Several thousand fans packed the bleachers and lined the fences around Staples Field to see two of the best teams in Fairfield County duke it out on a glorious Thanksgiving morning in Westport.

Yes, Staples was already in the state playoffs.

Pressure’s all on Greenwich? A day at the park for Staples? Ehhh… not quite.

The Wreckers players and coaches were highly motivated, not only to win the FCIAC title and punt their rivals from here all the way into 2012, but they desperately wanted to win the newly-christened Jerry McDougall FCIAC Championship trophy for their coach, Marce Petroccio, who is one of McDougall’s finest proteges and one of the late coach’s best friends.

Petroccio played for McDougall. Won a state championship with McDougall. He coached with him at Trumbull. He was with McDougall all the way up until the week he died from acute Leukemia in October and served as a pallbearer at his funeral.

“To win the inaugural Jerry McDougall trophy would be very special to me,” he said in the days leading up to the game.

So, yes, there was tremendous urgency on the Staples sideline as Greenwich raced to a 10-point lead in the fourth-quarter thanks to the Play of the Year (Alex McMurray’s double-pass-68-yard-touchdown run) and Shane Nastahowski’s 18-yard touchdown.

Sensing the life was being drained from his team, Petroccio took a moment to remind them to keep playing.

“I said, ‘Listen. We’re not going to lose today with our heads hanging,’” Petroccio recalled telling his kids at some point. “If we lose today we’re going out with our heads held high and we’ve gotta go after it. Lo and behold, that’s what they did.

Staples scored, stopped Greenwich with four minutes left, then drove and scored again on unlikely senior hero Peter Bonenfant‘s 16-yard touchdown catch from sophomore Jack Massie with 1:21 remaining.

“I caught four passes all year and that was my first touchdown of the year — it felt amazing,” Bonenfant said.

Just a few plays later, Staples had a stacked Thanksgiving Day plate: A 31-27 victory over Greenwich, the FCIAC title, a No. 2 seed in the Class LL playoffs, McDougall Trophy.

“We showed tremendous heart,” Petroccio said to his kids, standing with the trophy and McDougall’s son, Jerry Jr. “We never give up and today it took a little something special. And I’d like to think that Jerry’s Dad had a little bit to do with what we accomplished today.

“So I want to tell you, I love you with all my heart, we’re certainly not done here, and today I want you to enjoy yourselves because you are the crown jewel of the town of Westport today. …Now let’s go eat turkey!”

As for Greenwich, an 8-2 season was an incredible improvement over last year’s 5-5 disappointment. But not winning this, not reaching the state playoffs with one of the state’s best players on its side (Nastahowski) was a devastating blow for a program that has seen more than its fare share of them.

“I haven’t felt this heartbroken for a group of kids in a long time,” Greenwich coach Rich Albonizio said amid his crestfallen players. They fought hard. You felt for them.

Alas, that mishmash we call the FCIAC schedule was Greenwich’s real culprit.

They had enough victories, but not nearly enough points thanks to three winless opponents, Westhill, Ludlowe and Bassick. With any other schedule, Greenwich would be making state playoff redemption plans. Greenwich was good, if not better, than almost the entire Class LL field.

“I’m sorry they’re not in it. I would have loved to see them in the state playoffs,” Petroccio said. “Because I think they could have done a lot of damage. They’re a heckuva football team and Coach Albonizio is a heckuva football coach.

Staples, the No. 2 seed, hosts FCIAC rival and seventh-seeded Ridgefield at Wilton in the first round of the state playoffs. The two teams didn’t meet in the regular season, but they did scrimmage each other on Sept. 5. Ridgefield’s players are already fired up. So should Staples’ players.

Oughta be a war.

NEW CANAAN 42, DARIEN 21

Darien was cruising along, winning by comfortable margins in the FCIAC. Then, days before Thanksgiving, a couple players are allegedly involved in criminal conduct and get suspended. Darien subsequently gets buried in the Turkey Bowl by a New Canaan team desperate to get into the playoffs, 42-14.

That was last year.

This year, the only difference this time was the venue (Dunning Field in New Canaan) and the stakes for Darien (the loss ended the Blue Wave’s state playoff hopes) and the margin (42-21 rather than 42-14).

The Blue Wave had a great year, better than anyone expected. But, once again, it’s tainted by the selfish acts of a few players and a rout at the hands of arch-rival New Canaan. Gotta feel for coach Rob Trifone, who also lost his father the previous week.

“This doesn’t mar the reputation of the program, it mars the reputation of one individual. One bad apple doesn’t spoil the whole bunch,” Trifone said.

This is getting old.

As for New Canaan, their demise has been greatly exaggerated. A hiccup loss to Stamford derailed an FCIAC championship course. But QB Matt Milano, who’s been setting all kinds of school passing records, and the Rams are suddenly looking dangerous heading into the Class L playoffs.

The big difference this time was New Canaan’s much-maligned defense, which looked strong in this one. It picked off Darien QB Henry Baldwin five times. “I thought our defense played the best game of the year,” coach Lou Marinelli said.

While Darien starts thinking about a comeback year in 2012, the Rams head into the Class L playoffs. They’ll need that same defensive effort in their quarterfinal game at New London.

The Whalers, led by speedster Rob McKinnon and a massive line (who beat Greenwich 51-34 earlier this season), will bring it Tuesday night in what should be one of the playoffs best matchups.

“There was a little bit of pressure with what was on the line,” New Canaan LB Kevin McDonough said. “We embrace pressure. That’s when you see the best out of our team.”

We’ll certainly see Tuesday night.

BETHEL 40, BROOKFIELD 21

The scenario was simple for Bethel: Beat Brookfield and hope one team ahead of them in the Class M playoff standings lost to clinch its second state playoff berth in three years. Brandon Schmidt, Brian Birdsell and the offensive line did their job. Schmidt and Birdsell combined to rush for 320 yards on 50 carries and Westerly (R.I.) did the rest, shutting out Stonington 15-0. The Wildcats are dancing again.

“It is our bread and butter,” Birdsell said of Bethel’s notorious rushing attack, which helped it to upset Bunnell a few weeks ago to qualify for the playoffs for the second time in coach Jay Gill‘s three-year tenure. “People know Bethel likes to pound the ball and our line played their hearts out. It hasn’t sunk in yet that there’s a game on Tuesday.”

Bethel needed some help to avoid sinking to the No. 8 and facing you-know-who in the first round at Jarvis Stadium. But Wolcott managed to outpoint Bethel to clinch the No. 7. So it’s off to Ansonia they go.

As for Brookfield, it was the end to a frustrating season. A year ago, the Bobcats were playoff bound and, while many of us figured they’d make a run at the SWC title and make a return trip, the upset loss to Weston in Week 2 and a close loss to Bunnell and now this dropped them to a 5-5 record. Leaon Gordon and LB Joey Acquanita are gone now. QB Boeing Brown will return. Still, looks like a long climb back.

NORWALK 17, McMAHON 0

Under Coach of the Year candidate Sean Ireland, Norwalk needed just one more victory to clinch a long-awaited state playoff berth. Unfortunately, the Bears needed to hurdle unpredictable rival McMahon, which had had playoff teams New Canaan, Ridgefield and FCIAC champion Staples all on the ropes in previous games.

But Norwalk, which (honestly) has been just a little more than a novelty in Fairfield County compared to many of the usual suspects, got behind potential regional MVP candidate and the inaugural Pete Tucci MVP Delshawn Wilson and big TE/DE Gil Arujo and shoved the Senators into the discard pile while catapulting themselves into the state tournament.

“When do you hear about Norwalk High?” Wilson asked, rhetorically. “Usually our scoreboard is on the other side for the entire year.”

The thing that stood out most: Norwalk’s defense. Check this stat line: Held explosive McMahon QB Damien Vega to just 58 yards passing, picked him off twice, and sacked him four times. Overall, Norwalk’s defense — underrated all season — held McMahon to just 72 total yards.

“Overall, that was our best effort defensively. We just had kids flying in,” Ireland said.

Eat your heart out Staples and New Canaan. An absolutely incredible year, which included an impressive 27-14 victory over No. 7 seeded Ridgefield. Norwalk, which has made no secret of its angst at being overlooked, now gets a chance at big things in the state playoffs. They get No. 4-seeded Conard in the first round at West Hartford. A victory there will (likely) give the Bears a shot at Xavier.

Cherish the thought.

ANSONIA 49, NAUGATUCK 14

It was in this spot last season that Naugatuck stunned annual favorite Ansonia to win the NVL championship and propel itself into the state playoffs for the first time 2001. Ansonia’s seniors remembered. It was all they could think about moments after winning the NVL championship last week.

Revenge.

The Chargers put the region’s longest rivalry back on its usual course, with a dominant victory over Naugatuck. Arkeel Newsome did his usual thing, breaking the game early with long touchdown runs. The Ansonia defense did it’s usual thing: Play bone crushing defense. Yada, yada, yada…and Ansonia marches into the Class M field as the No. 1 seed.

The Chargers (11-0) are an overwhelming favorite to win the Class M championship and become the state’s first 14-0 team. They start with Bethel Tuesday at Jarvis Stadium. The winner gets either Berlin (which had an interesting Thanksgiving eve, to say the least) or Cheney Tech. Then it’s off to Rentschler Field and the state championship.

Ansonia lost last year’s Class S state championship, 42-27 to St. Joseph.

Anyone wanna guess their motivation for this year’s title run?

STAMFORD 34, WESTHILL 6

Stamford was everybody’s dark horse candidate to contend for an FCIAC championship and reach the state playoffs. Looking back, the Black Knights didn’t really disappoint. They finished 7-2 and won five straight games — including a 36-29 upset of New Canaan in Week 8 — to finish the year.

