Archive for the ‘Litchfield County’ Category

Bridgeport to NVL? City public schools in preliminary talks to join Valley league

Monday, November 26, 2012 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
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High school conference realignment has suddenly kicked into high gear.

Central, Bassick and Harding are in preliminary talks to jump from the FCIAC to the NVL, officials on both sides of the aisle confirmed to Hearst Connecticut Newspapers today.

The three city public schools, who have been members of the FCIAC since 1993, met with officials from the NVL last week. Talks are still in the very early stages and no formal invitation has been offered.

“There’s been no application, we had a conversation with them,” said NVL president Tom Pompei, who is the athletic director at Naugatuck High School. “They just wanted to have an initial conversation about the league. It was brief and didn’t go very far.”

This is the second time in as many weeks that the NVL has been a player in potntial realignment. Last week, Oxford’s Board of Education voted to ask for admittance into the league and sources have Hearst CT the NVL is interested in adding the school.

Central and Harding were actually charter members of the NVL in 1931, according to Joe Palladino of the Republican-American.

New citywide athletic director Neil Karvey told our own Dave Ruden it was still very early in the process. He added that improving his school’s competitiveness in sports is the driving force behind the move.

“If they think we’re a good fit there, we would be interested in making a proposal. We’re still gauging local interest here.”

Count Bassick football coach Derrick Lewis as a huge proponent of the move.

“At my school, only sport that wins is boys basketball. everything else loses. We are in a perennial losing situation against teams that have more money and better resources,” he said. “We don’t have what the rest of the county has and we’re getting our teeth kicked in. You want to see us compete, not just in football, but possibly compete better in the other sports, the girls sports. I think it’ll bring morale of schools up and keeps kids on teams and off the streets.

“I’m hoping, for the betterment of our city, if the kids our city more interested in athletics I think we should do it. I’m going to support this move.”

Read the whole story from Dave Ruden here.

From my perspective, though initially shocked at the idea. But on a quick second glance this move would be great for Bridgeport and good for the NVL. From a demographic perspective, as Lewis eluded to, the city schools have much more in common in terms of money and resources with Waterbury and the other NVL schools than it does with the Gold Coast towns of New Canaan, Greenwich, Fairfield and Westport.

A Bridgeport-NVL merger would create a mega boys basketball conference. And other sports, including football, would be more competitive against the three Waterbury schools public schools and several other NVL communities.

Finally, it would solve the 7-year unbalanced scheduling problems in FCIAC football. The league would contract to 16 teams, eliminating its rotating bye week and allowing it to revert back to two divisions to compete for an FCIAC title.

‘About Last Night…’ Week 8 (Redux): No comeback needed

Sunday, November 4, 2012 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
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♦♦♦

DeAngelo Berry easily slips through Shelton’s defense on his way to a 51-yard, third-quarter touchdown in Saturday’s 59-17 victory. | Screen cap by Sean Patrick Bowley

Nearly five quarters and eight days ago, Xavier trailed Hillhouse 49-21. Despair and defeat dripped from their facemasks.

Let’s check in with the Falcons now, shall we?

Lessee, they scored four touchdowns in four possessions in the fourth quarter to shock Hillhouse, 50-49.

They added four more touchdowns in five possessions in the first half against Shelton. Then they tacked on four more touchdowns and — and — added a field goal that bounced off the crossbar and in for the final points of a 59-17 victory.

So that’s 12 touchdowns and a field goal in five quarters.

In the age of ‘Score Management,’ no less.

Yipes. Welcome back to the living, Xavier.

The Falcons, who are still banged up a big on defense (and, believe it or not, it showed vs. Shelton), are fine and dandy on the offensive end, thank you. They’ve scored 50-or-more points in three straight games and are 7-1, looking good in the Class LL playoff race with a showdown with West Haven next week.

Shelton barely laid a finger on back DeAngelo Berry, who touched the ball just 11 times and scampered for over 200 yards and four touchdowns. They rarely touched quarterback Tim Boyle, who was 10-for-10 for another 200-or-so yards.

So now the showdown for one of the Class LL playoff spots is ready to rock for Week 9. West Haven vs. Xavier. Let’s get ready to rock.

Once again, a very slow night here in Shangri-La since the SWC and FCIAC have pushed their games due to the aftereffects of Superstorm Sandy. But it was busy up north.

Here’s what went down:

Woodland (6-1) hammered reeling Holy Cross 28-0 to claim the second and final NVL Championship berth.

Awright! So get excited for Woodland-Ansonia II, kids! The Hawks will face the Chargers in the title game Nov. 15 at Municipal Stadium. Ansonia defeated Woodland 47-16 in Week 2.

(Remind me: Why are we doing this again?)

West Haven crushed Wilbur Cross 47-12 to set up their Xavier showdown next Friday (see above). Cheshire dismantled East Haven.

Up-and-outward, Fitch toppled New London 39-27 in a big victory that improved its profile in Class L. New London dropped back a bit in Class M.

Southington rallied back from an early deficit vs. Simsbury and then used a big second half to win 35-14. Stephen Barmore threw four touchdown passes and Southington scored 28 unanswered points over the final three quarters.

Middletown nipped Farmington 14-6 in a big game with Class L playoff ramifications. The Dragons climbed to No. 5 and, in the process, knocked Farmington (6-2) to No. 9, just below the cutoff.

Here are the ever-changing CIAC playoff standings. Uber-freelancer Kyle Brennan of the NVL Football Blog and the Rep-Am has calculated our first state playoff clinchers: Ansonia (Class S), Windsor (Class L) and Avon (Class L) are all in. We’ll wait for Polecat HQ to confirm. Polecat has confirmed.

We’ll let the boys have their fun. We’re not touching playoff scenarios until next week.

Saturday Results

  • SCC: West Haven 47, Wilbur Cross 12 | Xavier 59, Shelton 17 | Cheshire 39, East Haven 0
  • NVL: Torrington 67, Kennedy 36 | St. Paul 48, Sacred Heart 36 | Woodland 28, Holy Cross 0 | Naugatuck 52, Watertown 14
  • CSC: Abbott Tech 28, Whitney Tech 8 | Platt Tech 47, Wilcox Tech 26
  • CCC: Southington 35, Simsbury 14 | Wethersfield 35, RHAM 14 | Hartford Public 37, Bulkeley 0 | Middletown 14, Farmington 6 | Bloomfield 41, Weaver 0 | Hall 40, Newington 18 | Northwest Catholic 36, Bristol Eastern 7 |  Tolland 32, East Catholic 22
  • ECC: Fitch 39, New London 27 | Montville 35, Stonington 27
  • PEQUOT: North Branford 41, Coginchaug 0 | Valley Regional/Old Lyme 41, Lewis Mills 7 | SMSA/University 29, Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby 16  | Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton 36, Housatonic/Wamogo 7 | Gilbert/NW Regional 37, Granby Memorial 0

Sunday schedule

Yes, there are games today. We’ll be down in Woodmont to see if Foran and its band of merry sophomores can knock North Haven out to pasture.

