Nobody should have expected many surprises from ye ol’ NHR Media Poll, which was released just an hour ago:
Xavier, the two-time defending Class LL champions, winners of 26-straight games, straight outta the SCC, etc. etc., was voted the preseason No. 1.
Shocker.
Yes, Xavier lost 19 seniors from last year’s team and enter 2012 as an entirely new team. But it still has Boston College commit Tim Boyle, it has tailback DeAngelo Berry, it still looks like an all-star team out of Middlesex-Hartford. It looks poised to do it all all over again.
At least, that’s what 24 state voters think.
Staples, your hands-down FCIAC favorite and last year’s Class LL runner-up, chimes in at No. 2. The Wreckers got two first-place votes.
Hand, the defending Class L champ, is No. 3. The Tigers also got two first-place votes.
And Ansonia, last year’s NVL and Class M champions who are back in Class S this season, were ranked No. 4.
Defending Class S champion and NVL runner-up Holy Cross does not appear in the Top 10. The Crusaders earned enough votes for an 18th-place rank.
The remainder of the poll is a crapshoot, basically. Berlin, Ledyard and Windsor received a fair amount of preseason chatter, so into the poll they go.
2012 Preseason High School Football Media Poll
Other teams receiving votes: Masuk (11-1), 210; West Haven (7-3), 200; Southington (6-4), 151; Darien (8-2), 143; North Branford (9-2), 133; Newtown (9-3), 117; Glastonbury (8-3), 99; Holy Cross (12-2), 92; Shelton (8-2), 82; Cromwell (10-3) and New London (9-2), 55; North Haven (9-2), 45; Farmington (9-1), 36; Norwich Free Academy (7-3), 33; Bunnell (8-2), 29; St. Joseph (4-6), 27; Hall (9-2), 25; Notre Dame-West Haven (8-3) and Ridgefield (8-3), 20; Brookfield (5-5) and Torrington (7-3), 18; Norwalk (9-2) and Trumbull (2-7), 11; Wolcott (8-4), 10; Cheshire (5-5), 9; New Britain (6-4), 8; Hyde (4-6), Middletown (6-4), Montville (6-4), Pomperaug (8-2) and Woodland (6-4), 7.
Your 2012 Connecticut media voting roll: Marc Allard, Norwich Bulletin; Bob Barton, New Haven Register; Bill Bloxsom, Hersam-Acorn; Sean Patrick Bowley, Connecticut Post; Don Boyle, Sporting News CT; Jim Bransfield, Middletown Press; Chris Brodeur, Danbury News-Times; Bryant Carpenter, Meriden-Record Journal; George DeMaio, WELI; Mike DiMauro, The Day of New London; Matt Doran, MSG Varsity; Tom Evans, Norwalk Hour; Ned Griffen, The Day of New London; John Holt, WFSB-3; Mark Jaffee, Waterbury Republican-American; Ken Lipshez, Patch/West Hartford News; Mike Madera, Elm City Newspapers; Joe Morelli, New Haven Register; Dave Phillips, Shore Line Newspapers; Mike Pucci, New Haven Register; Dave Ruden, Stamford Advocate; Tom Yantz, Hartford Courant; Mike Wollschlager, New Haven Register; Jimmy Zanor, Shore Line Newspapers.
Questions? Comments? Fire away.
We’ll be posing our first batch of previews tonight.
Did anyone see The Don Bosco vs. Gilman game on t.v. last night. Two good teams but if Don Bosco, who lost, is the best team in the country then the USA should drop football.
After the buildup about Don Bosco I was very disappointed. They were dominated on both sides of the ball and the other team was much faster.
NC should be top 2-3
@Jay – Should change your name to NC RULES!!!
(blog joke)
Things will change over the season. This poll is interesting, but is only the current opinion
As most know the last two years I’ve touted XHS as the #1 team and it wasn’t close. This year, compare the X-men to last years Masuk team. If you liked Masuk that’s what X brings. Capable on scoring 40 pts on anyone. Also capable of giving up 20+ most nights. The days of shutouts and 7 or less in almost every game are over.