After a loss to Norwalk in Week 3, coach Bryan Hocter lamented the team’s inability to win the big game. But after pasting winless Westhill to take the City Championship, he believed they had answered his call. “The kids finished the job,” he said.

Alas, Stamford loses a fine senior class, including Bryan Boderick, his twin brother Barry, Matt Corcoran, Chandler Foster, Tarek Bruce, Carlos Martinez and more. At least they walk away with the Frank Robotti Trophy for the City title.

“This trophy means so much,” Martinez said. “It slipped away last year. But we got it back in 2011 with a great season. It means the world to all our seniors to go out with a 7-2 record.”

As for Westhill, another tough season. A year after going 1-9, they finish 0-10. The Vikings seem to wade in the short end of the Stamford pool. Like all the teams who had tough seasons, we tip our caps to all the players who played as hard as they could until the final whistle despite the rough year.

WESTON 29, BARLOW 23

What a year for Weston. Behind Tyler Hassett and sophomore Danny Rogers, the Trojans upset Brookfield 21-20 in Week 2 and then won four straight (including 30-7 over Class M qualifier Bethel) to finish with its best season since 2003.

They capped a banner year with the Patriot Division championship with Rogers running for 188 yards and three touchdowns in a victory over Barlow.

Alas, it was close, but that record wasn’t enough to get coach Joe Lato and Weston into the playoffs for the first time. They were outpointed by a Class S playoff spot by all the Pequot Conference teams who don’t have teams like Masuk, Newtown or Bunnell on their schedule.

Regardless, great season for Weston. They went 5-0 against Patriot competition and 2-3 against the Colonial. Their losses were to Newtown, Masuk and Bunnell. Not bad at all, guys. Rogers is a player to watch for the next two years. We’re anxiously awaiting the SWC’s realignment to see if it’ll help the Trojans get that eighth victory and a spot in the playoffs next year.

As for Barlow, a tough 3-7 season, but a competitive one. QBs Jack Shaban and Cooper Brown return and the team has a good allotment of linemen. We’ll see for next year.

(Aside: There was a rumor running rampant in the back woods of Fairfield County that Barlow had found a dead Falcon on the football field and serious speculation that Weston was the culprit.

Few things: Where would anybody get a falcon from outside of hunting one? And if it wasn’t hunted, who in their right minds would/could kill it? Do people regularly hunt falcons? And, as unlikely as the first two things happening together, what are the chances that an actual falcon just upped and died on the Barlow Falcons’ football field?

I’m guessing somebody has a dad who’s into game hunting and also has a (sick?) sense of humor.)

BUNNELL 50, STRATFORD 19

Last week was a tough one for Bunnell. Two weekends before, they lost a wile, 54-48 overtime game to Newtown. Coupled with Bethel’s upset a few week prior, it kept the highly-regarded Bulldogs out of the playoffs.

Once reality set in, however, the Dawgs went out like champs, crushing struggling town rival Stratford at Penders Field. “I’m really proud of the kids,” coach Craig Bruno said. “We had a great season.”

Junior quarterback Bryan Castelot threw four touchdown passes to departing seniors Jawad Chisholm and Jared Vasquez. Senior RB David Camille ran wild and J.J. Bivona was a brick wall.

“Everything was clicking — we got the job done,” Castelot said.

All eyes will be on this team next year with Castelot returning as the league’s top quarterback. Bunnell has plenty of offensive holes to replace, but they’ll be an early favorite next year.

As for Stratford, it was a tough season but marginally better than the previous one. There’s still a long way to go for coach John Svatik‘s crew. “Our kids played hard. I’m proud of our kids,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade ‘em for the world. We’re going to work to get better.”

FORAN 48, LAW 13

It was yet another year of crippling injuries for Foran. But the Lions, who lost QB Matt Aspinwall at midseason, got him back in time for the stretch run. Behind him and RB Dave Yerxa, the Lions averaged 45 points in its final two games and capped it all off with a turnover-filled 48-13 victory over Milford rival Law.

Seven turnovers doomed any chance Law had at picking up its first victory of the season.

“It wasn’t really that easy,” Yerxa said. “Law came to play. The turnovers, how the ball bounced, made the game (look easy).”

Foran finished 3-7, winning two of its final three games. It defeated Guilford 47-41 in overtime, lost to Stonington 41-40.

Here’s hoping both teams can improve from here.

SHELTON 26, DERBY 19

Shelton’s playoff hopes were already slim as the Gaels lined up with Valley rival Derby at Lou DeFilippo Field. But as Thanksgiving morning wore on, it became very clear that Shelton had more pressing concerns.

For the first time since 2002, Derby’s last victory in the series, the Red Raiders were actually hanging around, refusing to get run off thier own field.

Down 26-6, Derby senior quarterback Ray Kreiger, who threw for 324 yards on 23 of 38 passing) rallied Derby to within 26-19 after three quarters.

“We went up to the locker room and a bunch of my seniors got together and said, ‘This isn’t happening to us — we’re not getting blown out on our own field in our last game,” Kreiger said.

Then they almost had a shot to win the game. With time running down and Derby facing fourth-and-11 inside the 30, Kreiger’s pass to Brian Dobek came just one yard short.

For his efforts, Kreiger earned the Silver Turkey MVP award, the first Derby player since 2002 to take the coveted trophy.

But Shelton, which got touchdowns from seniors Gary Thompson and Frank Camerino, finished 8-2, got the victory.

“It reminded me of old school Shelton-Derby game,” Shelton coach Jeff Roy said. “I enjoyed this one and 8-2, playing in our league, that’s a great record.”

Derby, which finished 4-6 is still looking for its first winning season since 1996. The Red Raiders were hindered all season long by the preseason loss of Jake Tomczak. Shelton finished 8-2 on the strength of its defense and an offense that finally figured itself out late in the year. The Gaels have a strong sophomore class that will be counted on to help the team get over the hump the next two seasons.

CENTRAL 28, HARDING 20

Did anyone get a load of the threads donned by Central coach Dave Cadelina and his coaching staff? Did we miss the memo on the dedication of the ‘Tweed Bowl?”

Blessed with a flair for theatrics, Cadelina the Central coaches looked quite dapper on the sidelines of the annual Central-Harding clash.

Central back Fred Tucker didn’t need a costume to put on a show. The senior and 2012 FCIAC-leading rusher capped a fine career with a 317 yards and three touchdowns to capture the John E. Johansen Memorial Trophy as Central won its 13th straight Thanksgiving Day game over Harding. “He was the heart of our game plan,” ‘Bear’ Cadelina said. “We just wanted to get our blockers into the right spots, give it to Fred and let him take over.”

But, for the second-straight year Harding was more than a match. Taquan Broadway scored on a pair of touchdown runs and Harding pulled within 26-20 late, but couldn’t stem Central’s series win streak.

Going forward, the Bridgeport schools all struggled on the field, thanks in part to the stringent “Core 4″ academic policies enforced in the already struggling school district. Cadelina, for one, lost 20 players to the new standards before the season started. Whether these stringent policies (which require students to pass all four core subjects in addition to maintaining an acceptable GPA) will be effective in the long term remains to be seen. Right now, it sounds like it’s doing more harm than good by keeping kids involved in school and out of any trouble that might otherwise find them.

And then there’s the issue of the Harding coaching situation. Head coach James Morris has been suspended for the last month for ‘insubordination’ and a half and there’s been no indication (zero) from the Bridgeport athletic department that it’s even interested in bringing him back. And, judging by interim coach Aaron Stroud‘s comments after Thursday’s game, it sounds like he believes he’s in it for the long haul.

Morris is the second football coach this year to be slapped with an insubordination charge (Frank Marcucio was fired from Bassick last summer). Something seriously is fishy down there.

BULLARD-HAVENS 20, BASSICK 0

Bullard-Havens looked like it would be in the running for a CSC title and a Class M playoff spot. But the Tigers lost to Prince Tech, got hammered by Class S top seed Capital Prep/Classical Magnet and all but dropped out of the running. So the Tigers settled for a Thanksgiving Day victory over city rival Bassick. Angel Rosario scored two touchdowns and had an interception.

Bullard-Havens, which like many CSC teams didn’t think it would be allowed to play football this season due to state budget cuts, finished with its fourth winning season in five years and the third-straight under coach John Johnson. While there were some issues this season, overall Bullard-Havens is light years away from all those weekly beatings in the SWC.

As for Bassick, a sudden coaching change by the Bridgeport athletic department back in the summer brought some turmoil before former West Haven star Derrick Lewis stepped in. The Lions finished 0-10, including a close loss to rival Harding. Lewis is encouraged by the performance of his players, despite the record. Unlike Bullard-Havens, Bassick plays in the uber-tough FCIAC. So there’s that issue, too.

“We’re very proud of the way the kids responded to such a sudden change,” Lewis said. “It’s the reason I’m here. We’re about permanence, we have a great group of sophomores; we got kids that are interested in playing next year. We’ve just got to keep the ship rolling.”

ST. JOSEPH 35, TRUMBULL 24

2010 Class S state champion St. Joseph was everyone’s pick to take the biggest nose-dive in 2011.

And while the Cadets struggled to a 3-7 record this year, they could look across town and be thankful they were nowhere near that train wreck.

Trumbull was the FCIAC and Class LL runners-up in 2010.

Here’s how the 2011 season went: Trumbull’s first game, all the way up in Boston vs. Catholic Memorial (Mass.) ended in the second quarter when the lights malfunctioned. Trumbull lost QB Brendan Moore to injury in its second game. The Eagles were buried by Greenwich at home in Week 4. The week after, town patriarch Jerry McDougall died after a year-long illness. Just a week later, coach Bob Maffei‘s father died. Trumbull was hammered by Darien, Staples, Danbury and Central. Just before playing New Canaan standout RB/LB Don Cherry was suspended for the remainder of the season.