  • ECC: Woodstock Academy at East Lyme, 2 p.m.
  • PEQUOT: Morgan at Nonnewaug, 2 p.m.
  • SCC: North Haven at Foran, 4 p.m. | Law at Guilford, 4 p.m.

State Polls Week 3: Masuk, Darien, West Haven make poll debuts

Monday, September 24, 2012 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
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The earth moved under our feet after a pretty wild week 2.

Among the wreckage affecting the Top 10 vote: Hillhouse lost to Hand in a battle of Top 10 teams. New Canaan was nipped by Trinity Catholic in overtime. New London crushed Montville. Brookfield shocked Bunnell. Ansonia blitzed Woodland.

Hillhouse and New Canaan were the biggest casualties. As it is, they have been voted off the Top 10 island for now. Berlin, which spent two weeks in the Top 10 and hasn’t lost yet, has nevertheless been supplanted as well.

Leaping into the vacuum are three regional teams. Masuk, Darien and West Haven entered the fray for the first time.

In the media poll, little has changed in the Top 6. The usual suspects are all in attendance, in order.

In the coaches poll, Masuk and West Haven join as co-No. 6. Hand and Staples are tied at No. 3.

NHR State Media Top 10

Dropped Out: Hillhouse (7), New Canaan (8), Berlin (10).
Other teams receiving votes: Berlin (2-0), 267; Glastonbury (2-0), 216; Southington (2-0), 211; New London (2-0), 160; Hillhouse (1-1), 136; Newtown (2-0), 114; North Branford (2-0), 113; Cheshire (2-0), 89; Holy Cross (2-0), 73; Manchester (2-0), 39; Cromwell (2-0), 28; Norwich Free Academy (2-0), 25; Middletown (2-0), 24; Farmington (2-0), 17; New Canaan (1-1), 14; Wolcott (2-0), 12; St. Joseph (1-1), 9; Fairfield Prep (2-0), North Haven (1-1) and Trinity Catholic (2-0), 7.
The following voted: 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; Kyle Brennan, Waterbury Republican-American; 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; Noah Finz, WTNH-8; Ned Griffen, The Day of New London; John Holt, WFSB-3; Mark Jaffee, Waterbury Republican-American; Ken Lipshez, West Hartford News/New Britain City Journal; 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.

Day Coaches Top 10

Dropped out: New Canaan (8).
Also receiving votes: Ledyard (2-0), 108 points; Darien (2-0), 94; New London (2-0), 75; Middletown (2-0), 62; Holy Cross-Waterbury (2-0), 55; Southington (2-0), 54; Tie, Hillhouse-New Haven (1-1) and Norwich Free Academy (2-0), 52; Newtown (2-0), 48; Cheshire (2-0), 42; St. Joseph-Trumbull (1-1), 18; Tie, Cromwell (2-0) and Fairfield Prep (2-0), 16; Tie, New Canaan (1-1) and North Branford (2-0), 12; Tie, Brookfield (2-0) and Derby (2-0), 11; Tie, Avon (2-0) and Hartford Capital/Classical/Achievement (2-0), 7.
The following coaches voted: Tom Brockett, Ansonia; Jim Buonocore, Ledyard; Craig Bruno, Bunnell-Stratford; Steve Filippone, Hand-Madison; Rob Fleeting, Windsor; Tanner Grove, Montville; Jude Kelly, St. Paul-Bristol; Tim King, Valley Regional-Deep River; Sean Marinan, Xavier-Middletown; John Murphy, Masuk-Monroe; Marce Petroccio, Staples-Westport; Bob Zito, Maloney-Meriden.

It’s a Wrap Week 7: The Snow Days of Autumn

Monday, October 31, 2011 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
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Nick Kelly leaps to pick off Darien quarterback Henry Baldwin in the third quarter of Staples' snowly 42-23 win over Darien on Saturday.

Bethel's Brian Birdsell fights through Bunnell tackles during his six-touchdown effort Saturday at DeSantis Field. Bethel defeated Bunnell 56-46.

We asked for an upset last week and we got it, with Bethel’s stunning 56-46 victory over Stratford at Ralph DeSantis Field.

That was the only local surprise. Statewide, we saw both NFA (to Stonington) and New London (to Fitch) catch the upset bug and the state playoff picture looked slightly different than they did just days ago.

Of more immediate concern, the SWC playoff race fell out of focus somewhat with Bunnell’s loss. Now it’s anybody’s ballgame for the right to face Masuk at Bunnell on Nov. 16. (Sorry, kids. it’s true. They’re a lock.).

Staples’ win over Darien put the Wreckers and New Canaan’s win over Wilton put those schools in the drivers’ seat for the FCIAC title game. The NVL’s biggest games are coming up this week. The league’s championship picture should be clear before Week 9.

Hand and Xavier remained unbeaten in the SCC. And everybody’s gearing up for that showdown … Oh, wait.

All and all, it was a pretty crazy week, if not for the games then for the snow that dumped on the region turning a handful of games into snowball fights. I’ve never seen anything like it. And it’s still causing havoc across the region. Many towns are still without power. Some schools have, of course, canceled classes indefinitely. The U.S. government had declared a state of emergency.

It’ll be worth watching how long some of these schools remain closed, and how their teams will be affected in the coming days.

We’ve added a post on this issue and will collect information as is becomes available.

In the meantime, if you can read this, here’s look back at Week 7 and a look ahead to Week 8:

Bulldozers

Lou Fenaroli had another monster game for 6-1 Newtown

  • Javon Grey, Notre Dame-WH – 27 carries, 204 yards, four TDs vs. Wilbur Cross
  • Arkeel Newsome, Ansonia — 188 yards, 3 TDs on nine carries vs. Crosby
  • Brian Birdsell, Bethel – Six touchdown runs vs. Bunnell
  • Jack Shaban, Barlow — Ran for 168 yards and 2 TDs on 16 carries vs. Oxford
  • Lou Fenaroli, Newtown — 169 yards, 3 TDs, including 95-yard run vs. Brookfield
  • James Harrington & Austin Calitro, Danbury — Combined for 263 yards rushing and five TDs vs Trumbull

Gunslingers

  • Matt Milano, New Canaan — 19 of 24 for 298 yards and three touchdowns vs. Wilton
  • Bryan Castelot, Bunnell – 28 of 50 for 425 yards and six touchdowns in loss to Bethel.
  • Connor Rowe, Ridgefield — 20 of 28 for 217 yards and one touchdown vs. McMahon.
  • Casey Cochran, Masuk — Threw for 395 yards and five touchdowns vs. New Milford.

Gamebreakers

  • Matt Paola, Pomperaug — Tied a state record with a 54-yard field goal vs. record-holder Rico Brogna and Notre Dame-Fairfield
  • Joey Zelkowitz, Staples — Ran for 188 yards on 15 carries and scored three TDs (including two from 60 yards out) vs. Darien
  • Danny Rogers, Weston — Scored the game-winning TD in Weston’s cluch 16-9 win over New Fairfield
  • Barry Boderick, Stamford — Punt return touchdown, TD catch vs. Ludlowe
  • Joel Arroyo, Greenwich – Caught two long TD passes from Liam O’Neil in Greenwich’s overwhelming win over Westhill
  • Donald Graham, Stratford — Ran for four touchdowns vs. Immaculate

Brick Walls

Ridgefield's Chris Mirra takes down McMahon's Damien Vega in Week 7.

