have a chance to continue it’s season.Should be a great game.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Congradulations to Trumbull!!! You guys should be very proud of how you responded back after Stamford, and you guys stepped up in a big game. Staples, its tough to do it with a freshman running your offense. Hang in there your still playing for a lot on thanksgiving. Dont let this loss ruin a shot at states, because perhaps you can get your revenge there. Give a hand to both staffs for a classy game being called. everyone one of those coaches should be very proud of their kids whether they won or lost. Great game to watch!!! FCIAC Championship game should be very interesting with two evenly matched teams. could go either way. to all the kids at staples, rest up and get healthy and battle Greenwich on Turkey Day. Congrats to NC for the handling of Central. Rest up and win on Turkey Day and you will get a chance at 5 in a Row…”One For The Thumb” as they say in Pittsburg. We are in for a fun week on the blogs. Can not wait to see the Elite 8 this coming week and hearing all the heated debates. Have a great Weekend everyone!
Oh and congrats to Ludlowe and Trinity…Bassick keep at it you have a shot this next one.
I sense everybody’s kind of wiped out. I know I am. Posts/Recaps later today.
I sense everybody’s kind of wiped out. I know I am. Posts later today.
trumbull will whip dasriens butt for fciacs! Darien plays nobody! westhill ffld warde.blabla..going to get there butts handed to them when they arrice at dougal stadiuim freiday the 19th! o bye the way stop trying to get game transfeered darien! it has been vited to play at ths weeks ago so stop crying and tryingto get your always :”darien way” not happenening! so,go and get your asses whipped like your supposeto! hahaha onward top soldier marhces ths rt to states! onward and pull the ship into port men! here we go!!!! yeaha!
trumbull rules!!!! onward top soldiers!!!! whip darien adn onto states!!!! c.d.$44!!! pullthe ship into port!!!! here we go…just wish coach nafoo called better playss!!!!!stop your chewing andget wuth us iin the game man! make the coirrect call fore oncew!!!you go girl~ mafoo for president and coach oif nebraska!!! yeahhlaaa
Jeez SPB… dont you ever sleep
MasukRules
“I hate the 50 point Rule”
@MasukRules
I hate that Masuk (or SWC, take your pick) schedules Immaculate and Weston.
Trumbull played a tremendous game yesterday DESPITE their coach nearly allowing this game to enter into overtime. You DO NOT pass the ball when you are up by 8 and the clock is under 2:30. Staples would have gotten the ball back with less than a minute if you run the ball on second down instead of risking an incomplete pass or,heaven forbid, an interception. Maffei would have needed a police escort to protect him from the Trumbull fans had Staples pulled that one out.
Congrats to both the Trumbull and Staples players. That was a great game to be at!!!!
THS is verty good, there is no doubt that they are well balanced and also a tough group. They went blow for blow with a great Staples team so hats are off, they got it done. Great 2 minute drive by Staples with no time outs and thanks go to the Trumbull coach giving Staples 2 mins unstead of approx. 50 seconds or something, how can you pass in that situation if you are Trumbull??
Nice that Trumbull has the FCIAC champs on their own turf, seems crazy but I’m sure Darien will fans will come up in droves so whatever.
For all the people that say FCIAC Champs means nothing and it is all about States (which is a joke BTW)we’ll go with that now because this team is far from done!Turkey Day in Greenwich…high school football at its greatest!
Weston would beat half of the FCIA schools. At least.
Trumbull teams of years past would have lost yesterdays game.Maybe its because they are healthy this year,but the stars have aligned for them to make a run at it,provided they beat st joes(tall task).
Darien and trumbull should be a similar score as the staples trumbull game,whoever makes the least mistakes wins,then maybe darien will get some respect after the game.
One more thing,not to take away from ncanaan because they are playing at a super high level at the right time,but central still hung 28 on them without at least 3-4 starters(like i said last week),im not saying they win with those starters but 28 points could have been 42 with their lineup in tact.
@Ruler
Central had 135 yards rushing and two touchdowns against New Canaan in the first four minutes of the game. A switch to Hanratty in the middle stopped Central the rest of the way. Central is good and took advantage of New Canaans defense. The Rams have given up 48 points in their past two games. The good thing is New Canaan can ouscore you
If this game was played under last years conditions then Cental would have beaten New Canaan and New Canaan would have beaten last years Central team if the conditions were like Friday night.