Then the Eagles lost to St. Joseph for just the sixth time in series history and watched the Cadets walk away with the inaugural Jerry McDougall Thanksgiving Day trophy.

Just… wow.

While the game sounded entertaining for both teams and both sides, it’s back to the drawing board for both.

Thankfully, for both clubs, 2012 is just weeks away.

WEST HAVEN 42, FAIRFIELD PREP 39

The craziest, if not the best, game of the day was played at Alumni Field in Fairfield. The Jesuits were 5-4 going into its annual clash vs. West Haven, having struggled significantly against the big boys of SCC Division I. But — surprise, surprise — the Jesuits showed up and played, perhaps, their best game of the season.

Unfortunately, it also ended with a loss.

Oh, but what a game. Prep actually had a 27-21 lead after three quarters. Tom Brewster threw a pair of long touchdowns to Michael Niche. Shane Dempsey and Dillon Ryan scored on a pair of TD runs.

But the Jesuits couldn’t stop the Mannings, Tahir and Jawaun. After Jawaun Manning blocked the extra point, Tahir Manning caught a 26-yard touchdown pass (his third of the day) from Nick Nieves to put the Westies up a point. Later, as Prep pulled within one again, their onside kick went right to James Moore, who took it all the way for the backbreaking score.

Now two years removed from 0-10, Fairfield Prep goes into the 2012 season encouraged by a 5-5 finish in coach Tom Shea‘s second season. West Haven finished 7-3 with some rebuilding to do. Sophomore Ervin Phillips, who spent the last few weeks on the sidelines due to injury returns for coach Ed McCarthy. Even McCarthy, who missed three games due to health reasons, indicated he’d be sticking around for a while.

WARDE 52, LUDLOWE 13

Fairfield Warde probably deserved a better fate than a 5-5 season. The Mustangs were as competitive as they’ve ever been in recent years, but just couldn’t deliver in crunch time. They let leads slip away vs. Darien, New Canaan and Wilton.

So coach Duncan Della Volpe, who’s bent on building a great program on the east side of town, had to settle with the knowledge that good football can be played at the Fairfield public schools.

It’s just going to take a little more time. If that eventually happens, this year’s seniors, who ended the season on a good note with an overwhelming victory over Ludlowe to capture the Gallaher-Baynas Trophy, can at least know they were part of something.

“We’ve been in every game to the end and we definitely had some frustration,” DellaVolpe said. “We don’t have much in our trophy case, so it’s important that (the Gallagher-Banyas Trophy) stays in there.”

Senior Devon Lofton ran for 248 yards and three touchdowns to send the class out in style.

Ludlowe would love to have Warde’s problems. Ludlowe was 6-4 two years ago, but have struggled mightily for two straight years now. Can’t be fun. Hat tip to all of the players and coaches for hanging in there.

NORTH HAVEN 27, AMITY 10

Think about this for a moment: Had North Haven’s Jalon White not pulled this rabbit out of his hat, the playoffs might have a significantly different look this year.

That play ultimately sent defending Class M champion Hillhouse home for the rest of 2011 and catapulted North Haven into its third state playoff berth in five years. Thankfully, the Indians will not be going to the Surf Club again.

They’ll go to Trumbull to face defending champion Masuk instead.

The Indians are a wacky team, using all kinds of misdirection and play action out of the single wing. It’s old school football, but real fun to watch when it’s humming. The Indians’ only loss was to Notre Dame-WH (and that was because of two fumble recovery TDs).

North Haven wasn’t as efficient as it normally is against SCC Division I opponent Amity, turning the ball over three times. But the Indians stuck with what brought them to a 9-1 record — their methodical run game — to qualify for the state playoffs.

Oughta be interesting against Masuk in the quarterfinals.

Amity, meanwhile was competitive in its brutal SCC Division I schedule. The Spartans, who were led by QB Tyler Vallie, finished 4-6 but still managed to win a few big games along the way.

Also, since this is my alma mater, I’m pleased to see longtime announcer Stan Gedansky get recognition for his years of dedication. And I like that Amity name the football field in honor of coach Bill Johnson. The complex is still named after influential Superintendent William E. Sim. But in terms of football, Johnson was king: State Champs over Ansonia 1978.

Green Bowl: NOTRE DAME-WH 42, HAMDEN 14

Like North Haven, the Green Knights needed to bust up Hamden to qualify for the Class L playoff field. And though Hamden is much better than last season’s 0-10 team and showed as much by scoring first. But while Hamden committed to stopping ND’s notoriously brutish run game, the Green Knights took the opposite of North Haven’s tact and took to the air. QB Nate Schambach, who hasn’t been called on much this year like predecessor Sean Goldrich, threw 10 passes and completed six, three for touchdowns.

Notre Dame reached the Class L playoffs at 8-2 over 9-1 Farmington thanks to its schedule — which included wins over 8-2 Shelton, 7-3 West Haven, 9-1 North Haven and 5-5 Fairfield Prep. ND’s only losses were to 10-0 Xavier and 10-0 Hand. (Now juxtapose that with your schedule, Greenwich fans, and you see why the FCIAC’s gotta figure this scheduling thing out.)

“We feel we deserve it,” coach Tom Marcucci said. “And we’re looking forward to it.”

They do. And so are we.

WILTON 49, TRINITY CATHOLIC 14

Wilton had everything to make a run this season. It had good athletes, a strong offense with big-play potential. It’s only problem was defense. It struggled in a four-game losing streak against Ridgefield, New Canaan, Darien and McMahon at midseason. Wilton scored 104 points in those four games, but surrendered 132 and 240 for the year. Still, the Warriors did finish a respectable 6-4 with three straight wins to end the year. They put it all together vs. Trinity Catholic.

“We had a rocky middle of the season, but to finish 3-0 shows great resilience by our team to shake off that four-game losing streak,” quarterback Sean Carroll said.

As for Crusaders, losing RB Shaquan Howsie earlier in the year severely limited them in a frustrating 3-7 season.

NOTRE DAME-FAIRFIELD 57, IMMACULATE 16

Big congratulations to Rico Brogna whose team rolled up over 500 yards of total offense. But it wasn’t Nigel Beckford raking up the big numbers, it was senior Daquan Coleman who had the game of his career with seven runs for 193 yards and three touchdowns, a pair of interceptions and a touchdown from a lateral.

After a long 1-9 season, in which the Lancers played with just 15 guys, they could at least celebrate in a win. Brogna said he’s anxious to get his team back in the weight room and is encouraged by an incoming class. So there’s that. The Lancers also bring back Beckford for his senior year.

For Immaculate, a rough start for new coach Bryan Pinabell. The Mustangs can’t be happy about losing by 41 to another winless team. There’s some serious work to do for both these small Catholic schools.

NEW MILFORD 31, NEW FAIRFIELD 28

Both northern Danbury teams struggled for consistently throughout the 2011 season. So what better way to wash it all away with victory in the Candlewood Cup?

It turned out to be a good one. Connor Shanahan completed 23 of 31 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns to lead New Milford in a wild game off Route 7.

New Fairfield didn’t go quietly. It rallied from 28-7 down in the first half and tied the game in the third quarter behind Nick Guardi and Rob Fiamengo. But New Milford nipped the Rebels on Ben Bayer‘s 29-yard field goal.

“It’s just absolutely incredible,” Shanahan said. “Every single person out here has worked so hard. We gave everything we had for this game.”

The game also held statewide importance. Like last year, it wound up costing an SWC team a shot at the playoffs. Pomperaug needed this one to go New Fairfield’s way to qualify over Glastonbury.

♦♦♦

We saved this one for last because, one of the best lines of the day came not from a reporters question, but from the Twitter account of New Milford WR Liam Lynch, who played for Class LL champion Xavier before transferring back home.

It was a tremendous sentiment, and at the crux of everything this week stands for.

We all get wrapped up in state playoffs, making it the end-all-be-all of the high school football season. While it’s great measuring stick of great teams and great programs, it’s family and relationships that truly count the most. Football is the ultimate team game. It’s an unforgiving sport that requires many intricate moving parts to run efficiently and successfully.

It takes talent, skill, brains, brawn, dedication and commitment.

Or, as the late great Coach Jerry McDougall said: Pride, Attitude, Desire, Sacrifice.

Eleven guys play on the field, but dozens more make a successful program. If one falters, the whole house of cards starts to crumble. Everyone must to work together and function as one unit.

With every kid in uniform, there are three and four times that many more involved. Whole families. Whole communities.

Only a select few can wear a championship ring, that’s what makes it special. But that’s only a small part of the whole experience. Lynch’s thought reminds everybody what high school football is really all about.

It’s not the destination, it’s the ride.

♦♦♦♦

Now, a bit of thanks.

Thanks to all the players, coaches and administrators from all over our region (and beyond) who made this another great high school football season.

Especially the players. You guys do all the hard work, make all the sacrifices. We just watch.

Regardless of how you finished your season, what triumphs you may have had, what disappointment or even tragedy you may have endured, thanks for all of your dedication and hard work in giving us this amazing season. Everyone on my side of the aisle is truly blessed to cover such outstanding young men. To the seniors who just completed their season, we wish you well in the coming years. Make us proud again.

To all of the other journalists and citizen reporters who gave their time and got involved to help bring this football season to all of those who couldn’t see it live and in person. There are too many to list here for now, and maybe I will at the real end of the season, but for now I am indebted to all of you.

And to everyone else who comes here for high school football news, we thank you most of all. We had over 16,000 people visiting this spot this Thanksgiving Eve and Day. We had 1,881 people tuned into the Live Blog Wednesday night (up from 1,600 the year before) and another 3,223 people tuned in on Thanksgiving Day (up from 2,700 the year before).