  • Kevin Kearney, Staples — 18 tackles, pass defensed vs. Darien
  • Eddie Kochiss, Shelton – Interception return TD vs. Amity
  • Chris Mirra, Ridgefield — Intercepted potential game-winning 2-point conversion vs. McMahon.
  • Dylan Leeming, New Canaan — 16 total tackles vs. Wilton
  • Brandon Freeman, McMahon — Returned an interception for a TD vs. Ridgefield
  • Jack Yule, Pomperaug – 16 tackles vs. Notre Dame-Fairfield
  • Shawn Flynn, Masuk — 10 tackles, interception vs. New Milford
  • Warde defense — Forced six turnovers, including 2 interceptions apiece from Devon Lofton and Maxx Garrett vs. St. Joseph
  • Mike Longo, Greenwich – Returned a fumble 82 yards for a TD vs. Westhill
  • Mike Palomba, Trinity Catholic — Interception return TD vs. Bassick

Valiant in Defeat

  • Tyler Vallie, Amity – Threw for 131 yards and a TD, rushed for 173 yards and a TD vs. Shelton.
  • Chad Lawrence, Central – Ran for 100 yards and three touchdowns in loss to North Haven.
  • Jared Vasquez, Bunnell – 10 catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns vs. Bethel
  • Nigel Beckford, Notre Dame-Fairfield — 20 carries, 134 yards, 2 TDs rushing, 98-yard kickoff return TD
  • John Prutting, St. Joseph — Interception return TD vs. Warde
  • Daron Britt, Law — Caught two touchdown passes in loss to Branford.
  • Tahir Manning, West Haven – Caught two TD passes to give West Haven a halftime lead in a loss to Hand
  • Taquan Broadway, Harding — 100 yards rushing vs. Norwalk

We’ll close the Top Performers section with a clip of Matt Paola‘s 54-yard field goal against Notre Dame-Fairfield. It tied the state record held by former Watertown star Rico Brogna … who just happened to be standing on the Notre Dame-Fairfield sidelines as the Lancers head coach. Paola and Rico posed for pictures afterward. Nice moment.

“When we were at midfield, I said to the offensive coordinator, `Get your two-point (conversion) play ready.’ ” — McMahon coach A.J. Albano, whose 2-point attempt failed in a 14-13 loss to Ridgefield.

Austin Calitro fends off a Trumbull defender during the Hatters' victory Friday night.

“Looking back now, I guess it was nice having that week off. The kids were fresh, their legs weren’t heavy. They were ready to play today.” — Stamford coach Bryan Hocter

“When we play in a tighter game than this it is really going to do us in,”  — New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli on his team’s penalty-filled 28-14 win over Wilton

“We were terrible tonight, absolutely terrible. We have to move on to the next one.” – Trumbull coach Bob Maffei, whose team lost its fourth-straight game, keeping Maffei at 99 career wins.

“We want to go out with a bang and set the tempo for next year. Those guys have to work hard and (if they do) this is what happens.” –Danbury senior FB/LB Austin Calitro after beating Trumbull.

“The upset. It’s a powerful thing that can change your season. It’s one of the best feelings a football player can have.” — Bethel FB/LB Brian Birdsell, whose six touchdown runs toppled Bunnell from the unbeaten ranks.

“No. 36 had a great game for them. He was all over the field,” — Bunnell coach Craig Bruno on Bethel FB/LB Brian Birdsell.

“We knew that tonight was a do-or-die situation for us. But we are going to pick our heads up, keep going and finish the season strong.” — Brookfield coach Rich Angarano on his team’s 41-0 loss to Newtown, which dropped it to 3-4.

Weston's Danny Rogers scores the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter vs. New Fairfield in the snow last week.


“I should have punted. Everyone makes mistakes. We were all fired up and we wanted to end the game right there.” — Weston coach Joe Lato on a fourth-down call that led to New Fairfield’s go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of Weston’s 16-9 win.

“That could have been the greatest third quarter in Staples history.” –Staples coach Marce Petroccio on the Wreckers’ 28-point outburst leading to a 42-23 win over Darien.

“It’s a football players dream to play in the snow. It was awesome.” — Staples RB Joey Zelkowitz.

“I think our kids at the half thought we had the game won, and they are too good an opponent to do that.” — Darien coach Rob Trifone on his team’s 42-23 loss to Staples, in which it held a 17-7 halftime lead.

“That’s our goal right now. It’s really big because none of us have ever been in a playoff game before, in any sport. We can smell it.” — Norwalk QB Delshawn Wilson on the Bears’ shot at breaking a 13-year playoff drought.

A lot of good ones out there this week, most having to do with the blizzard at Staples Field. So we’ve decided to drop this week’s best Tweets into slideshow form

Here we go:
  • Cheshire (4-3) at Notre Dame-WH (5-2), Friday, 7 – The Class L playoff door is opened just a crack for the Green Knights. They can’t lose again. And it only gets tougher against the cornered animal that is 4-3 Cheshire.
  • Ansonia (7-0) at Wolcott (6-1), Friday, 7 — They’re calling this an NVL showdown for the Brass Division title and a spot in the NVL title game. Or will it be just another Ansonia showcase. (We’re betting the latter).
  • Fairfield Prep (5-2) at Shelton (5-2), Friday, 7 — This game hasn’t meant a thing for years. With both teams clinging to faint playoff hopes, it’s pretty big now.
  • Woodland (5-2) at Holy Cross (6-1), Friday, 7 – Holy Cross can basically wrap up the Brass Copper Division (I always get those division titles mixed) with a title here. Might want DiGiorgi for this one.
  • Seymour (5-2) at Derby (2-5), Friday, 7 — Seymour’s not quite out of the Class S playoff race yet. They’ll need to win out. And, hey, this is a nice rivalry game.
  • Bethel (5-2) at Newtown (6-1), Friday, 7 – Amazing what an upset can do. In addition to giving their playoff hopes a boost, Bethel dropped some intrigue into the SWC championship race. It won’t mean much if they can’t solve Lou Fenaroli and Newtown. That 41-0 win over Brookfield was frightening.
  • Pomperaug (6-1) at Masuk (7-0), Friday, 7 — Finally! A Game! A game for Masuk. Its road to a second straight title finally starts climbing up hill after two months in perpetual 50-point hell. This is their first game against a winning team. Masuk should be ready. It’s been practicing seven weeks for this. Whaddya got Pomperaug? Your season begins or ends here.
  • Central (2-5) at Trumbull (2-4), Friday, 7 — The two Greater Bridgeport powers are down on their luck. I saw one Central player Tweet that a win here would make their season. I’m sure Trumbull feels the same.
  • New Canaan (7-0) at Stamford (4-2), Saturday, 1:30 5 p.m. – Moved from Friday (time changed), New Canaan has few hurdles left on the way to the FCIAC title game. The Boderick Brothers and Stamford are dangerous. But so is New Canaan QB Matt Milano.
  • McMahon at Greenwich, Saturday, 2 – This game’s of minor intrigue only because of McMahon’s shown it’s capable of knocking off the superpowers, it just hasn’t done it yet. Greenwich has a good shot at reaching state playoffs for the first time since 2007 and an outside shot at the FCIAC final. Game on.
  • Weston at Notre Dame-Fairfield, Saturday, 2:45 – Every game’s a big game for Weston from here on. They’re in the running for a Class S playoff but still have to play Masuk. So they’d better enjoy this ride, regardless of what happens next week.