NC’s schedule is awful. No Greenwich, Staples or Ridgefield. They could end with a very good record and L seed but not be a very good team. They are always well coached and will always be in the mix but they are not a top 3 team in the state by far.
The biggest wildcard here is Windsor. They always have size and speed but lack coaching in my opinion. I still have flashbacks to the State Semi vs NC last year. The play calling was pitiful for Windsor and really the game should not have been close and yet they lost do to execution. I say Xavier Staples in LL and Hand vs Windsor in L. I’m not ready to write off Masuk yet either.
@Brian – The FCIAC scheduling is a joke. There, I said it.
OK, following that “Masuk-circa2011″ analogy … does that mean Hand beats Xavier this year by something like 35-14? Ugh, you better tell those X-WRs not to put their heads on a swivel and grow aligator arms like Masuk did!
Couldn’t agree more. If they went large and Small like SCC I could stay in FFLD County each Friday night to watch enough good games instead of sitting on 95 traffic at $5 a gallon to get to SCC games!
@Brian – Windsor should be good this year – don’t forget in that game last year, many of those NC kids had been there before and the defense and special teams of NC won that game. I suspect Windsor will be a much better and tougher out come playoffs…their coach needs to take points when he can..I think NC will surprise becaus ethey have an easy schedule, many of the no names will get experience and grow…by year end they will pound darien in the annual turkey shoot and make a run to the final vs Windsor
If the FCIAC dropped the league title game, it could move to the D1 & D2 approach. But I don’t see that happening … the FCIAC likes to crown a champ and likely always will. The scheduling tries to be decently balanced every 2 year cycle, but sometimes schools have stronger-than-normal or weaker-than-normal years.
Also, another point to consider … how often is Hand and Xavier going to play each other? I don’t believe it is every year. But at least in the FCIAC, the best two teams do play each other every year.
JB, just so you aren’t misinformed, the SCC Scheduling process has had Hand facing X 5 times in the last 9 years. X has won 2, Hand has won 2, and the fifth will be decided this year. So although they don’t play each other every year, they have played one another every year that it has counted. I could be mistaken, but I believe you are suggesting that the SCC doesn’t force the best teams to play one another. If this is so, you are mistaken. All SCC schedules are determined by the previous season’s records. The top teams compete against the top teams.
Sean. First let me say that I have eagerly anticipated your postings throughout the years. You bring an enthusiasm to journalism that is lacking elsewhere in the state. It is clear that you are passionate about the sport.
This being said, I do have an objection to your above post. Your sarcasm detracts from your integrity. Lines like, “Xavier, the two-time defending Class LL champions, winners of 26-straight games, straight outta the SCC, etc. etc., was voted the preseason No. 1. Shocker”, and “At least, that’s what 24 state voters think”, are transparently biased. Clearly you believe that the media reporters engaged a blind eye when they cast their votes.
As a former reporter myself, I do not object to you injecting your own beliefs into your posts. What I do object to, is you presenting your beliefs in such a way that you don’t commit to your stance. If you think that Xavier is down, then you should just say so. Don’t hedge on committing to a prediction. Presenting things the way you have in this most recent post, you undermine your value as a pundit.
This is just my two cents.
Hello, “Me Really?”
I voted Xavier No. 1. So there ya go. I was intentionally not trying to commit to my stance.
The attitude, I suppose, is directed more at the voters (myself included) because, really, what do we know?
The rattling off their accomplishments (etc., etc.) attitude is “I know you’ve heard it all of this before and it’s been written everywhere, so this is nothing new.”
Agree with Sean. Until someone beats them, Xavier is #1. But i would be hedging my bets as well! Xavier graduated some studs. Once in a decade type of team. But heck, it is Xavier and they draw the best from like 6 towns. They will reload no doubt, but not like last two years. Hand v Xavier one awesome game. Plan to be there.