Amazing.

Thanks for being interested and coming here to see what’s up around the region and the state. We’re thrilled you keep coming back and it makes us all work harder to give you the best coverage we can.

I’m taking a break for the next day. I’ll catch every one on the other side for the state semifinals.

Thanks and take care,

Sean Patrick

We’ll get to the entire Thanksgiving Day recap in a little while (have some turkey to gobble).

And what a day it was. Staples wins the FCIAC championship. Notre Dame-West Haven and North Haven win and get into the playoffs. Ridgefield reaches Class LL playoffs for the first time since 2005. Bethel returns to the state playoffs for the second time in three years. New Canaan routed Darien (again) and clinched a Class L spot. Weston falls one upset short of the school’s first playoff berth.

And Pomperaug — oh, Pomperaug. Thanks to Greenwich’s loss to Staples, the Panthers appeared to have clinched the final spot in Class LL when Platt upset Maloney in Meriden. But South Windsor won its first game of the year, 39-6, over 1-9 Rockville.

That gave Glastonbury the one bonus it needed to tie Pomperaug at 1,000 points. Tiebreak points were also even and, without any common opponents, it came down to the tiniest of margins: a draw by lot.

The CIAC Super Computers had predetermined winners by lot. Sayeth the computer: “Glastonbury prevails 919581-716083″

Their reward? A trip to Palmer Field in Middletown to face No. 1-ranked Xavier in the first round.

Eh. Might be the best draw Pomperaug ever could have lost.

Here are the 2011 State Playoff Pairings and our story on pomperaug

Find all the Thanksgiving Day stories and news on the high school football page.

State quarterfinals, Tuesday, Nov. 29 at higher seed, 6:30 p.m.

Class LL

No. 8 Glastonbury (8-2) at No. 1 Xavier (10-0)

No. 7 Ridgefield (8-2) vs. No. 2 Staples (9-0) at Wilton

No. 6 Newtown (8-2) at No. 3 Hall (9-1)

No. 5 Norwalk (8-1) at No. 4 Conard (9-1)

Class L

No. 8 Notre Dame-WH (7-2) at No. 1 Windsor (10-0)

No. 7 Coventry/Windham Tech (9-1) at No. 2 Hand (10-0)

No. 6 North Haven (9-1) vs. No. 3 Masuk (10-0) at Trumbull

No. 5 New Canaan (9-1) at No. 4 New London (9-1)

Class M

No. 8 Bethel (7-3) at No. 1 Ansonia (11-0)

No. 7 Wolcott (7-3) at No. 2 Ellington/Somers (10-0)

No. 6 Waterford (8-2) at No. 3 Ledyard (9-1)

No. 5 Cheney Tech (9-1) at No. 4 Berlin (9-1) at Sage Park, Berlin

Class S

No. 8 Cromwell (8-2) at No. 1. Capital Prep/Classical Magnet (10-0) at Dillon Stadium, Hartford

No. 7 Haddam-Killingworth (8-2) at No. 2 Holy Cross (9-2)

No. 6 Rocky Hill (8-2) at No. 3 Valley Regional/Old Lyme (9-1)

No. 5 Northwest Catholic (8-2) at No. 4 North Branford (9-1)

Extra! Extra! Get all your live scoring updates, and playoff point updates, right here.

It’s all hands on deck for the staff of Hearst-Connecticut Newspapers — the Connecticut Post, the Danbury News-Times, the Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time. We’ll be at nearly every single game in the Southwest Connecticut region for our biggest live scoring blog of the season.

If you’re at home, just click the window below to follow along on everything that’s happening across the state: who’s scoring, who’s winning, whose playoff hopes are alive, whose playoff dreams are dead — from 7 a.m. until closing time when all the points are tabulated and all the playoff teams are accounted for. While your Turkey bakes, just click the window below, sit back and enjoy.

From last night: Masuk rolls to SWC championship, playoffs | Ridgefield keeps playoff hopes alive | Abbott Tech finishes with victory | Seymour falls to Woodland in finale

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

CLASS LL

• IN: Xavier (9-0), Staples (8-0), Hall (9-1), Conard (9-1), Newtown (8-2).
• Win and In: Norwalk (7-1), Greenwich (8-1). Both done with a loss.
• Pray: Ridgefield (8-2, can clinch with Stamford, Wilton and New London victories or Norwalk and Greenwich losses); NFA (7-2, beat New London, get enough wins East Lyme, Fitch, Ledyard and Wilbur Cross wins in hopes of passing Ridgefield; or just Norwalk or a Greenwich loss); Pomperaug (8-2, needs New Fairfield and Stratford wins to have a chance); Glastonbury (7-2, get Newington, South Windsor, Southington and Maloney to win to have a shot); Shelton (7-2, beat Derby and say Hail Marys)

CLASS L

• IN: Windsor (10-0), Hand (9-0), Masuk (10-0), Coventry/Windham Tech (9-0).
• Win and In: New London (8-1), New Canaan (8-1), Darien (8-1).
• Pray: North Haven (win and just ONE of these teams to win: Hamden, Hillhouse, Bridgeport Central, Foran); Notre Dame (win and a few of these teams to win: Branford, Shelton, Cheshire, North Haven, Wilbur Cross.); Farmington (9-1, win and RHAM, Middletown and Maloney to win for a chance). Bunnell (7-2, win, plenty of bonus help and get both North Haven and Notre Dame to lose). Torrington (7-2, win and a priest or rabbi or imam.)

CLASS M

• IN: Ansonia (10-0), Ellington/Somers (9-0); Ledyard (8-1), Berlin (9-1), Cheney Tech (9-1).
• Win and In: Wolcott (7-2), Waterford (6-3), Stonington (6-3).
• Pray: Bethel (6-3, win and have either Waterford or Stonington lose); Gilbert/Northwestern (6-3, win and Bethel, plus Waterford or Stonington to lose); Hillhouse (6-3) and Putnam (6-3), both need to win and get all of the above to lose.

CLASS S

• IN: Capital Prep/Classical Magnet (9-0), Valley Regional (9-1), Holy Cross (8-1), Northwest Catholic (8-1), North Branford (9-1), Haddam-Killingworth (8-2), Cromwell (8-2).
• Win and In: Rocky Hill (7-2, can also clinch with just a few bonuses).
• Pray: Weston (6-3), Bloomfield (6-3), Prince Tech. All need to win and grab a Rosary.

The LIVE BLOG

You can also follow scores and scenarios from George DeMaio and the WELI football crew broadcasting the Amity-North Haven game. LISTEN LIVE

Thanksgiving Eve at Blue and Gold Stadium in Newtown. Packed house of a few thousand to watch Masuk vs. Newtown play for the SWC championship.

Newtown shows up. Plays tough, befitting its 8-1 record. Has the home crowd cheering and the visiting crowd sifting anxiously through the first quarter.

Then Masuk shows up. Takes a lead. Picks off a pass for a two-score lead. Then the tidal wave. The scoreboard starts to list so heavily toward the visitors side, you think it might tip over.

Question for the audience. What year was this? a) The 2010 SWC Championship game. b) The 2011 SWC championship game. c) All of the above.

The answer is C. But we’ll accept A or B.

The 2011 SWC championship game was, in fact, an exact duplicate of last year’s title game of this year’s title game. Masuk won the league title convincingly, hanging on a dominating defensive performance while the offense’s gears had time to warm. Once it did, Newtown never had a shot.

Masuk 46, Newtown 7. The only real difference for Newtown was it never got to Cochran like it did in 2010 and it actually scored a touchdown this time. Oh, and the margin was three points better than a season ago (42-0).

There was some hair-splitting over how Masuk’s offensive numbers weren’t as gaudy as its previous nine games. A shutout in the first quarter? Casey Cochran misfiring on all of his passes? What was going on here?

“It’s not going to be your best night every time and I certainly didn’t have a great night,” said Cochran, who completed just six passes for 130 yards in the first half and 196 yards for the game. “But that’s what makes a great team, a championship team: When you can have a defense that can step it up and score for you. When you have an amazing running back.”

Yeah. Those parts were working extremely well. The defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns, sacked Newtown quarterback Drew Tarantino multiple times, held outstanding back Lou Fenaroli to 59 yards rushing.

“People talk about our offense but that defense is pretty good because we play against it every day,” Masuk coach John Murphy said. “That’s what they can do. They’re good against the run and they create turnovers. The defense is underrated.”

Markus and Tom Milone, meanwhile, scored a pair of touchdowns. Tom Milone scores a pair. Masuk started subbing after the third quarter. All and all, another day at the office and another league title.

And now the defending champs move into the gauntlet that is the Class L tournament.

“This was only one goal,” Murphy told his team. “This was one little step. We’ve got three big ones beginning Friday.”

As for Newtown, their season’s not over either despite the setback. The Nighthawks will have to shake it off and prepare to hit the road as (at least) the No. 7 seed or higher in the Class LL playoffs. They can potentially play a host of teams, Staples, Hall, Conard (but not Xavier.) They’ll await seeding today.

“We’ll get back at it and hope they have short memories,” Newtown coach Steve George said.

♦♦♦

ELSEWHERE, a few more teams punched their playoff tickets while ensuring a few dreamers will stay home after Thanksgiving.

Seymour finished the season 5-5 with a 28-7 loss to Woodland. The Wildcats don’t get their winning season, but still took a big step forward from last year’s 0-10 season. Woodland killed its playoff chances with consecutive losses heading into this week.

The Hawks will take the 6-4 year. Matt Zaccagnini rushed for 205 yards on 28 carries.