State Polls Week 4: Flip flop, flip flop

Monday, October 3, 2011 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
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Here we go again.

Xavier recaptured the top spot in the NHR Media Poll today, returning to the top for the first time since Week 1. The Falcons defeated Cheshire 42-20 and snatched two first-place votes away from Masuk and claimed the top spot by a measly two points.

Masuk 50-pointed Stratford, scoring 42 points in a quarter and a half, but lose two 1st-place votes.

Crazy stuff. Until something drastic happens, get used to the flip flopping. It’s going to happen all year.

Elsewhere, Ansonia leapfrogged New Canaan. New London jumped three spots to No. 9. Windsor jumped two to No. 8 and Bunnell joins the poll at No. 10. Cheshire, which was No. 8, falls out after its 42-20 loss to Xavier.

Updated with the CSWA and Day Coaches polls. And look who got a first-place vote in the Day. (Hint, it’s not Masuk or Xavier.)

NHR

Rank Team (1st Place) Record Points Last
1. Xavier (13) 3-0 724 2
2. Masuk (12) 3-0 722 1
3. Ansonia 3-0 590 4
4. New Canaan 3-0 548 3
5. Hand 3-0 532 5
6. New London 2-0 469 9
7. Staples 3-0 426 6
8. Windsor 3-0 374 10
9. West Haven 3-0 326 7
10. Bunnell 3-0 282 NR

Others receiving votes: Trumbull (2-0), 224; North Haven (3-0), 194; Cheshire (2-1), 192; Middletown (3-0), 168; Darien (3-0), 148; Pomperaug (3-0), 101; Berlin (3-0), 58; Montville (3-0), 50; Conard (3-0), 49; Norwalk (3-0), 40; Norwich Free Academy (2-0), 37; Southington (3-0), 35; Valley Regional/Old Lyme (3-0), 24; Naugatuck (3-0) and Northwest Catholic (2-0), 19; Cromwell (3-0), 14; Holy Cross (3-0), 10.
The following voted: 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; Bryant Carpenter, Meriden-Record Journal; George DeMaio, WELI; Mike DiMauro, The Day of New London; Matt Doran, MSG Varsity; Kevin Duffy, Danbury News-Times; Tom Evans, Norwalk Hour; Noah Finz, WTNH-8; 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.

DAY COACHES

Rank Team (1st Place) Record Points Last
1. Xavier (6) 3-0 376 1
2. Masuk (6) 3-0 368 2
3. Ansonia 3-0 301 3
4. Hand 3-0 292 4
5. New Canaan 3-0 272 6
6. New London (1) 2-0 232 T10
7. Windsor 3-0 213 8
8. Staples 3-0 192 7
9. Bunnell 3-0 156 9
10. Cheshire 2-1 121 T4

Also receiving votes: West Haven (3-0), 116 points; North Haven (3-0), 96; Pomperaug-Southbury (3-0), 74; Conard-West Hartford (3-0), 53; Montville (3-0), 52; Berlin (3-0), 49; Tie, Newtown (3-0) and Trumbull (2-0), 45; Middletown (3-0), 39; Darien (3-0), 34; Naugatuck (3-0), 28; Northwest Catholic-West Hartford (2-0), 26; Ledyard (2-0), 25; Holy Cross-Waterbury (3-0), 20; Norwich Free Academy (2-0), 18; Cromwell (3-0), 17; Southington (3-0), 10; Bloomfield (2-0), 9; Hartford Public (3-0), 8; Hall-West Hartford (3-0), Norwalk (3-0), Notre Dame-West Haven (2-1) and Wilton (3-0), 7.
The following coaches voted: Tom Brockett, Ansonia; Jim Buonocore, Ledyard; Craig Bruno, Bunnell-Stratford; Dave Cadelina, Bridgeport Central; Steve Filippone, Hand-Madison; Rob Fleeting, Windsor; Tanner Grove, Montville; Jude Kelly, St. Paul-Bristol; Tim King, Valley Regional-Deep River; Sean Marinan, Xavier-Middletown; John Murphy, Masuk-Monroe; Marce Petroccio, Staples-Westport; Bob Zito, Maloney-Meriden.

CSWA

Rank Team (1st Place) Record Points Last
1. Xavier (19) 3-0 452 1
2. Masuk (12) 3-0 446 2
3. Ansonia 3-0 374 4
4. New Canaan 3-0 359 3
5. Hand 3-0 315 %6
6. New London 2-0 298 9
7. Staples 3-0 261 5
8. Windsor 3-0 240 8
9. West Haven 3-0 151 10
10. Bunnell 3-0 120 NR

Also Receiving Votes: Trumbull 2-0 108; Cheshire 2-1 106; North Haven 3-0 103; Middletown 3-0 72; Conard 3-0 57; Pomperaug 3-0 46; Montville 3-0 39; Darien 3-0 33; Berlin 3-0 30; Northwest Catholic 2-0 23; Norwich Free Academy 2-0 19; Valley Regional/Old Lyme 3-0 19; Southington 3-0 14; Farmington 3-0 7; Cromwell 3-0 6; Glastonbury 2-1 4; Naugatuck 3-0 4; Norwalk 3-0 4; Notre Dame-West Haven 2-1 4; Newtown 3-0 3; Hall 3-0 2; Coventry/Windham Tech 2-0 1
Voters: Marc Allard (Norwich Bulletin), Brian Barreto (NVL Blog), Bob Barton (CT H.S. Football Record Book), Bill Bloxsom (Hersam Acorn), Don Boyle (Sporting News CT), Jim Bransfield (Middletown Press), Kyle Brennan (Waterbury Republican-American), George DeMaio (WELI Radio), Gerry deSimas (Collinsville Publishing Co.), Bill Donovan (WXLM 980 AM), Mark Fijalkowski (CT Sports Network), Ted Glanzer (The Granbys Patch), Dave Greenleaf (Bristol Press), Mike Guerrera (Southington Citizen), John Holt (WFSB Channel 3), Larry Kelley (SE Conn Patch), Bob Lazzari (Valley Times), Greg Lederer (Cheshire Herald), Ken Lipshez (Farmington/W. Hartford Patch), Robert Mayer (Berlin Patch), Eric Montgomery (Minuteman Newspapers), Sean Patrick Bowley (Connecticut Post), Dave Phillips (Shoreline Newspapers), Pat Pickens (Fairfield Citizen-News), Mike Pucci (New Haven Register), Paul Rosano (Meriden Record-Journal), Dave Ruden (Stamford Advocate), Mike Suppe (Hersam Acorn Newspapers), Peter Vander Veer (Hersam Acorn Newspapers), Rich Zalusky (Willimantic Chronicle), Jimmy Zanor (Shore Line Times)

