SPB's High School Sports

George French, a volunteer assistant coach, has been selected to take over the Derby/O’Brien Tech football program.

French is a 1999 Derby graduate who attended Merrimack College. He was recommended by a seven-man panel, which included Derby Mayor Tony Staffieri and principal Fran Thompson, and approved by the board of education Thursday night.

New Fairfield Prep football coach Tom Shea with the team during a previous game. (Photo by Fairfield College Preparatory School).

New Fairfield Prep coach Tom Shea

The school Thursday announced the hiring of freshman coach, English teacher and alumnus Thomas Tom Shea (his real name is William), who — if you remember — was a finalist for the job last season along with deposed coach Billy Pinto. According to a press release, Shea met with the team on Wednesday.

Though Shea is a relative unknown in local high school circles, he’s had a long and distinguished career. A 1973 Fairfield Prep graduate, he only recently returned to the school after a prosperous career in business as the founder and chief business executive at several communications ventures, according to the release. He played football at Fairfield Prep and at Harvard, where he received a BA. Later, he received a masters of sciences at the London School of Economics.

He’s been teaching English at Fairfield Prep for the past five years, during which time he became the freshman coach under Rich Magdon.

Shea was a front-runner for the job when Magdon stepped aside in 2008. Though he didn’t get the job, he stayed on as an assistant under Pinto during last year’s 0-10 season.

“I am honored and proud to be named just the eighth coach in Prep football history, and I look forward to working with our young men to revitalize our winning traditions,” Shea said in a statement. “I feel we have the talent to be a good football team, but it is up to the players and their level of commitment and dedication to determine when that will be.”

We’ll have more later on this. For now, discuss…

Only one Bridgeport team cracks the CSWA poll this week. Central moves up to two after Sacred Heart (the previous two) dropped a game last week.

RankTeam (First Place Votes)
Rank 1.Hillhouse (19), T2.Bridgeport Central (2), T2.New Britain, 4.Stratford, 5.Hyde Leadership, 6.Holy Cross, 7.New London, 8.Sacred Heart, 9.Bloomfield, 10.East Catholic
103NR

Here’s the Walter Camp All-Connecticut team released during the weekend’s festivities.

Offense:
OL–Sean Berglund (Wolcott), Jamie Daniels (New London), Ernest Wiggins (Central), Conor Hanratty (New Canaan), Chris Valenti (Bethel)
WR–Brendan Rankowitz (Staples), Cody Newton (New Canaan)
TE–Jake Santora (Staples)
QB–Greg Palmer (Cheshire)
RB–Julian Hayes (Xavier), Ben Crick (Pomperaug).

Defense:
DE–A.J. Wilcox (Ledyard), Cameron Davis (Hamden);
DT–Rob Bowman (ND), Tom Jordan (Ridgefield);
LB–Graham Stewart (Xavier), Patrick Atkinson (Stamford), C.J. Elser (Pomperaug), Tyler Matekevich (St. Joseph);
DB–Conor Keniry (ND), Matt Kelly (Staples), Andrew Clements (Pomperaug), Christon Gill (Central).

Special teams: PK–Santiago Cuartas (Staples); P–Ray Pendagast (Shelton); KR–Tyler Murphy (Wethersfield)