Abbott Tech’s program had a historic night with its 21-0 victory over Wilcox Tech. In addition to reaching a program-best three wins, it also won its first season finale and did so with the program’s first shutout. Jake D’Amico rushed for 221 yards on 16 carries.

Now, on to the playoff scenarios…

John Turner takes off for a 68-yard fumble recovery touchdown in Ridgefield's 56-14 victory over Danbury. The Tigers need just a few small breaks to punch their playoff tickets.

In Class LL, Ridgefield crushed Danbury with surprising ease, 56-14, and inched just a few details from clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2005.

A number of things could help Ridgefield: McMahon beating Norwalk or Staples beating Greenwich.

Norwalk and Greenwich losses will clinch it for Ridgefield. Or, the Tigers  Stamford and Wilton victories along with an NFA loss will do the job.

Norwalk is in with a victory over McMahon. Done with a loss. Greenwich is in with a victory over Staples. Done with a loss.

Shelton needs to beat Derby and get all of its 60 bonus games to have a chance. It’s counting on Hamden, Fairfield Prep, Amity, Cheshire, Sheehan and Wilbur Cross. Doesn’t sound likely. Pomperaug needs Stratford and New Fairfield to win or they’re cooked.

Xavier, Hall and Conard have all clinched home quarterfinals. Staples will clinch a home game by beating Greenwich.

In Class L, the field is half complete. Coventry/Windham Tech clinched alongside Masuk. Windsor, Hand and Masuk have clinched home quarterfinals. Coventry needs to beat Ellington to get the final home game, and possibly the No. 2 seed.

The New Canaan-Darien winner gets a spot. New London clinches with a win over NFA. Notre Dame and North Haven will be in with victories and just some slight bonus help. Farmington, which continued to lose bonus points last night, will need either team or New London to lose. Bunnell needs Notre Dame and North Haven to lose.

In Class M , Ansonia and Berlin have clinched home games. Ledyard and Ellington/Somers can grab the last two with victories.

Wolcott, Waterford and Stonington are all in with victories. Bethel down, but far from out. The Wildcats actually have a good shot if  it beats Brookfield:  They’ll need either Waterford or Stonington to lose.

In Class S,Seven spots are taken. Valley Regional has a home game. Capital Prep/Classical Magnet, Holy Cross and Northwest Catholic can grab the remaining three home games with victories.

Locally, Weston’s hopes are all but dashed thanks to Haddam-Killingworth’s 6-0 victory over Valley Regional. They’d need to win and get wins from New Fairfield, Notre Dame-Fairfield and Stratford to have a chance at tying.

A Rocky Hill win will clinch the final spot over Weston, Bloomfield and Prince Tech. Rocky Hill is also very close with loss.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the greatest 24-hours of the Connecticut sports calendar.

Tomorrow, thousands of Nutmeg state residents will get up, rub the sleep out of their eyes, grab a cup of coffee or some breakfast and head over to their favorite Thanksgiving Day rivalry game.

It is a day where records are thrown out. Where everybody is undefeated. And a day where memories that will live eternity are created.

It is a day where advanced algebra becomes a pastime as everybody tries to figure out who is in, and who is out of the state playoffs.

But first, we start with the Wednesday night appetizers and there are plenty of these to whet your Thanksgiving Day appetite.

Here’s the regional schedule for Wednesday night:

SWC Championship Masuk at Newtown, 7 p.m. [Preview video above] | Danbury at Ridgefield, 7 p.m. | Abbott Tech at Wilcox Tech (Falcon Field, Meriden), 6 p.m.  | Woodland at Seymour, 6 p.m.

There are also a few big games going on around the state, many with playoff implications.

Here’s what to look for

CLASS LL: Ridgefield needs to beat Danbury to get into position for a possible playoff berth in Class LL. Also huge tonight is Glastonbury’s game vs. Simsbury. Like Ridgefield, the Tomahawks need to win to get into position. Glastonbury is also counting on tonight’s New Britain-Berlin game. A New Britain win is a must if Glastonbury wants to reach its max of 112.0. A Berlin victory might cook the Tomahawks if Ridgefield also wins.

CLASS L: Tolland plays E.O. Smith in a key game for North Haven and Notre Dame-WH in the Class L race. A Tolland win would significantly decrease Farmington’s chances to qualify for the field with a victory, meaning North Haven and Notre Dame’s chances will drastically improve with victories.

Of course, Masuk needs to beat Newtown tonight to clinch a spot in the field. While a loss won’t quite kill Masuk, the Panthers will certainly take to the road for the playoffs.

CLASS S: Valley Regional (9-0) has already clinched in Class S, but their game vs. Haddam-Killingworth (7-2) tonight is massive for Weston’s Class S playoff hopes. As is Cromwell (7-2) vs. Coginchaug (6-3). A win by either Valley or Coginchaug or both will open the door wider for the Trojans. They’ll still be looking for bonus help, but without of those game, the field will be nearly complete and Weston’s hopes will be all but snuffed. Bloomfield is also looking for the same help.

Don’t expect much movement in Class M since all of the key games are on Thanksgiving.

Here’s the statewide Thanksgiving Week schedule

To follow along on all the action, click the window below. It is a live Twitter feed from all across the state.

You can listen to George DeMaio‘s Thanksgiving Eve Extravaganza – Live reports and updates from Wednesday night’s games – WELI 960-AM. He’ll be in the studio getting Wednesday night updates from his cadre of correspondents all across the area.

And, of course, follow all the scoring action on the live blog below.

If you’re at a game, and want to participate in the live blog, just get a Twitter account and send updates from your game through your mobile phone. Remember to add #ctfb to the end of your Tweets to have your update show up on this space.

Our HUGE Thanksgiving Day live blog will begin tomorrow at 7 a.m. Thanks and enjoy the games.

We started the Thanksgiving football schedule in earnest with two regional games and a few games with state playoff implications up north in the cold and rain of Tuesday night. (Why these games were played Tuesday escapes me)

Locally, Platt Tech routed O’Brien Tech 48-8 to finish the season 4-6. O’Brien Tech finishes its inaugural season.

In a game with greater statewide impact, Pomperaug got a fight from Oxford but prevailed 10-7 to set itself up for a possible Class LL playoff berth.

More on that in a second.

DARIEN PLAYERS IN TROUBLE AGAIN

Dave Ruden has confirmed that two Darien football players, including one starter, have been suspended from the team following an fight that took place at a party last Friday night. Darien AD John Keleher says he won’t comment on school punishments, but we’re told this might include police charges.

This is the second straight year Darien’s football team has run into trouble during Thanksgiving week before their rivalry game vs. New Canaan. Last year several players vandalized New Canaan’s Dunning Stadium just two days prior to the Turkey Bowl.

Sadly, this is getting to be a tradition down there. Here’s more information on the incident.

Darien needs to beat New Canaan to reach the state playoffs.

PLAYOFF PICTURE:

There are three spots remaining in Class LL. Pomperaug can max out with 112.0 average, but are counting on victories from Stratford, Newtown and New Fairfield. Ridgefield (with a win over Danbury) and NFA (over New London) can potentially still surpass them. Shelton, Glastonbury can at least tie. Their chances will increase if Greenwich or Norwalk lose.

A few minor games statewide had big impact on the state playoff races, especially Class L.

Bloomfield crushed Fermi 47-6 to put itself in position to capture a Class S playoff berth. (Bloomfield will need one of the teams ahead of it to lose and get enough bonuses to outpoint Weston (with a win over Barlow). Weston must hope one or (even better) two teams above it lose.

Bloomfield’s win, coupled with a 22-14 Commerce Springfield (Mass.) victory over Bulkeley denied Farmington key bonus points in the Class L race, giving a solid boost to Notre Dame-West Haven and North Haven’s playoff prospects.

Both teams can outpoint Farmington with victories on Thanksgiving Day. Farmington, which can now only top out at 1,250 points, is counting on wins from Maloney (over Platt), Middletown (over Xavier), E.O. Smith (over Tolland) and RHAM (over Bacon Academy).

In short, Farmington likely will not get close to its max of 1,250, while North Haven and Notre Dame probably will. Farmington’s best shot will be New London to lose.

The Latest Playoff Worksheet from the CIAC

It’s that time of year again… the Greatest Sporting Day of the Year in Connecticut.

Rivalry Week. Thanksgiving Week.

A day where every game means something — be it pride, a winning season, a .500 season, precious playoff points, bragging rights — and it’s played in front of, most likely, your largest crowd of the year.

For most of you seniors, it’s your last game. For a few others, it’s your first playoff game. And for a select precious few, it’s the start of what you hope to be a glorious championship season.

And for everybody, it’s time to tell us who’s going to win the games.

Pretty straightforward. Just read the preview, and pick ‘em. (Most of the statistics provided are via teams on Maxpreps.com, a minority of teams do not provide statistics.)

For complete state playoff scenarios, give the Mad Playoff Scientist a visit. He’s got all the goods for you. CLASS LL | CLASS L | CLASS M | CLASS S

♦♦♦

Tuesday Night

♦♦♦

Platt Tech at O’Brien Tech

WHERE/WHEN– Finn Stadium, Shelton; 6 p.m.
RECORDS — Platt Tech 3-6, O’Brien Tech 3-6
T-DAY SERIES — First meeting
LAST YEAR — First meeting
KEY STATS — O’Brien Tech sophomore QB Nick Coppola is second in the CSC in passing yards (725). …The teams met at J.J. Sullivan’s in Ansonia in hopes of creating a Thanksgiving week tradition.
AT STAKE — Four wins for both schools. Three straight wins for O’Brien Tech.