After the first drive when Staples scored, THS controlled the game and exposed Staples’ prime weakness which I pointed out weeks ago: team speed. Sure they have some quick kids, but once again, especially at receiver, had no ability to strike quickly. The Freshman kid is truly amazing but Staples kept the wraps on him most of the game. Judging by some passes that should have been caught, it’s no wonder they pass so little.
Staples seemed totally unprepared for Milne’s ability to run the ball. Apparently they were so concerned with Terio that they didn’t have anyone spy on the QB. Milne shredded Staples’ pass defense throwing underneath almost exclusively. The fact Staples stayed close is a testament to the kids who kept believing until the very end. Sometimes a loss can make you stronger since coaches often refuse to acknowledge obvious flaws when you keep winning.
On that given day, I think NC would have torched Staples as likely would have Darien with their passing attack. Nevertheless, when the weather turns cold, the wind blows, rain/sleet/snow appears, Staples stands to greatly benefit with their defense and ball-control offense. As for Trumbull, the way the Freshman shredded Trumbull on that last drive, the only time Staples really tried to pass consistently, I’d give Darien who has a good passing attack the advantage next Friday.
Gutfeel-
As has been documented here many times, the FCIAC Championship game is nothing but an EXHIBITION, between two good football teams. It does not necessarily decide who is the “best” team in the league or who has/will have the “best season.” Look at Staples and New Canaan last year. Any coach or player in the UNITED STATES of AMERICA would rather have their season end with a state championship/no conference title rather than no state championship/a conference title. Staples had a great season, but New Canaan had the better season. That’s why states are played on the LAST day of the season, and FCIAC’s don’t even count in the playoff standings.
By the way, I know MANY people (outside of New Canaan) who think NC is clearly the best team in the league right now. And with very good reason. But the FCIAC doesn’t have a good system to determine a “true” league champion. And, as I said above, it doesn’t matter. You don’t hear any NC fans complaining about not being in the FCIACs. NC has won MANY FCIACs. They want to win the BIG prize.
If you think Staples’ biggest game last year was against Central at Trumbull High, that is very said. It was against Chesire at West Haven High with the WHOLE STATE watching.
You can’t change your tune now, just to change your season’s needs after you lose a game. NC is ALWAYS about state championships, even though they’ve won PLENTY of FCIACs.
Weston has won 5 games so far this year.
Newt, you are entitled to your opinion, but to players, league championships are extremely important. Staples didn’t view its victory last year as merely an exhibition, and I’m New Caanan didn’t feel that way either when it won in 2008. And comparing league championships vs. state championships in CT football to league championships vs. the national championship in the NCAA is comparing apples and oranges. A big league like the FCIAC has almost as many teams as a state class (LL, L, etc) has, though this is less true now that the number of classes has been reduced. Additionally, the FCIAC is usually more competitive than many of the classes (like the old MM, for example), so it could easily be argued that in some cases, an FCIAC title is more impressive than a state one. In the NCAA, a typical conference may have a dozen teams, compared to over one hundred nationally, so clearly winning the national title is more of an accomplishment.
Take last season’s final rankings. Staples finished ahead of New Caanan in every major state poll despite the fact that New Caanan won its class title and Staples didn’t. To the voters, Staples was clearly a better team, and this was based largely on its gut-wrenching victory over Central, a team that annihilated New Caanan.
But I digress. The point is that people can argue on this blog all they want about the importance of league titles, (the practicality of them in light of the expanded playoff format is a separate issue), but to the players and coaches, a league title will always be an treasured, highly sought-after accomplishment.
Lastly, I don’t see how you can call New Caanan the best team in the league when it lost to St. Joes.
That’s the point…there IS NO best team in the league under the current playoff format. Don’t you see that? How can there be when the league championships are played BEFORE some of the biggest matchups of the year…on Thanksgiving? NC-Darien–/Staples-Greenwich. There are huge advantages built into the schedules for these teams, when thesre big games don’t come until AFTER the league championship game has alreay been played! It’s always going to be a debate. It’s silly.
We should just give the title to Darien…weren’t they the only team in the league to go through the conference unbeaten? Why play this game? It’s about money. It’s an exhibition.
As far as NC-St. Joe is concerned, NC is PLAYING like they are the best out of any team in the league right now. St. Joe was better on that day….and the coach making a stupid choice (he will even tell you that now) of going for 2 at the end of the game cost his team. I think NC would beat Staples by two touchdowns (at least) because Staples cannot keep trading touchdown with NC’s offensive attack. NC-Trumbull would be a great game. And I think NC is going to beat Darien. So there you have it.