@SCC Fan – that is great, but every year NC plays Darien ( L powers) and Staples plays Greenwich (LL powers). Yes games are on T-day, but they count towards States. Also, 2 of those 4 teams are in the FCIAC finals. Doesn’t count towards States but tough game non the less. Like war, man. Kids and coaches want that banner in the gym. I think the FCIAC has it just right. Why doesn’t the SCC have a league title game?
Another question for SCC Fan – why did Hand avoid Xavier last year? I thought you said the best teams always play each other in the SCC? Guess not.
[...] Another Preseason Poll – Connecticut Post [...]
Sorry, need to make it clear that I am not saying that the FCIAC was stronger than the SCC last year – that was not the case. The SCC had the best two two teams in LL and L … and they proved it in the playoffs. But I am just a bit tired of hearing how tough the SCC scheduling is when Hand did not even play Xavier last year in the regular season. Yes, NC did not play Staples or Greenwich, but that is because NC couldn’t go undefeated with that “easy” schedule. NC was the 3rd strongest team last year in the FCIAC, yet they made the L finals by beating a really good Windsor squad. But no one was touching Hand last year in L, they were awesome. Xavier the same.
@ JB
The the SCC and FCIAC (usually) work in 2 year schedule rotations, so let’s get that outta the way (the schedule doesn’t change every year).
Last year Hand and Xavier were the best teams in SCC Div I, North Haven and Hillhouse in Div II. This season, in the new schedule, guess what: those 4 teams will all play this year! It bears repeating: if you finish in first place, you get a much tougher schedule when the new schedule comes out.
I cannot find a time in the last 10 years when NC played both Greenwich and Staples in the same year – never happened in regular season games.
NC has been to a gazillion straight title games but the FCIAC doesn’t think they should play Greenwich or Staples? They somehow manage to avoid playing Ridgefield, too?
The SCC schedule system isn’t perfect, but I don’t think there is any question that the SCC Div I/II format produces more top notch games than the FCIAC scheduling policies.
@FauxRealism – over the past 10 years, I believe NC has played either Staples or Greenwich in the league championship or regular season more times than Hand has played Xavier (Staples-2 and Greenwich-4). Some years Staples is stronger than Greenwich and vice versa, so if NC is really good they will typically have to prove it against one of them in the league championship game. Last year NC was not good enough. Don’t get me wrong the SCC is a great league, but why did Hand not play Xavier last year? Are you telling me that 2 years prior Hand was not a top SCC program? I don’t buy that. Both leagues are trying to create great competition … the SCC without a title game and the FCIAC with a title game. Personally, the four division “champion” thing doesn’t do much for the SCC’s argument that it is “more competitive” … make the two best Div-I teams win a title. I would rather see Hand play Xavier at the end of the season in a make-or-break game … it would be electric. Like that Staples / Greenwich game last year. I think the SCC is missing a great opportunity to have something special every year as opposed to only 5 out of 9 years. Neither is perfect, all I am saying is that a league title game means the two best teams will always square off against each other. Last year in the SCC, that did not happen.
This discussion started with the Register Poll SPB posted. If I am reading that right, in addition to Xavier and Hand, the Poll includes Hillhouse at #7 and 5 SCC schools in the “also receiving votes”): West Haven, Shelton, North Haven, ND-WH and Cheshire. In addition to playing each other, I believe Hand plays all of the other 6, and Xavier plays all of them except Cheshire (played last year; replaced by Hand on the X schedule this year). Given this, what would an SCC championship game add, at least this year?
I recognize some of these schools will drop out and others may move up as the season progresses. But based on what the “experts” seem to think pre-season, it seems the SCC has pretty well covered the power match-ups for this year. Since it is a two year scheduling cycle, I recognize the same may not be true next year.
@ JB. Good discussion. I’ll counter a couple points.
You asked “Are you telling me that 2 years prior Hand was not a top SCC program? I don’t buy that.”