Oxford at Pomperaug

WHERE/WHEN – Edward Arum Athletic Complex, Southbury, 6 p.m.
RECORDS — Oxford 3-6, Pomperaug 7-2
T-DAY SERIES — Pomperaug 3-0
LAST YEAR — Pomperaug 38-6
KEY STATS — Pomperaug senior LB Tyler Valenti leads the state with 137 tackles (solo and assists). …Pomperaug’s defense is third in the league in points allowed (16.7 per game). …Pomperaug’s Matt Paola leads state with seven field goals, including state record 54-yarder vs. ND-Fairfield. …Oxford junior Brennan Diaz is tied for fourth in the SWC with 5 sacks. …Oxford is on a two-game win streak. …The game was moved from Oxford (on Thanksgiving Day) to Pomperaug due to field issues.
AT STAKE — An outside shot at a Class LL playoff berth for Pomperaug. Oxford’s first victory in the series.

♦♦♦

Thanksgiving Eve

♦♦♦

Abbott Tech at Wilcox Tech

WHERE/WHEN – Falcon Field, Meriden, 6 p.m.
RECORDS — Abbott Tech 2-7, Wilcox Tech 1-8
T-DAY SERIES — First meeting
KEY STATS — Abbott Tech snapped a 20-game losing streak vs. Stamford Academy in October and then followed it with a 27-14 victory over Wolcott Tech, the first CSC victory in program history. Wilcox Tech’s only victory was vs. Wolcott Tech, which is in its first year as a program. Wilcox Tech defeated Abbott Tech 44-12 in last year’s regular season.
AT STAKE — An unprecedented third victory for Abbott Tech’s football program.

Danbury at Ridgefield

WHERE/WHEN – Lancaster Field at Tiger Hollow, 7 p.m. [Time change]
RECORDS — Danbury 5-4, Ridgefield 7-2
T-DAY SERIES — Ridgefield 6-3
LAST YEAR — Ridgefield 27-14
KEY STATS — Danbury senior RB James Harrington is one of the FCIAC’s leading rushers with 1,022 yards and the leading scorer with 128 points. Danbury FB/LB Austin Calitro is committed to Villanova. …Ridgefield QB Connor Rowe is 2nd in the league in passing yards (1,706). Sr. WR Jack Heller is second in the league in receiving yards (544). Jr. Sam Gravitte is second in the league with 103 points scored and has 4 sacks.
AT STAKE — A shot at a state playoff berth for Ridgefield. A winning season for Danbury.

Woodland at Seymour

WHERE/WHEN– DeBarber Field, 6 p.m.
RECORDS — Woodland 5-4, Seymour 5-4
T-DAY SERIES — Seymour 6-3
LAST YEAR — Woodland 47-7
KEY STATS — Woodland sophomore Tanner Kingsley is one of the NVL’s leading passers (1,407 yards); Matt Zaccaginini is the third-leading rusher (1,266). David Alves leads the league with 7 sacks. …Seymour’s Luke Grabowski has passed for 1,037 yards. Jon Wilson has 923 rushing yards. …Both teams have lost two straight.
AT STAKE — Bragging rights. Seymour’s first winning season under coach Tom Lennon.

SWC CHAMPIONSHIP

Masuk at Newtown

WHERE/WHEN– Blue and Gold Stadium, Newtown, 7 p.m.
RECORDS — Newtown 8-1, Masuk 9-0
T-DAY SERIES — Masuk 8-6-1
LAST YEAR — Masuk 42-0
KEY STATS — Masuk is No. 1 in the state in scoring, 55.7 points per game, an average of 10 points higher than any other school. …UConn commit, QB Casey Cochran is third in the state with 2,448 passing yards. … Masuk leads league with just 89 points allowed. …Thomas Milone (138) and Colin Markus (126) are 2nd and 3rd in the league in scoring. …Newtown’s Lou Fenaroli leads the league with 1,539 rushing yards (school record), and points scored (162). …Newtown DL Hunter Bassett leads SWC with 8.5 sacks (9th in state). …Junior WR/DB Dan Hebert is tied for the league lead with 5 interceptions. …Newtown is the 10th-highest scoring team in the state (39.8 ppg). …The game was moved from Masuk to Newtown due to rain forecasts and field issues at Masuk. This was supposed to be Masuk’s homecoming. It has played just two game at home all season.
AT STAKE — The SWC Championship: Newtown’s first since 1997; Second-consecutive for Masuk. Class LL seeding for Newtown. Class L playoff spot for Masuk.

♦♦♦

Thanksgiving Day

♦♦♦

Barlow at Weston

WHERE/WHEN– Weston High School, 10 a.m.
RECORDS — Barlow 3-6, Weston 6-3
T-DAY SERIES — Weston, 6-5-4
LAST YEAR — Weston 48-12
KEY STATS — Weston junior Tyler Hassett is tied for first in the SWC with five interceptions. …Weston has allowed 202 points, least of all SWC Patriot teams. …Barlow is third in the state with 2,941 rushing yards. …Barlow sophomore QB Jack Shaban leads the team with 1,016 yards (7th in SWC).
AT STAKE — Weston’s first state playoff berth. Bragging rights.

Brookfield at Bethel

WHERE/WHEN — Ralph DeSantis Field, 10 a.m.
RECORDS – Bethel 6-3, Brookfield 5-4
T-DAY SERIES –Brookfield 12-3
LAST YEAR – Brookfield 48-26
KEY STATS – Bethel has the No. 8 ranked rushing offense in the state, led by Brandon Schmidt (1,173 yards, 4th best in SWC) and Brian Birdsell. Schmidt is also No. 18 in the state in total offense and 4th in the SWC in scoring. Bethel’s Peter Serencsics averages 12 tackles a game and has 7 sacks. …Brookfield is 16th in the state in total offense. …Brookfield senior RB Leaon Gordon has rushed for 1,117 yards (5th best in SWC, 19th in state). Senior LB Joey Acquanita averages 11.6 tackles.
AT STAKE – The Gavel-Swanson Trophy. For Bethel, a shot at a Class M playoff berth. For Brookfield, a winning season.

Immaculate at Notre Dame-Fairfield

WHERE/WHEN – McCarty Field, Fairfield, 10:30 a.m.
RECORDS — Notre Dame 0-9, Immaculate 0-9
T-DAY SERIES — Notre Dame 11-5
LAST YEAR — Notre Dame 34-28
KEY STATS — Notre Dame-Fairfield has lost nine in a row dating back to last year’s Thanksgiving Day victory over Immaculate. …Immaculate has lost 25 games in a row. It’s last win was 28-21 vs. Barlow on Oct. 10, 2009. …Notre Dame has won eight of the last nine meetings. …Notre Dame junior RB/DB Nigel Beckford is 11th in the state in rushing with 1,294 yards. …Immaculate has allowed 397 points, 4th most in the state. ND has allowed 428 points, most in the state.
AT STAKE — First win of the season for either team.

THE CANDLEWOOD CUP

New Milford at New Fairfield

WHERE/WHEN – New Milford High School, 10 a.m.
RECORDS — New Milford 3-6, New Fairfield 3-6
T-DAY SERIES — New Fairfield 3-1
LAST YEAR – New Milford 21-14
KEY STATS — New Milford is 21st in the state in team passing, led by Connor Shanahan’s 1,334 yards (3rd best in SWC). …New Fairfield’s Ardian Sahinovic is 2nd in the state in punting average (42.7 per att). Nick Guardi leads Rebels with 446 rushing yards. New Milford as a team has rushed for 565 yards.
AT STAKE — The Candlewood Cup. Bragging rights. A .500 season for New Milford.

Bassick at Bullard-Havens

WHERE/WHEN – Bullard-Havens High School, Bridgeport, 10 a.m.
RECORDS — Bullard-Havens 6-3, Bassick 0-9
T-DAY SERIES — Bullard-Havens 4-2
LAST YEAR — Bassick 28-12
KEY STATS — B-H’s Angel Rosario is third in the CSC in passing, fourth in rushing and third in scoring while Equan Brooks is fourth in the CSC in receiving yards. Bullard-Havens is 13th in state with 2,465 rushing yards. …Bassick’s Vochan Fowler has thrown for 1,329 yards, fourth-best in the FCIAC; Morlo Macklin is No. 4 in the FCIAC with 532 receiving yards; Senior DE Brandon Williams is second in the league with 7.5 sacks. …Bassick has allowed 343 points, most in the FCIAC.
AT STAKE — Bragging rights; Avoiding a winless season for Bassick.

Wilton at Trinity Catholic

WHERE/WHEN – Trinity Catholic Alumni Field, 10 a.m.
RECORDS — Trinity Catholic 3-6, Wilton 5-4
T-DAY SERIES — Tied 3-3
LAST YEAR — Wilton 38-20
KEY STATS — Wilton’s Alex Ward is 3rd in the FCIAC in receiving (524 yards); Travis Stella is No. 3 in rushing (724 yards). Wilton has the 20th highest scoring team in the state. …Trinity Catholic has lost five of its last six games since starting 2-1. Senior Dan Pason averages 11 tackles per game. TC’s pass-to-run ratio is 1:4.
AT STAKE — A winning season for Wilton; four wins for Trinity Catholic.