2011 High School Football Cheat Sheet: The Naugatuck Valley League

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
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Ansonia's Arkeel Newsome

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DEFENDING CHAMPION

NAUGATUCK (9-2, Class L quarterfinalist)

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Nov. 17 at Municipal Stadium, Waterbury

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Local NVL Preview Capsules

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TOP 5 PLAYERS

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  • ARKEEL NEWSOME, RB/DB, Ansonia – The heir apparent to Montrell Dobbs chipped in with 800 yards and 12 TDs last season.
  • BRENDEN LYTTON, RB/DB, Torrington – One of the state’s best tailbacks after rushing for 2,502 yards and 29 touchdowns, including a state record nine touchdowns vs Wilby last season. gives the Raiders high hopes.
  • RAY KRIEGER, QB/DB, Derby – Threw for 1,939 yards and 21 TDs in coach George French’s spread. But his favorite target, Jake Tomczak, was lost to an ACL tear.
  • JAKE YOURISON, RB/LB, Naugatuck – With the graduation of QB Erich Broadrick, the Greyhounds’ rest their hopes on the versatile back to produce.
  • MATT ZACCAGNINI, RB/LB, Woodland – Same goes for the heir to graduated playmaker Jack DeBiase. Ran for 406 yards and 5 TDs last season.

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KEEP AN EYE ON…

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TIM ADANTI, TE/DE, Derby; DEVANTE BONVILLIAN, RB/DB, Wolcott; DEMETRIUS DAILEY, CB, Torrington; DWAYNE ELLIS, WR/DB, Sacred Heart; DAVID DIGIORGI, RB, Holy Cross; TOM GENDREAU, OL/LB, Woodland; LUKE GRABOWSKI, QB, Seymour; ANDREW MATOS, WR/DB, Ansonia; MIKE GIUGNO, OL/DL, Naugatuck; JUSTIN GONZALEZ, WR/DB, St. Paul; ZACH PLOURDE FB/LB, Woodland; DYLAN SADICK, OL, Seymour; TYLER WOOD, OL/LB, Ansonia; JEFF HOLDER, OL/DL, Torrington; TYLER WILLIAMS, OL, Ansonia.

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5 CAN’T-MISS GAMES

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  • Torrington at Ansonia (Week 1, Sept. 15) – The boys at the NVL Blog have been pumping up this “non-league” clach since it was scheduled. Are the Raiders worth of their preseason praise? Contenders usually go to Jarvis Stadium to die.
  • Ansonia at Derby (Week 3, Sept. 30) – Derby lost a heartbreaker last season at Jarvis Stadium. The Red Raiders only shot at a Brass Division title starts here.
  • Torrington at Holy Cross (Week 3, Sept. 30) – The Copper Division is expected to be a dog fight between four teams. These two are at the top of the list.
  • Woodland at Naugatuck (Week 7, Oct. 28) – Sandwiched around dates with Torrington and Holy Cross, this is the height of a brutal three-game stretch for the Hawks and Greyhounds. The Hawks were Naugy’s only blemish last season.
  • Naugatuck at Ansonia (Week 10, Nov. 24) – The granddaddy of Thanksgiving Day games, the Greyhounds famously upset Ansonia to win the NVL championship and punch their ticket to the playoffs. Payback time.

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EXTRA POINTS

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For the first time in 25 years, Ansonia will be competing in the Class M Division alongside such favorites as New London, Hillhouse and Brookfield. …Higher enrollment forced Derby to ditch its four-year co-op with O’Brien Tech. The school is competing as a singular entity for the first time since 2006. Derby/O’Brien Tech was 15-26 during the run, which includes two seasons in the SCC. Derby has dropped to Class S from Class M as a result. …The league’s overall talent took a hit when star receivers Jake Tomczak (Derby) and David Coggins (Sacred Heart) suffered season-ending injuries in the first week of preseason practice. Tomczak led Derby/O’Brien Tech in receiving last season; Coggins was the Connecticut’s leading receiver and a MaxPreps.com National Top Sophomore last season with 1,417 yards and 9 TDs. …After some confusion last season,  NVL has changed its criteria for determining division winners. Head-to-head results are now the first tiebreaker instead of overall record. …The NVL allows one week for scheduling non-conference games, although some league teams still pair up. This year’s Week 1 “non-conference” games between league schools are: Ansonia-Torrington; Crosby-Holy Cross; Kennedy-Wolcott. Outside of the NVL, Watertown at Montville; Seymour vs. O’Brien Tech (at Derby); Naugatuck at East Longmeadow (Mass.); Wilby at Lyman Hall. Other non-league matchups are Woodland-Jonathan Law (Week 3), and St. Paul vs. Hamden Hall (which doesn’t count toward CIAC playoff points since Hamden Hall isn’t a CIAC member school) and Derby-Shelton on Thanksgiving. Sacred Heart is the only NVL school not playing a 10th game.

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PREDICTIONS

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CHAMPIONSHIP — Ansonia over Holy Cross

PLAYOFF TEAMS – Ansonia (M); Holy Cross (S); Torrington (L).

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THE BOTTOM LINE

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As much as we’ve been intrigued by some of the hype surrounding Brenden Lytton and Torrington (especially from the folks at the NVL Blog), let’s be honest: this is Ansonia’s league to lose. The Chargers bring back everybody except UConn commit Montrell Dobbs (now starring at Milford Academy). But his backup, Arkeel Newsome, is more than ready to carry the load. The Chargers aren’t quite Masuk-dominant, but in the NVL they’re in a class above anyone else and have their sights on bigger goals — like competing with the likes of Hillhouse, Brookfield and/or New London in their new home in Class M.  The remaining 13 teams are fighting for Ansonia’s table scraps. But don’t fret, NVL fans. After the Chargers, the league is wide open, especially in the Copper Division where Torrington, Holy Cross, Naugatuck and Woodland will duke it out. That race should provide plenty of intrigue for players and fans. Just don’t expect the last team standing to get anywhere.

Thanks to Remmy and Kyle of the NVL Blog for helping this poor reporter tackle this league’s preview. Their collective knowledge of the Route 8 corridor is without peer.


Preseason 2011: Bunnell quad scrimmage report

Thursday, September 1, 2011 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
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OK, kids, approximately two weeks into the 2011 preseason, it’s time to start posting scrimmage reports. Hurricane Irene has played havoc with the schedule somewhat (some school districts that have postponed school for the week won’t even let their fall teams practice, which is just nuts what with the CIAC’s 14-day mandatory practice rule suddenly hovering over everyone), most teams have been getting back into the groove.

We’ve only been to a few scrimmages and practices so far, Barlow-Ridgefield at Tiger Hollow; Ansonia-Notre Dame-WH at Veterans Stadium. O’Brien Tech-Weston. We’ll be posting modest highlight clips from all of these scrimmages (except, maybe Ansonia-NDWH because, frankly, I was a little lazy shooting video that day. Besides we’ll catch both teams later).

The one many people had their eye on was the Bunnell quad scrimmage featuring Staples, New London and Torrington Wednesday afternoon.