New Canaan has won MANY FCIAC titles…more than Staples has. And when they beat Darien in 2008, it was for the #1 ranking in the state, not just a conference title. It was their arch-rival on Turkey Day. It was about getting the No. 1 seed in Class MM that year, which was easily the top division in the state, with the top 3 teams in the state all in NC’s Class MM…NC, Darie, and Hillhouse. They just happened to be playing for the FCIAC title that day. New Canaan, my favorite team, places much more emphasis on winning the states, even though we have won 3 FCIAC titles in the last decade alone. We’re going for 5 state titles in a row this year, and look forward to a LOADED Class L.
If a kid prefers an FCIAC championship game title over a STATE title, than that poor kid has never left Fairfield County. Wait until he leave this place or the state. People in Oklahoma and Florida are laughing right now and saying “You’d rather win a ‘how do you say it EF-CEE-ACK’ over a STATE title?” Are you nuts??!?”
FCIAC is nice little treat, but the nation cares about who wins the state championships. If a stranger walks into your high school gymnasium, they are gonna have NO CLUE what a FCIAC title is. LOL. But everybody in this country is going to know what a state championship is…no matter what Class or whether somebody on a message board thinks it was easier to win than some league title.
And also, not that polls matter, but more sportswriters from Fairfield County voted NC HIGHER than Staples on the final vote last year. And they cover these teams on a weekly basis. Not all, but most. One popular blog for the league documented that well. Also, Staples fumbled inside the 10 on their last play, so of COURSE you can’t drop them so low…you can’t drop them far because of one play.
Anyway, I’d think anyone sane would agree–New Canaan had the better 2009, becuase New Canaan’s season ended in a state championship. Staples’ season ended without one. THAT’S the bottom line.
fciacfootballfan1:
you are the only one who thinks that a league trophy is better than a state ring. a league title is nice and everybody would like one but in the end players and coaches know whats important. find something else to talk about.
I can’t understand how many Fciac fans think their league title is more important than the state title. It might be more fun because its usually a game played when no other games are going on and you have a big crowd. But common sense should win out. Do you really think that Ansonia or Masuk think that their league titles matter more than states. Get a life!!
Ask Trumbull or Darien right now if you had to win one title this year would you rather win the League title or the states? Enough said!!
I’ll take the state championship over a conference championship any day? Do you think Auburn is more interested in the SEC champinship than the national title?
I understand the bragging rights that come along with a conference championship, but my guess if that if you asked the players they would tell you a state championship trumps the conference title.
In post #33 does thsfan make a hidden threat at Matakevich? c.d.$44. I think he meant to write #44. C.D. must stand for cut down. Just my thoughts
@What!!! — That’s “BigTony” … I think I’ll have to ban him entirely now.
I just read post # 33 ok WTF is he saying or trying to say? Anyone???
Did he go to Trumbull High School? God I hope not!
You guys are not getting it…OF COURSE a State title is more important than a FCIAC title but you all hoot and holler for whatever you win. If you win the FCIAC and happen to loose in States then it is ALL about how great the FCIAC title was that year and no word about States. Just own up to your thoughts before the season rather than after you don’t make the FCIAC title game. I’m pretty sure that THS and Darien are pretty happy to be “exhibitors” this Friday night.
@Gutfeel…
No..YOU don’t get it. It was well-documented HERE on this message board two years ago and in several newspaper articles going back since the 1980′s that schools like New Canaan always prefer the STATE title. NC doesn’t lose too many FCIAC games by the way, and they are in more of them than anyone! (other than Greenwich) They also hardly ever lose state games. Every NC fan on this board has OWNED up to this fact BEFORE each season has ever started. NC plays for STATES.
And of course Trumbull and Darien are happy to play an extra exhibition game, none of those kids have ever won a title, of ANY kind. Not knocking them, just a fact. Not hooting for whatever we win. But NC’s goals are different…big fish-big pond, over big fish-small pond.
We own up EVERY YEAR BEFORE the season starts, Gutfeel…maybe you’re just not around when we do. Friday night I will be there to watch two excellent teams play a game…something the FCIAC needs with its awful schedule. Just a game between two good teams.
But no team says “let’s just win a league banner!” LOL…You play for the states…thats is every GOOD TEAM’s goal before the year.
Just as New Canaan. They do just fine winning states….their main goal, and the big prize.