SPB's High School Football

Joe Beler Jr. is a head coach once again.

Law’s defensive coordinator has been hired as the next football coach at Notre Dame-Fairfield. He takes over for Jason Hart, who stepped down at the end of last season.

This is Beler’s first head coaching job since 2001. He spent four season at Foran, and went 20-21-1 but guided the Lions to a 9-2-1 record and an improbable 7-6 SWC championship victory over New Milford in the 2001 season. Foran went on to lose to New Canaan in the Class M semifinals. He was later dismissed in the offseason after a lengthy battle with the school district.

At Law, Beler helped good friend Mark Robinson rebuild the Lawmen into a state playoff contender. The Lawmen went 9-1 and won the SCC Division I West title, the school’s first title of any kind in 25 years, but failed to reach the Class M playoff that year.

In other college football spring news, we received this link on former Stratford tailback Torrey Mack, who apparently has made great strides in his first year at the University of Virginia.

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Fairfield Prep graduate Garrett Brown has been named one of six captains for the Minnesota football team.

He was named captain along with senior WR Eric Decker and junior QB Adam Weber, senior LBs Lee Campbell and Simoni Lawrence and senior DT Eric Small. The captains were voted by the team.

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The Connecticut High School Coaches Association has released its 2008-09 All-State boys basketball teams. Here they are…

CLASS LL
Tobin Carberry, Hamden
Chris Evans, Stamford
Anthony Ireland, Crosby
Greg Langston, St. Joseph
Danny Lawhorn, Hartford Public
Jeremy Moore, Hillhouse
Steve Samuels, Windsor
Adrian Satchell Windsor
Will Tye, Xavier
Darius Watson, New Britain

CLASS L
Tevin Baskin, Trinity Catholic
Cody Bayne, Bristol Eastern
Mike Callaghan, Hand
Greg DeSantis, Notre Dame-Ffld.
Kris Dunn, New London,
Joe Ives, Avon
Jefferson Lora, Lyman Hall
Jon Nazarko, East Lyme
Spencer Noon, Farmington
Kyle Senick, Woodstock Academy
Brandon Sherrod, Stratford
Jordan Williams, Torrington

CLASS M
Conner Boyen, Nonnewaug
Matt Clawson, Tolland
Jeremy Cumberlander, Stonington
Andre Curiel, St. Bernard
Mike Gittens, Montville
Joe Groski, Abbott Tech
Ryan Harro, New Fairfield
Darrell Highsmith, Windham
Chris Laudati, Northwestern Regional
Rashard Moore, Bloomfield

CLASS S
Damon Alston, St. Paul
Matt Biesak, Coginchaug
Tyler Burkhart, Cromwell
Andrew Crowley, Canton
Andre Drummon, Capital Prep
Michael Garrow, Terryville
Dominique Langston, Kolbe Cathedral
Scott Murphy, Lyman Memorial
Hayden Palozej, Stafford
Chris Robitaille, Canton
Isaiah Salafia, Cromwell

And here are the All-Academic teams.

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From JCC coach Vin Laczkoski, the Connecticut boys all-star roster for the annual JCC schoolboy classic in Bridgeport, which will be played this year April 25, is rounding into form.

Here’s what we have so far:

We’ll have more information as the game draws closer.

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Notre Dame-Fairfield guard Greg DeSantis has been named the Connecticut State Gatorade Player of the Year for boys basketball, coach Vin Laczkoski said Tuesday.

The senior averaged over 24 points and six assists per game for the SWC-runner-up Lancers, who finished 17-8.

“We’re estatic,” said Laczkoski, who said he was informed of the honor Tuesday. “That’s a great honor. We’re talking Marcus Camby and Doug Wiggins. That’s some great company.”

DeSantis, the son of former Fairfield standout and Quinnipiac men’s coach Joe DeSantis, will attend Southern New Hampshire next year.

Central won the 2009 Connecticut State Weightlifting Championship at New London on Saturday.

The Hillhoppers topped New London with a combined weight total of 13,620 pounds over five weight classes. New London finished second with 13,190 pounds, Wolcott was third with 12,405, Ansonia finished fourth at 12,390 and Oxford was fifth at 12,370.

Staples (12,110) finished seventh, Shelton (11,775) was ninth and Masuk (11,690) was 10th.
More than thirty schools competed in the event, which features bench, power clean and squat lifts.

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Our good friends at the New Haven Register have finally seen fit to give the rest of us peons the final poll of 2009.

No big surprises, even with the usual postseason shakeup. Windsor is No. 1. Crosby 2. Trinity, Stamford and Central all make their appearances in the bottom 5. Stratford falls off after a 20-0 regular season, concluded with losses in both postseason tournaments.

Team Points Last
1. Windsor (26-1) (15)……….450….2
2. Crosby (23-4)……………….396….T5
3. Sacred Heart (23-2)……….378….7
4. Hillhouse (23-1)……………322….1
5. Bulkeley (16-10)……………310….NR
6. Stamford (24-3)…………….287….T5
7. Cromwell (26-1)……………255….NR
8. Trinity Catholic (24-2)……250….3
9. Central (22-4)………………201….9
10. Bloomfield (21-4)………..199….NR
First place votes in parentheses after record
Dropped out: New London (4), Stratford (8), New Britain (10).
Others receiving votes: Torrington (21-7), 196; New Britain (20-4), 144; Stratford (22-2), 123; Hyde (23-4), 89; New London (23-2), 77; Northwest Catholic (21-5), 49; Lyman Hall (20-5), 31; East Hartford (18-8), 15; Middletown (19-4), Rockville (20-5) and Sheehan (17-8), 8; Holy Cross (18-5), Norwich Free Academy (21-5) and St. Paul (19-7), 7.
The Following Voted: Marc Allard, Norwich Bulletin; Bill Bloxsom, Hersam-Acorn; Sean Patrick Bowley, Connecticut Post; Matt Doran, Norwalk Hour; Scott Ferrari, Greenwich Citizen; Ned Griffen, The Day of New London; Mark Jaffee, Waterbury Republican-American; Sean Kroffsik, Meriden-Record Journal; Ken Lipshez, NewBritain Herald; Joe Morelli, New Haven Register; Paul Nichols, Middletown Press; Dave Ruden, Stamford Advocate; John Silver, Journal Inquirer of Manchester; Ben Talbott, Bird’s Eye Sports; Tom Yantz, Hartford Courant.