We’ll present those highlights to you first.

One caveat: Take all of this with a seller of salt. Everybody’s got their own agenda during preseason. What you see is not definitive proof of a team’s strength or weakness.

Anyway, here’s the clip with some vague commentary below. Look back here constantly for more. We’ll also post interviews with coaches and key players, culminating with preview videos of the major leagues.

Biggest thing that stood out, I’m sure everybody in attendance would agree, was the surgeon-like passing of Bunnell quarterback Bryan Castelot to the likes of Jared Vasquez and Jawad Chisholm. Add in some nice running by J.J. Bivona and others and Bunnell simply looked on fire. It must have scored 12 or 13 touchdowns (plus just a couple of picks) against all three participants in the half-field format. Bunnell’s defense played passionate and aggressive, once halting Staples on the goal line.

Considering the Dawgs really only had one day of practice in pads and they looked pretty darn sharp. As suspected, they should be a force this year.

Staples, meanwhile, didn’t show off much. Sophomore QB Jack Massie’s still settling in as the full-time starter. Junior receiver/back Nick Kelly looked good. The best offensive player was Jon Heil. Defensively, well considering the Wreckers lost a lot of that side of the ball, it still need improvement. “Growing pains,” said coach Marce Petroccio afterward. “We have a ways to go.”

I know the folks up at Le Blog NVL will want to take a gander at some of these highlights. They love knowing how one of their own stacks up against teams from other leagues, especially those from the FCIAC. And, of course, it has highlights of top back Brenden Lytton. Unfortunately, not too much to see here from Torrington, except a run or two from Lytton. He only carried the ball a handful of times.

We didn’t catch much of Class M semifinalist New London. We’ll say this: They look big and fast.

The (somewhat) definitive Connecticut Class of 2012 recruiting list

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
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Masuk quarterback Casey Cochran is widely considered the top recruit in Connecticut for the class of 2012.

With some fanfare, top college recruiting website Rivals.com unveiled its state-by-state recruit rankings a couple of weeks ago. So we here at Connecticut Football HQ thought it would be nice to take those and compile a comprehensive list of the state’s top recruits heading into the 2011 season.

This is purely a list based on website reports. None of it has come from actual reporting on our end. This list designed to give fans a comprehensive look at our state’s prospects in the eyes of the recruiting world. And what you see on those sites is what you’ll get here.

Also, this is just for the Class of 2012. So you won’t be seeing any reports on Brookfield QB Boeing Brown, or Sacred Heart WR David Coggins, etc.  or Masuk’s Shawn Flynn, etc. (Brain freeze on Flynn. He’s a part of this mix.)

We’ve added links to each players’ junior year profile page on MaxPreps.com.

If we could find them (and we usually did), we added recruiting videos below each profile.

Here are the actual Connecticut recruiting pages: Rivals.com | Scout.com

REGIONAL CIAC RECRUITS

Casey Cochran

CASEY COCHRAN, QB, Masuk
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT Rank No. 1) – Boston College*, UConn, Harvard, Princeton, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Yale
Scout – Alabama, Boston College, Connecticut, Duke, Harvard, LSU, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, Stanford, Texas A&M, Virginia, Yale
ESPN – Boston College, Michigan State, Duke, UConn, North Carolina State
Highlight Video

Mike Money

MIKE MONEY, OT, Fairfield Warde – 6-4, 275
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT Rank No. 5) – No schools listed.

TAREK BRUCE, LB, Stamford
Reported Interest
Scout: UConn, Maryland, Rutgers
Note: Scout.com lists Bruce as A) a quarterback; B) from Westhill. Maybe I missed something? He has no listing on Rivals.

Shane Nastahowski

SHANE NASTAHOWSKI, LB, Greenwich – 6-2, 210
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT No. 9): No schools listed

AUSTIN CALITRO, LB, Danbury – 6-2, 220 | COMMITTED: Villanova
Rivals.com CT No. 3
Highlight Video

AMIHR BESS, RB, Notre Dame-WH – 5-9, 165
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT No. 10): No schools listed
Highlight Video

ELIOTT CHUDWICK, QB, Ansonia – 6-1, 200
Reported Interest
Scout: No schools listed
Highlight Video

Brandon Williams

BRANDON WILLIAMS, DE, Bassick – 6-2, 220
Reported Interest
Rivals: No schools listed
Scout: Maryland
Highlight Video

DAVID CAMILLE, CB, Bunnell – 5-9, 166
Reported Interest
Rivals: No schools listed
Highlight Video

JAKE TOMCZAK, WR, Derby – 6-1, 200
Reported Interest
Scout: No schools listed

JAWAD CHISHOLM, CB, Bunnell – 6-1, 175
Reported Interest
Scout: Penn State
Highlight Video

ARDIAN SAHINOVIC, P/K, New Fairfield – 6-5, 190
Reported Interest
Scout: No schools listed
Highlight Video

CIAC STATEWIDE RECRUITS

AARON BERARDINO, WR, Windsor – 5-10, 180
Reported Interest
Rivals: Boston College, UConn, Duke, Penn State, UCLA
Highlight Video

TAYLOR WRICE, ATH, Bristol Eastern – 5-9, 165
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT No. 8 ) – Boston College, Cincinnati, UConn, Northwestern, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple
Scout: Boston College, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, West Virginia
Highlight Video

RYAN MURPHY, TE, Xavier – 6-3, 215
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT No. 9) – No schools listed
Highlight Video

TOMMY UNDERCUFFLER, DB, Berlin – 6-1, 185
Reported Interest
Rivals: Boston College, UConn
Highlight Video

JONATHAN SNYDER, ATH, Newington – 5-10, 175
Reported Interest
Rivals: UConn
Scout: UConn
Highlight Video

NICOLAS VITALE, WR, Hand (Madison) – 5-9, 183
Reported Interest – No schools listed
Highlight Video

JOVAN SANTOS-KNOX, OLB, Xavier – 6-2, 220
Reported Interest
Rivals.com – No schools listed
Highlight Video

KELLY DOBBINS, WR, Putnam – 6-1, 175
Reported Interest
Scout: No schools reported
Highlight Video

CHRIS RECKMEYER, DE, Conard – 6-3, 220
Reported Interest
Scout: No schools listed
Highlight Video

BOBBY SOLECKI, WR, Glastonbury — 5-10, 180
Reported Interest
Scout: UConn, Maryland, Massachusetts, Yale
Highlight Video

NON-CIAC RECRUITS

DONQUATE ROBINSON, WR, Brunswick (Greenwich) – 6-2, 210
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT No. 4) – Boston College, UConn, Duke, Temple
Highlight Video

HAKI DENNIS, DB, Canterbury (New Milford)
Rivals: No schools listed
Highlight Video

JONATHAN PIETERSE, QB, Salisbury School
Reported Interest
Rivals: Buffalo, Montana
Highlight Video

MALIK GOLDEN, ATH, Cheshire Academy (Newington) — 6-1, 185
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT Rank No. 2) – Akron, Boston College, Bryant, UConn, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Penn State, Rutgers, Stony Brook, Syracuse, Towson, Tulane.
Scout: Akron, Boston College, Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Central Michigan, Connecticut, Iowa, Penn State, Rutgers, Stony Brook, Syracuse, Towson, Tulane
Highlight Video