Stamford at Westhill

WHERE/WHEN — J. Walter Kennedy Stadium, Stamford, 10 a.m.
ON THE AIR — WSTC 1400-AM / WNLK 1350-AM
RECORDS — Stamford 6-2, Westhill 0-9
T-DAY SERIES — Stamford 11-4
LAST YEAR — Stamford 53-6
KEY STATS — Stamford QB Bryan Boderick has 1,054 passing yards, fifth-best in the league. …Stamford’s Chandler Foster is tied for 2nd in the FCIAC with 5 interceptions. …Westhill is on an 18-game losing streak dating back to a 32-12 victory over Harding on Sept. 12, 2010. … The Vikings are 11th in the state in tackles, but have allowed 338 points, third-highest in the league. … Stamford has won three straight in the series.
AT STAKE — Bragging Rights. The City Championship, which resides on Strawberry Hill. Stamford’s best record since 1995.
READ MORE — Stamford hopes to ‘finish the job’ vs. Westhill on Thanksgiving

THE ELM CITY BOWL

Hillhouse at Wilbur Cross

WHERE/WHEN – Bowen Field, 10:30 a.m.
RECORDS – Hillhouse 6-3, Wilbur Cross 1-8
ALL-TIME SERIES — Hillhouse 31-23-7
LAST YEAR — Hillhouse 30-28
KEY STATS — Hillhouse sophomore Harold Cooper is the 4th-leading rusher in Connecticut with 1,650 yards, Hillhouse is the third-highest rushing team in the state, 3,244 yards. …Wilbur Cross averages just 13.7 points per game; Has lost seven straight since a 40-16 win over Law in Week 2.
AT STAKE — The Elm City Bowl trophy. A slight chance at a playoff berth for Hillhouse, the defending Class M champions.

North Haven at Amity

WHERE/WHEN – William E. Sim Field, Woodbridge, 10 a.m.
ON THE AIR — WELI 960-AM
RECORDS – Amity 4-5, North Haven 8-1
T-DAY SERIES — Amity 9-5-1
LAST YEAR – North Haven 40-24
KEY STATS – North Haven is the seventh-best rushing team in the state (2,682 yards, 335 pg), has almost as many run attempts (407) as passing yards (413). …Jalon White leads with 889 rushing yards, 3rd best in SCC Division II; QB Joe Schwab has 753 (5th best SCC D-II). Mark Zurlis averages 12.5 tackles per game. …Amity QB Tyler Vallie is ranked No. 19 in total offense. He’s 3rd in SCC Division I in passing yards (1,073) and fourth in rushing yards (867). …Amity is 20th ranked team in state rushing (2,211).
AT STAKE — A Class L playoff berth for North Haven, its third playoff berth in four years. A .500 season for Amity.

West Haven at Fairfield Prep

WHERE/WHEN — Alumni Field, 10:30 a.m.
RECORDS – Fairfield Prep 5-4, West Haven 6-3
T-DAY SERIES –West Haven 12-3
LAST YEAR — West Haven 32-13
KEY STATS — Dillon Ryan has run for over 300 yards in three games since taking over for injured Joe McBride at tailback. QB Tom Brewster has Prep is 4-1 at home this season, but has been outscored 103-0 in the first half against all four winning SCC Division I teams it has faced (Shelton, Hand, Xavier, Notre Dame). …West Haven will likely get standout sophomore TB/DB Ervin Phillips back for the game. He had been injured the last three weeks.
AT STAKE — Fairfield Prep’s first winning season since 2007.

Foran at Law

WHERE/WHEN — Law Field, Milford, 10:30 a.m.
RECORDS — Law 0-9, Foran 2-6
ALL-TIME SERIES – Law 21-17
LAST YEAR – Foran 56-21
KEY STATS — Foran has scored 90 points in its last two games, an 49-41 overtime win over Guilford; a 42-41 loss to Stonington. …QB Matt Aspinwall threw for over 300 yards in both games after returning from a month-long injury. He is 20th in the state in total offense (1,877 yards). …Foran’s other win was 41-20 over East Haven. …Foran has allowed 360 total points, most in the SCC. …Law’s Connor Falaguerra is has the 16th most receiving yards in Connecticut (678). …Law has allowed 40 or more points in six of nine games, including last three games.
AT STAKE — Bragging rights in Milford.

Norwalk at McMahon

WHERE/WHEN – Jack Casagrande Field, Norwalk, 10:30 a.m.
RECORDS – Norwalk 7-1, McMahon 3-6
ALL-TIME SERIES – McMahon 31-18-1
LAST YEAR – Norwalk 8-7
KEY STAT – McMahon has lost six games by eight points or less, including losses to New Canaan and Staples by 3 points each. …Norwalk’s Delshawn Wilson is tied for 10th in the state with 5 interceptions, and is ranked 6th in the FCIAC in passing yards (1,043). …Norwalk is 4th in the state with 30.5 sacks, led by Patrick Whalen’s 7.5 (2nd best in FCIAC) and Kwazee Rice’s 7 …Norwalk allows just 15 points per game, the least points in the FCIAC (120).
AT STAKE — The Sam Testa Trophy. Norwalk’s first state playoff berth since 1998.
READ MORE — Norwalk eager to break playoff drought

St. Joseph at Trumbull

WHERE/WHEN– Dalling Sports Complex, Trumbull, 10:30 a.m.
RECORDS — Trumbull 2-6, St. Joseph 3-6
T-DAY SERIES — Trumbull 21-5
LAST YEAR — Trumbull 38-27
KEY STATS — Both teams played in state championship games last year. …St. Joseph junior Jon Prutting is tied for fourth in the FCIAC with 4 interceptions. St. Joseph has 12 as a team. …St. Joseph has won two straight. Trumbull has lost six straight since a 35-8 win over Ludlowe in Week 3. …Trumbull LB Don Cherry will not play due to suspension.
AT STAKE — Bragging rights.

Harding at Central

WHERE/WHEN — Kennedy Stadium, Bridgeport, 10 a.m.
RECORDS — Central 5-4, Harding 2-7
ALL-TIME SERIES – Harding 50-34-4
LAST YEAR – Central 29-25
KEY STATS – Central has won 12 straight series games, an all-time best. …Central has allowed 327 points this season (36.3 ppg), fourth-most in the league; Senior back Fred Tucker is the FCIAC leader with 1,147 rushing yards. … Harding’s Taquan Broadway has 712 rushing yards. …Harding has scored the third-least points in the FCIAC (77). …Head coach James Morris has been suspended by the Bridgeport school district Oct.18  for insubordination. He will not coach in the game.
AT STAKE — The John E. Johansen Trophy. The Bridgeport city championship.

Warde at Ludlowe

WHERE/WHEN – Taft Field, Fairfield, 10 a.m.
RECORDS — Ludlowe 0-9, Warde 4-5
T-DAY SERIES – Warde 9-7
LAST YEAR — Warde 21-16
KEY STATS — Fairfield Ludlowe has lost 10 games in a row and hasn’t scored more than 14 points in any game. …Warde has led in the second half of eight games it has played. The Mustangs have lost two straight heading into the game.
AT STAKE — The Gallagher-Baryas Trophy. A .500 season for Fairfield Warde.

Bunnell at Stratford

WHERE/WHEN– Penders Field, Stratford, 10 a.m.
RECORDS — Stratford 3-6, Bunnell 7-2
ALL-TIME SERIES — Bunnell 35-20
LAST YEAR — Bunnell 16-7
KEY STAT — Bunnell’s Bryan Castelot has thrown for 2,257 yards, 5th best total in the state. Bunnell has the state’s sixth-best passing attack. Receivers Jawad Chisholm (914 yards), Jared Vazquez (842) are both among the state’s top 10 receivers; both have 4 interceptions. …Bunnell senior RB David Camille is 20th in the state in rushing (1,106 yards). …Bunnell is sixth in the state in scoring (42.0 ppg), but allows 26.4 points per game. …Stratford has allowed 364 points, third-most in the league. …Bunnell has won 9 out of the last 10 meetings.
AT STAKE — The Harvey E. Manning Trophy; Long shot chance at a Class L playoff berth for Bunnell.

THE TURKEY BOWL

New Canaan at Darien

WHERE/WHEN – Dunning Field, 10:30 a.m.
RECORDS — Darien 8-1, New Canaan 8-1
ALL-TIME SERIES — New Canaan 45-33-2 (New Canaan 10-4-1 on Thanksgiving)
LAST YEAR — New Canaan 42-14
KEY STATS — Darien hasn’t won this game since 2001. Darien junior RB Peter Gesualdi is tied for third in the state with 7 interceptions. Darien is 13th in the state in passing, junior Henry Baldwin set the school’s season passing TD mark with 24. …New Canaan’s Matt Milano is 8th in the state with 2,094 passing yards; earlier this season he broke Kurt Horton’s career touchdown mark. … Sr. WR Patrick Newton is among the FCIAC’s top receivers receivers with 634 yards. …New Canaan has the 5th-ranked passing attack in the state and is 11th in total offense.
AT STAKE — The Turkey Bowl trophy. FCIAC East title. Class L playoff berth for the winner. Home for the holidays for the loser.

THE 61st GREEN BOWL

Notre Dame-West Haven at Hamden

WHERE/WHEN — Hamden Field, 10:30 a.m.
ON THE AIR — SportingnewsCT.com OR GoGreenKnights.com (live video feed)
RECORDS — Notre Dame-WH 7-2, Hamden 1-8
ALL-TIME SERIES — Notre Dame 37-21-2
LAST YEAR — Notre Dame 47-0
KEY STATS – Notre Dame has the 12th-best rushing offense in Connecticut, 2,438 yards, led by Jevon Grey (929), Amihr Bess (722) and Cameron Tucker (522). Team has more rushing attempts (358) than total passing yards (310). …Notre Dame’s opponents are a combined 52-29. Its only losses have been against Xaver (9-0) and Hand (9-0). …Eamon DeTorro has 4 interceptions, three have gone for touchdowns. …Hamden has scored 154 more points this year (184) it did a season ago (29). …Notre Dame has won four straight in the series.
AT STAKE – Bragging rights. A Class L playoff berth for Notre Dame-WH.