Check your facts. In 2010, Hand was 10-2 but only 5-5 in 2009. 15-7 aggregate record would not have put them at the “top”.
You stated ‘the four division “champion” thing doesn’t do much for the SCC’s argument that it is “more competitive” ‘
The 4 division format is not the reason why the SCC is the most competitive.
As MXR points out, the reason that the SCC is the most competitive: the better/larger/historically good programs all form into Div I. Then, all the Div I teams agree to play the majority of their regular season games against said competition (with a couple crossovers thrown in).
That makes for more and better games. That’s why almost every week in the SCC there is a huge game.
@MXR – but that is exctly the issue … who were the “experts” from the SCC three years ago that determined Hand and Xavier should not meet in 2010 and 2011? They are both power programs that should meet every year under the SCC method – no? However, if it was purely a 2-year-on and 2-year-off type of thing then that also shows the potential flaw with the SCC approach. The FCIAC prefers to have the current year win-loss record, point system and ultimately its title game be its “expert”. In regards to the poll reference, the FCIAC has 3 in the top 10 and 5 in the “also receiving votes”. So not sure what that proves other than the Register is just trying to be “politically correct”. The 2013 SCC/FCIAC challenge games next year will be truly awesome, moving the State forward in regards to competition … winning that game could be very important in qualifying for the playoffs and produce a better set of playoff teams as a result. Please don’t get me wrong, the SCC produces great competitors and I am not bashing the league’s teams. In fact, the SCC is probably deeper in historically strong programs than the FCIAC.
@FauxRealism – Hand is Hand and having one off-year is a bit of a fluke. But I take your point regarding how the system was setup, however, having a system that doesn’t put the two best teams in a game against each other based on current year performance is a flaw IMO. We all know that at the HS level a team’s composition can change dramatically year-to-year, as it clearly did for Hand over the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Its 2009 record was an anomaly not the norm.
@JB — my point with listing all the teams in the Poll was not to crow about the number or compare it to the number for any other conference. Rather, it was to point out that Xavier and Hand are already playing not just each other, but also all of the other teams in the conference deemed good through the crystal ball. It is true that in hindsight the list might not be perfectly right this year, and all the more so next year. But they are trying to get all of the top teams to play each other, and, based on what we think we know today, it looks like they did a pretty good job. In any event, it can’t be argued any of the top teams are missing all of the other three top teams in the conference.
Perhaps a Conference championship makes up for the inherent flaws in a predictive system. I just don’t get the appeal of the hybrid “counts for the polls but not the state’s” nature of it. I accept that is at least partly a bias from not having grown up in a Conference with that as a norm.
In any event, we have two power Conferences with very different approaches. That’s part of what makes the state’s fun, and what will make the Challenge a great event.
I see that everyone is jumping on the Xaviar band wagon. I guess I am in the minority. They graduated something like 16 starters and considering that most or their star players went both ways they have a lot to replace. I know they have a d1 qb but he was the back up last year. Granted the had 80 kids on the side lines but only about 20 actually played and they are gone. I could be wrong but look for the X men to return to the pack in the SCC.
@MXR – agreed. Yes, the FCIAC loves its title game and wants the season to produce that “year-end” drama. It has always been that way in every sport. It may look less competitive on a weekly basis, but in that final tilt the system produces some great matchups of the two best teams with everything on the line. The point about not counting for the playoffs but influencing the polls is a good one. It should count for the playoffs. Last year it counted for the playoffs only because it was also the regular season T-day game between Staples and Greenwich.