KESHAUDAS SPENCE, Taft School (Watertown)
Reported Interest
Rivals: No schools listed
Highlight Video

BUNTU BIYANA, DT, Canterbury School – 6-2, 285
Reported Interest
Rivals: Boston College, UConn, Temple
Scout: Bucknell, Cornell, Fordham, Georgia Tech, UCLA
Highlight Video

MICHAEL GRADY, LB, Canterbury School – 6-1, 220
Reported Interest
Scout – Boston College, Bucknell, Colgate, UConn, Holy Cross, Villanova, Wake Forest
Highlight Video

CURTIS ANTRUM, RB, Hamden Hall – 5-11, 175
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT Rank No. 6) – No schools listed.
Highlight Video

TEVAUN SMITH, WR, Kent School – 6-0, 185
Reported Interest
Scout: Boston College, Connecticut, North Carolina State, Syracuse, Temple
Highlight Video

ROMAINE NICHOLSON, DT, Forman School – 6-1, 340
Reported Interest
Rivals: No schools listed

ESPN.com’s RECRUITING LIST

ESPN’s recruiting site is decidedly more liberal than any of the two big recruiting sites. Lots of names, little substance and somewhat inaccurate. Danbury’s Austin Calitro, for example, is listed as undeclared. Who knows how this list is compiled and curated.

Still, it adds a lot more names. So take these as just an expansive list of other prospects/good players who may or may not end up playing in college.

Again, by no means is this an all-encompassing list, just what the internet bots at ESPN have collated for our fair state.

Players in bold are not found on either Rivals.com or Scout.com rankings. We’ve thrown in a few recruiting video links for local players.

Update: We’re going to cheat a bit and add players we know are being recruited, but not on the ESPN recruiting site to this list. They’ll be given an asterisk. We’ll post info as necessary.  (I’ve changed this. See below.)

CIAC PLAYERS

  • Casey Cochran, QB, Masuk (ranked 38 in QBs)
  • Demetrius Bailey, CB, Torrington – 5-9, 174
  • Adedayo Bakre, DE, Glastonbury – 6-0, 194
  • Shawn Baldez, QB, Fitch – 5-11, 150
  • Amihr Bess, RB, Notre Dame-WH – 5-8, 151
  • Frederick Burgos, CB, Newington – 5-6, 124
  • Brandon Caires, LB, Newington – 5-11, 183
  • Michael Campbell, QB, Bloomfield – 5-11, 161
  • Austin Calitro, ILB, Danbury — 6-2, 220 [COMMITTED: Villanova]
  • Don Cherry, FB, Trumbull — 6-2, 200
  • Kobey Coburn, LB, Waterford – 6-0, 195
  • Jonavan Colon, WR, New Britain — 5-8, 152
  • Pat D’Amato, QB, Xavier — 6-1, 187
  • Joe Desandre, RB, Lyman Hall — 5-10, 182
  • Brett Director, WR, Cromwell – 5-8, 166
  • Aaron Dixon, S, Danbury — 6-0, 179
  • Matt Duignan, LB, Masuk — 5-9, 209
  • Michael English, WR, Farmington — 6-3, 188
  • Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn, S, Valley Regional — 5-9, 165
  • Patrick Farrell, LB, Manchester — 5-11, 193
  • Louis Fennarolli, RB, Newtown – 5-9, 206
  • Myles Gaines, RB, Fairfield Prep — 5-4, 129
  • Larry Garcia, QB, New Britain — 5-10, 165
  • Leaon Gordon, RB, Brookfield — 5-10, 173
  • Ryan Jacobucci, CB, Xavier — 5-10, 166
  • Chris Jerome, RB, McMahon — 5-11, 184
  • Ryan Lumpkin, WR, Windsor — 5-7, 141
  • Jay’len Mahan, WR, Wilby – 5-10, 150
  • Davante Mallard, LB, Notre Dame — 5-9, 173
  • Sean Marinan, G, Xavier — 5-10, 229
  • Jonathan Marks, QB, Platt — 5-11, 185
  • Carlos Martinez, LB, Stamford — 5-10, 165
  • Mike Mastroianni, RB, Xavier — 5-8, 169
  • Mike Money, OT, Fairfield Warde – 6-4, 280
  • Shane Nashtahowski, OLB, Greenwich – 6-0, 190
  • Ryan Nobile, DT, Notre Dame-WH — 5-11, 306
  • Adrian Sahinovic, K, New Fairfield –
  • Nick Salza, OT, Bunnell – 6-4, 306
  • Mike Sineiro, LB, Fitch — 5-8, 175
  • Bobby Solecki, WR, Glastonbury — 5-8, 159
  • Isaiah Thomasson, ILB, Maloney – 5-10, 208
  • Jake Tomczak, WR, Derby – 6-0, 196
  • Tommy Undercuffler, S, Berlin – 6-0, 185
  • Nick Vitale, ATH, Hand – 5-9, 185
  • Giovanni Viven, LB, New Britain — 5-10, 206
  • Andrew Vollaro, RB, Haddam-Killingworth — 5-8, 162
  • Zachary Voytek, DT, Trumbull – 6-5, 295
  • Derek Ward, QB, Griswold – 5-10, 178
  • Jonathan Ware, DE, Fitch – 6-2, 217
  • Shaquille Watkin, DE, Stamford — 6-0, 212
  • Brandon Williams, DE, Bassick
  • David Wolff, LB, Fairfield Warde — 5-8, 200
  • Taylor Wrice, ATH, Bristol Eastern – 5-8, 165

NON-CIAC

  • Malik Golden, ATH, Cheshire Academy — 6-1, 185
  • Bunta Biyana, DT, Canterbury — 6-2, 285
  • Kevin Carey, DT, Taft — 6-0, 181
  • Darnell Davis, LB, Avon Old Farms — 6-2, 228
  • Herbie May, QB, Salisbury — 6-0, 190
  • Kevin Peabody, QB, King — 6-1, 180
  • Bryce Peters, WR, Avon Old Farms — 6-0, 200
  • Keshaudas Spence, FB, Taft — 5-10, 230
  • Billy Weyrauch, LB, Cheshire Academy — 5-9, 194

BRAND NEW!
THE RECRUITING WRITE-IN PAGE

OK, since everyone’s anxious to add their favorite player (or son ;) on the list, I’m creating the write-in section below. Players who did not appear on any of the big recruiting lists (as of July 21) will appear here. I’ve added a few of my one from the previous list.

Holiday Extras: Croce to Gunnery; Calitro to Villanova; DesRuisseaux to Milford

Friday, July 1, 2011 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
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This week has been a whirlwind of statewide high school football news and tidbits. Here’s the latest as we head into the July 4 weekend.

Pomperaug QB Kellen Croce | Photo by Chris Ware

QB CROCE LEAVING POMPERAUG – Pomperaug quarterback Kellen Croce will likely enroll at The Gunnery prep school in Washington, Conn., his father, offensive coordinator Steve Croce said.