FCIAC Championship

Staples at Greenwich

WHERE/WHEN – Staples Field, Westport, 10 a.m.
ON THE AIR — WGCH 1490-AM | MSG Varsity-Connecticut (tape delay, 7 p.m.)
RECORDS – Greenwich 8-1, Staples 8-0
T-DAY SERIES – Staples 4-2
LAST YEAR – Staples 27-8
KEY STATS — Staples leads Connecticut with 48 sacks, led by Pieter Hoets 8 and Mikel Washington’s 7. The Wreckers have allowed the third-least points in the league (125). Kevin Kearney is fourth in the FCAIC with 91 tackles despite being out with an injury the last two weeks…. Back Joey Zelkowitz is 3rd in the league with 800 rushing yards, despite missing the last two weeks. …Staples is second in the state with 5 field goals. …Jon Heil is the state’s highest-rated punter (43.1 avg). …Greenwich’s Shane Nastahowski is one of the FCIAC’s best rusher (925 yards) and 2nd-highest scorer (114 points). …Greenwich is the 13th-highest scoring team in the state (37.4 ppg) and No. 12 in sacks (22.5). …Staples has won 5 FCIAC titles, Greenwich has won 12. …The schools have faced off twice for the league title, Greenwich has won both (1974, 2007). …Greenwich’s last title was 2007 (37-0 over Staples). Staples’ last title was 2009 (14-10 over Central).
AT STAKE – The inaugural Jerry McDougall Trophy FCIAC championship; Class LL playoff seeding for Staples; Class LL playoff berth for Greenwich.
READ MORE — Nastahowski puts Cardinals on brink of FCIAC title, playoffs | Staples confident in replacement players | FCIAC championship breakdown

The Silver Turkey

101st meeting: Shelton at Derby

WHERE/WHEN – Lou DeFilippo Field, Derby
RECORDS – Derby 4-5, Shelton 7-2
ALL-TIME SERIES – Shelton 51-42-7
LAST YEAR — Shelton 38, Derby/O’Brien Tech 14
KEY STATS — Derby’s Ray Kreiger leads the NVL and is 4th in the state with 2,494 passing yards. He’s No. 3 in the state in total offense. Dillion McMahon is 2nd in NVL and 5th in state with 977 passing yards. Derby averages 35 points per game, allows 33 points per game. …Shelton has had three different starting QBs, and has thrown for just 632 yards. The Gaels have rushed for 2,087 yards, 24th best in Connecticut, led by Frank Camerino’s 997 yards. …Shelton averages just 20 points per game and allows 18.
AT STAKE — A ninth-straight series victory and a potential Class LL playoff berth for Shelton. Derby’s first victory in the series since 2002 and a .500 season. Bragging rights.

112th meeting: Ansonia at Naugatuck

WHERE/WHEN — Veterans Field, Naugatuck, 10:30 a.m.
ON THE AIR — WATR 1320-AM
RECORDS – Naugatuck 6-3, Ansonia 9-0
ALL-TIME SERIES – Ansonia 67-36-9
LAST YEAR – Naugatuck 38-20 (NVL Championship game)
KEY STATS – Ansonia’s Arkeel Newsome is the state’s leading rusher with 2,494 yards, and the state’s leading scorer with 41 touchdowns and 282 points. …Ansonia owns the state’s top rushing attack with 3,360 yards (just 40 ahead of NVL rival Torrington) and has the state’s third-highest total offense, 4,444 yards. It is the 2nd highest scoring team in Connecticut (after Masuk). …Naugatuck’s Jake Yourison is the NVL’s fourth leading rusher (1,215 yards) and is the 17th best scorer in Connecticut (12.7 ppg).
AT STAKE — For Ansonia, the top seed in the Class M playoffs.

Finally, His Madness comes to the final state playoff division, Class S. Not many local teams in the mix here. Last year’s state championship participants are gone. Runner-up Ansonia has graduated to Class M. Champion St. Joseph is not in the playoff hunt.

So your Mad Playoff Scientist will dispense with the pleasantries and get right to it.

For a complete breakdown of all the other classes, follow these links: CLASS LL | CLASS L | CLASS M

They’re In

Valley Regional/Old Lyme (9-0)

Point potential: Max: 1490; Min 1320
Opponent: vs. Haddam-Killingworth (7-2, 170 pts)
The Skinny — Have already clinched a home game. Will likely be the top seed with a victory over H-K.

Capital Prep/Classical Magnet (9-0)

Point potential: Max: 1490-1460; Min: 1330-1300
Opponent: vs. Prince Tech (6-3, 160 pts)
Bonus games 30: Bullard-Havens (vs. Bassick); Cheney Tech (vs. East Catholic); Putnam/T/ET (vs. Killingly)
The Skinny – Clinches at least a No. 2 seed with a victory; Can be no worse than the No. 5 seed with a loss. Will likely top out at No. 4 or No. 3.

Holy Cross (8-1)

Point potential: Max: 1390-1360; Min: 1210-1180
Opponent: vs. Wolcott (7-2, 180 pts)
Bonus games 30: Naugatuck (vs. Ansonia); Woodland (vs. Seymour); Sacred Heart (vs. Wilby)
The Skinny – Clinches a home game with a victory. Has outside chance at No. 1 seed if enough teams lose. Will likely fall anywhere between No. 3 and No. 4.

Northwest Catholic (8-1)

Point potential: Max: 1410-1330; Min: 1240-1160
Opponent: vs. Rocky Hill (7-2, 170 pts)
Bonus games 80: Berlin (Vs. New Britain); Rockville (Vs. South Windsor); Tolland (Vs. E.O. Smith); Platt (vs. Maloney); Bristol Easter (vs. Bristol Central); Weaver (Vs. Hartford Public); East Catholic (vs. Cheney Tech); Plainville (vs. Farmington).
The Skinny — A victory over Rocky Hill plus enough bonuses will clinch a home game. Outside chance at No. 1 seed if teams ahead lose.

North Branford (8-1)

Point potential: Max: 1310-1300; Min: 1170-1160
Opponent: vs. Hyde Leadership (4-5, 140 pts)
Bonus games 10: Haddam Killlingworth (Vs. Valley Regional)
The Skinny — Needs a win and a loss by any of the above teams to clinch a home game. Otherwise, will be the No. 5 seed.

Win and In

Rocky Hill (7-2)

Point potential: Max: 1240-1170; Min: 1060-990
Opponent: Vs. Northwest Catholic (8-1, 180 pts)
Bonus games 70: Rockville (vs. South Windsor); Tolland (Vs. EO Smith); Bristol Central (Vs. Bristol Eastern); Weaver (vs. Hartford Public); East Catholic (vs. Cheney Tech); Plainville (vs. Farmington); Bloomfield (vs. Fermi).
The Skinny — Win clinches playoff spot. A loss, and Rocky Hill will need a majority of its bonus games to guarantee a spot. With enough bonuses, getting two teams below it to lose will almost ensure a playoff berth.

Cromwell (7-2)

Point potential: Max: 1140-1120; Min: 980-960
Opponent: Vs. Coginchaug (6-3, 160 pts)
Bonus games 20: Haddam-Killingworth (Vs. Valley Regional); Hyde (vs. North Branford).
The Skinny — Cromwell clinches with a victory. It will be sweating with a loss, unless a lot of teams currently below it lose.

Haddam-Killingworth (7-2)

Point potential: Max: 1160-1140; Min: 970-950.
Opponent: vs. Valley Regional (9-0, 190 pts)
Bonus games: Hyde (Vs. North Branford); Coginchaug (Vs. Cromwell).
The Skinny — Clinches with a victory over Valley Regional. Would be in trouble with a loss unless Bloomfield, Weston and Prince Tech all lost.

A Little Help Here?

These teams need to win and hope some of the teams above lose.

Bloomfield (7-2)

Point potential: Max: 1020-960
Opponent: Vs. Fermi (0-9, 120 pts)
Bonus games 60: Northwest Catholic (vs. Rocky Hill); Rockville (Vs. South Windsor); Platt (Vs. Maloney); Weaver (vs. Hartford Public); East Catholic (vs. Cheney Tech); Plainville (Vs. Farmington).
The Skinny – A victory over Fermi puts the Hawks in position to clinch if Cromwell or Haddam-Killingworth lose coupled with a loss by Prince Tech. Many of its bonus games are favored to come through to lift it over Weston. If both Cromwell, H-K and Prince Tech lose, the Warhawks will have an even better chance.

Weston (6-2)

Point potential: Max: 1020-980
Opponent: vs. Barlow (3-6, 140 pts)
Bonus games 40: Oxford (vs. Pomperaug); ND-Fairfield (vs. Immaculate); New Fairfield (vs. New Milford); Stratford (vs. Bunnell)
The Skinny — It’s an uphill climb, but not out of reach. Will need to beat Barlow and at least a loss from both Haddam-Killingworth and Prince Tech. In that case it’ll be a bonus race with Bloomfield, with Bloomfield holding the bonus advantage. It doesn’t help that many of Weston’s bonuses aren’t likely to come through.

Prince Tech (6-3)

Point potential: Max: 1040-1030
Opponent: vs. Capital Prep/Classical Magnet (9-0)
Bonus games 10: Putnam/T/ET (vs. Killingly)
The Skinny – All it needs is a victory over Capital Prep and a loss by Haddam-Killingworth or Cromwell to clinch. Beating Capital Prep is already a tall order. A loss knocks Prince Tech out and opens the door for either Bloomfield or Weston to clinch in place of H-K.

Coginchaug (6-3)

Point potential: Max 970-960
Opponent: vs. Cromwell (7-2, 170 pts)
Bonus games: Hyde (vs. North Branford)
The Skinny -- Needs to beat Cromwell and pray four teams ahead of it lose: Prince, Bloomfield, Weston and HK. Even then, it would be in a race with Cromwell for the final spot.