Sean, can give us the history on why the FCIAC title game doesn’t count for the playoffs? Does the SWC and NVL title games count toward playoffs? Thanks
for those who are crying their eyes out over a schedule that NC gets handed. Alas, you’ll have to wait a year for NC to finally “prove” themselves. They will open with Daniel Hand in Madison, aside from playing their regular FCIAC East opponents, (Darien, Warde, Bassick, Joes, Wilton and Trinity) They’ll pick up Staples, Ridgefield and Greenwhich. So when next year rolls around you can stop the presses so NC can finally live up to the big, bad, scary, superhuman SCC
@JB, you make it sound like Xavier and Hand are the two best teams in the SCC every year and therefore the schedule makers had to have them play each other in 2011. Unlike the FCIAC, there is a lot more variability at the top in the SCC.
Hand’s record in 2008 was 7-4; so was Xavier’s. Xavier had only won one CIAC title in its history before 2010. In 2009 the year-end consensus #1 and #2 teams in the state were both from the SCC (and they did play each other), but they were Notre Dame and Cheshire.
Given past history, I’d be willing to bet that at the end of this season, Hand and Xavier will not be considered the two best teams in the SCC.
And spare us with talk of how the FCIAC title game pits the two best teams in the league against each other. Were Darien and Trumbull the two best teams in the league in 2010? They played for the title.
I am guessing part of the reason that the FCIAC championship does not count in the playoff points system is b/c the FCIAC coaches do not want the reward for playing in its title game beimg knocked out of the playoffs if you lose! I believe that is why the “league championship games” do not count against the losing teams.
Part of the problem of playing a really tough schedule in the SCC or the FCIAC is that you can get edged out of a playoff spot by a team that plays a weak schedule in conference with few top teams. The point system still rewards wins with 100 points even if the losing team is not in the same class as the winning team in conference. This type of problem is why the SWC, FCIAC and SCC do not want their top teams knocking eachother out of the playoffs, which means usually limiting the number of times the top teams play eachother.
IN ALL FAIRNESS THE TOP RANKED TEAM FROM PREVIOUS YEAR SHOULD BE 1 UNTILL BEATEN.THAT BEING SAID I REALLY CANT SEE X OR HAND WINNING IT ALL THIS YEAR,THOUGH THE NHR POLL WILL VOTE A SCC TEAM WITH 2 LOSSES AS NO.1.
@RAY BROWN — No way in hell should that be the case. I don’t vote No. 1 based on the previous year. The previous year IS THE PREVIOUS YEAR. Different year, different teams. I didn’t vote Xavier No. 1 based on the previous year. Any voter who does that should have his/her card revoked. …but a lot of guys do it. It’s crap.
SPB, I certainlyh agree with the philosophy you express in #33. That said, do you focus on where the teams are now, or where they will be at season’s end (a distinction Mike Francesa has been making about the college polls). I favor based on today, since there are too many variables to crystal ball it (injuries most obviously). If one looks ahead, then what do you do about the schedule, since Greewich will play Staples, Hand will play Xavier, etc? It would seem you have to take your predictions about the about the outcomes of those games into account, which seems way too difficult to me. You can tell I am desparate to have 7:00 get here.
I hate to break it to everyone, having watched a lot of these teams over the last few years.
THIS year’s X team is the “once in a generation” team.
Boyle and Berry are FAR superior players to the one’s they replaced.
And the lines are HUGE.
Marinan was like Lombardi running around up there talking about 3 straight, like he was coaching the ’67 Packers.
He may be right.
Now, Boyle throws a hard ball, and both he and Berry are more likely to turn the ball over.
The only team I see having a shot at them is Ansonia because I’d like to see if they had the speed to stop Newsome. But, it’s a slim chance.
I like Staples, NC. I also liked Ansonia last year, and again this year. Masuk is underrated, esp in their league.
But, there’s a dynasty brewing in Middletown.
spb—if your guideline is correct,than there shouldnt be a pre-season poll at all.what pollsters see all teams in ct. before season starts?your info is probably more accurate than most poll voters, but judging from x’s opener,i dont think im too far off.
@RAY BROWN — Agreed there shouldn’t be a preseason poll. And, yes, voting Xavier No. 1 isn’t too far off. I’m just railing against voters just carrying over their votes from the previous year. Try to do some thinking.