Croce was an all-SWC first team quarterback in his first year as a starter for 8-2 Pomperaug. He threw for 1,958 yards and 16 touchdowns. But his future, his father said, might be in baseball. Croce was a left-handed starter for the school’s outstanding baseball team.

Gunnery baseball coach Jeffrey Trundy is the manager for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Code Baseball League.

Meanwhile, Steve Croce said he is staying on as offensive coordinator for Pomperaug, where he said three players — 6-1 senior Garrett Delotto, 5-10 junior Eric Beatty and incoming freshman Wade Prager will vie for the starting job under new coach Dave Roach.

♦♦♦♦

Not only will the Panthers have a new QB, they will have a new defensive coordinator, too.

John Pereira, who consistently molded Pomperaug’s defense into one of the region’s best, has taken an assistant coaching job at Southington, joining former Pomperaug head coach Chuck Drury and new head coach Mike Drury. Pereira coached Pomperaug’s outstanding 2004 state championship defense, which included Connecticut Post Defensive Player of the Year Mike Kielt.

♦♦♦♦

Danbury's Austin Calitro | Photo: Barry Horn

DANBURY’S CALITRO COMMITS – Austin Calitro, a hulking 6-foot-1, 215-pound fullback and linebacker, has committed to Villanova for football. He reportedly chose the Divsion I-AA school over Temple.

We learned via a separate source Thursday, but on Friday we realized Calitro had already announced the news on Twitter a day earlier.

Calitro ran for 300 yards and scored 4 touchdowns at fullback. On defense, he made 75 tackles and forced five fumbles. He also served as the team’s punter. He was a second-team All-Connecticut Post

CALITRO’S HIGHLIGHT REEL

♦♦♦♦

Marc DesRuisseaux. Photo: Lindsay Niegelberg

STRATFORD’S DESRUISSEAUX  SWITCHES –Stratford all-purpose back Marc DesRuisseaux will be heading to Milford Academy instead of Lackawanna Junior College, Stratford coach John Svatik confirmed. “I don’t know what led to the change, but as far as I know he’s real happy with the decision,” Svatik said.

DesRuisseaux, who is listed at 6-2, 170, earned all-state Class S and all-SWC as a defensive back in his first full year of playing football. He played primarily quarterback and safety for the 3-7 Red Devils and earned a spot on both the Governor’s Cup All-Star team and the Fairfield County All-Star team.

He’ll join Ansonia’s Montrell Dobbs (off to UConn), St. Joseph’s Tyler Matakevich and Montville’s Tyler Girard-Floyd at the New Berlin, NY prep school.

♦♦♦♦

TORRINGTON’S TSOPANIDES TO IOWA — According to the Register-Citizen of Torrington, the All-State OL/DE was supposed to attend Milford Academy, but caught the eye of offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe during a combine and was offered a scholarship after a visit to the University.

Anything else? Drop me a line at sbowley@ctpost.com

Nutmeg domination again in the Governor’s Cup football game

Sunday, June 26, 2011 by:Sean Patrick Bowley
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I think we can sum up this game in one photo:

Connecticut players surround head coach John Murphy and celebrate with the Governor's Cup Trophy following their 37-6 victory at Fontana Field Saturday, June 25, 2011. Photo by Lindsay Niegelberg / Connecticut Post

Any questions?

OK, If you must know any more read our man Mike Cardillo’s recap of the game, the ninth straight victory for Connecticut over Rhode Island.

Or if more photos are your thing, check out our massive slideshow. See if you can spot your favorite player.

Guys who did lots of things for Connecticut, especially in the second half, Connecticut Post MVP Montrell Dobbs (TD run) and fellow Post all-stars Brian Kelly (two TD catches), Joe Della Vecchia (two TD passes) and Willie Maxen. Other guys doing things: Morgan’s Nainy Bah (TD catch), Woodland’s Jack DeBiase (INT), St. Joseph’s Tyler Matakevich (sack), Stratford’s Markey Desruisseaux, Shelton’s Mike Georgalas and Stamford’s Mark Robinson. There were others, UConn recruit Max DeLorenzo (TD run) of Berlin, Wethersfield’s Chris Lesure (sack), Bristol Eastern’s Tyrell Holmes, New London’s Carlos Lozada (fumble recovery), Branford’s Kyle Nolan (TD pass), Conard’s Jonathan Esposito (Princeton recruit), Southington’s Tyler Dube, and the team Connecticut offensive line which was ordered by coach John Murphy to start knocking Rhode Island players over for Dobbs and Co. in the second half.

They did.

The rest was history.

St. Joseph's Tyler Matakevich (left) and Ansonia's Montrell Dobbs (right) give Connecticut coach John Murphy an ice bath following a 37-6 victory over Rhode Island in the Governor's Cup, Saturday, June 25, 2011.

This picture's worth three touchdowns: Brookfield's Brian Kelly (2) and Montrell Dobbs (1) pose for a photo late in the second half of the 13th Governor's Cup. Photo by Sean Patrick Bowley

Play of the day: Montrell Dobb’s electric 77-yard touchdown run on the second play of the second half. It was vintage Dobbs. A juke, another juke, another juke…

Then blast-off. 17-6 Connecticut. And it was pretty much game over.

Second place goes to Temple recruit Bah’s 59-yard touchdown catch-and-run. Took a short pass from Della Vecchia, cut across the field and raced down the opposite sideline for Connecticut’s go-ahead score in the second quarter.

Hit of the day: Willie Maxen’s smack of a Rhode Island player on the kickoff following Bah’s TD.

Valiant in defeat: Doesn’t say a heckuva lot when your kicker’s the star of your team, but Rhode Island’s Chad Bacon shined pretty brightly. He kicked two field goals (as it turned out, Rhode Island’s only points). But the beaut was at the end of the first half. A 49-yarder. Yes he had the wind at his back, but still… Tremendous kick. Had the uninitiated among us wondering how many times we’ve seen high school players kick that far.

Not many.

Quote of the day: “I didn’t see that one coming I usually outsmart them. In our three state championships I had the water dumped out before they could do it.” - John Murphy on getting a victory ice bath from Dobbs and Matakevich.

Tweet of the day: @CurrenSCC on Twitter suggesting Rhode Island could use some reinforcements:

Can we suggest New Hampshire, too?

Photo of the day: The one below, a snapshot of Dobbs on his 77-yard touchdown run. Some lucky college is going to love this kid once he gets through Milford Academy. This was a thing of beauty.

Ansonia High School's Montrell Dobbs carries the ball as he avoids Rob Delgado and runs for a touchdown during the Connecticut High School football all-star game against Rhode Island on June 25, 2011, at Southington High School. Photo: Lindsay Niegelberg / Connecticut Post

Photo of the day runner-up: I saw Dobbs and Matakevich were up to no good when they were obsessively filling up the water coolers with any and every bottle they could get their hands on.

Tyler Matakevich (center, left) helps Montrell Dobbs (with helmet) fill up a water cooler to dunk on coach John Murphy late in the 13th Governor's Cup All-Star Game Saturday, June 25, 2011. Photo by Sean Patrick Bowley

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