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How about Trinity Catholic facing Stamford for the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference boys basketball title?

It happened six years ago. It could happen again.

As we turn the page on the calendar year, the season is not quite one-third old, but an argument can be made that the Crusaders and the Black Knights are the top two teams in the league.

Trinity appears to be a prohibitive favorite. It has the best 1-2 punch with Tevin Baskin and Eric Jean-Guillaume, and though the Crusaders go just six or seven players deep, they are quality players (besides, coach Mike Walsh would not know what to do if he had to play more than seven on a regular basis).

Thus far Stamford has arguably been the next most impressive team. Chris Evans is one of the league’s top players, and the Black Knights have about three or four others who take turns stepping up on a given night. If they can get more consistent play inside from Mark Ellis, they will be even more dangerous.

Which are the other teams to keep an eye on? The three Bridgeport schools have been unimpressive thus far, but Harding has been missing several starters and should be much better over the second half of the year. St. Joseph may be a bit overrated, certainly as far at its No. 8 ranking in the latest state poll. Staples and Greenwich has thus far lived up to being labeled possible sleepers at the start of the year, but lets wait and see how the two fare against better competition.

Right now it is apparent that this is a down year for the FCIAC as a whole, as well as the state. That should open the door for some new faces for this year’s league tournament.

But as we get ready for 2009, a Trinity-Stamford final is a distinct possibility.

Happy New Year to all.

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I have heard and read much about youth violence, but unfortunately I got to witness it first hand tonight when the second game of the Paul Kuczo Holiday Tournament at Stamford High School, between the Black Knights and Brien McMahon, was halted at the end of the third quarter when several fights spilled onto the court from the stands.

The remainder of the game was suspended and Stamford, which was leading at the time, 56-32, was awarded the victory.

I spent the first half of the game sitting with New Canaan coach Jeff Bussey not far from where the incident first broke out. Bussey, who was scouting the game as well as the opener between Weaver and Westhill, left at halftime or I would not have moved to the other side of the gymnasium and been out of harm’s way.

It was a surreal experience, watching the violence snowball. I cannot say I was ever scared for my safety, but at the same time, after making my way onto the court once the outburst appeared to be contained, I found myself keeping an eye on some athletes I knew to make sure they were OK.

As of tonight no one really seems to know what started the incident. Sgt. Robert Littlejohn, one of four officers from the Stamford police department assigned to the game, said he knew of two arrests but was uncertain of the charges.

Stamford coach Jim Moriarty was visibly upset by a time-honored holiday tournament being needlessly tarnished.

Hopefully more facts about what happened will be learned in the days ahead, but the most unfortunate thing sure to happen is the unwarranted hit the Stamford High School community is going to suffer.

There is no evidence that anyone involved in the incident has any link to the school. But because it happened at the school people are going to talk about safety concerns going to games.

For what it is worth, I would have no issue covering a game at the school tomorrow night, or the night after, or the night after that. Hopefully the people who attended the game feel the same way.

This has been a great sports year at Stamford High School in general and for high school sports in the city in particular.

It is unfortunate that, right before the end of the calendar year, that may be forgotten in the days ahead.

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It is still hard to tell the size of the audience out there, but I appreciate all the kind words from those of you who have been regular readers of this blog since I started it earlier this fall.

If the spirit moves you, please take the time to drop a quick note, let me know you are out there and feel free to offer any feedback. I’m toying with trying to come up with some regular weekly features in the new year.

Until then, Merry Christmas to all.

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The season is less than a week old, but calling the Stamford High School boys basketball team a sleeper may not be doing it justice.

Following tonight’s 72-64 win over Harding, the Black Knights are 3-0 and looking like they could be one of the better teams in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference.

Skeptics will point to the Presidents missing three starters, but Stamford’s personnel, with star guard Chris Evans and a collection of solid if unspectacular role players, could be better than expected.

Michael Tiscia returns and is a reliable point guard, while Marc Guirand and Jethro Anilus contribute an outside presence, and Manoche Bosse is a slasher to the basket. If the Black Knights can get some inside play out of 6-foot-6 junior Mark Ellis — Harding’s David Armstrong scored 24 points and dominated the offensive boards — they will become even more formidable.

Most important is the health of guard Chris Evans. He missed eight games last year and 18 the last two seasons. He is one of the FCIAC’s premier players, able to take over games both scoring and as a playmaker. If Evans can keep himself on the court, Stamford will have a good chance at earning one of the top seeds for the FCIAC Tournament.

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As expected, Pete Stokes was named today as the new football coach at Trinity Catholic, replacing Bryan Fox, who stepped down at the end of last season.

Stokes, who graduated from the school in 1985, when it was known as Stamford Catholic, has been a long-time assistant. Stokes starred in and was captain in three sports while at Stamford Catholic: football, ice hockey and baseball.  In football Stokes played under both Joe Anzalone and Jack Slavinsky, helping quarterback the football team to its last FCIAC football championship in 1984, Slavinsky’s first season, and a state championship game appearance in 1983, Anzalone’s last season.

Stokes graduated from Plymouth State College, where he played both football and baseball. He was an assistant football coach at Masuk and Norwalk High Schools before joining the staff at Trinity Catholic.

Stokes, who is held in high regard, will ensure continuity in the program. Most of Fox’s staff is expected to return.

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Preseason predictions in high school sports are often a futile task, with little hard evidence to go by. It usually takes a few games to get a feel for how a season will — or may — play out. Case in point: the New Canaan football team (you didn’t think I could make it through a blog entry without mentioning the Rams, did you?).

For the first week of the season all the talk in the FCIAC girls basketball world has been about how Fairfield Warde and Danbury are overwhelming favorites to meet for the league title. And they both may indeed make it there.

But tonight the Hatters were tripped up on the road at Stamford in overtime, 43-38.

Lauren Beluk finished with a game-high 17 points for Stamford, while Fiona O’Dwyer added 14.

The Black Knights have been mentioned as one of the possible sleeper teams in the league, and their luster dimmed in the eyes of some after they blew a 13-point lead on opening night and lost to Trumbull.

Such is the danger of prematurely pounding question marks into exclamation points.

It is too early to tell whether tonight’s game was an upset or foreshadowing. Beluk is one of the players whose performances could have a big impact on whether the Black Knights develop into legitimate contenders, especially if she can provide the perimeter game she did tonight, with four 3-pointers, to open things up for O’Dwyer.

There are still 17 games to go, but tonight was a big lift for a team that would like to prove it is more than just a sleeper.

Speaking of underrated teams, the Stamford boys may fall into the same category. They won on the road at Danbury tonight, 71-61, behind a superb effort from star guard Chris Evans, who fell one assist (24 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists) shy of a triple double.

The Black Knights made seven 3-point shots.

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We here at Overtime — me, that is — are taking a much-needed long weekend as we make the transition from fall sports to basketball season. Several of you have been writing asking for me to start blogging on the basketball season, which began for girls last night and opens for the boys next Wednesday. Starting next week you will get a steady diet for the next three months.

I’ll leave you with this scene during the Trinity High School girls team’s win over St. Joseph last night: In the second half, after a battle for a loose ball on the floor, the officials were calling for a towel to dry the court. The Crusaders’ Clare O’Leary decided to avoid a delay by balancing herself and using her rear end to dry up the wet spot. Anyone who knows Clare, one of the most fun-loving kids around, won’t be surprised by this.

Have a good weekend and we’ll see you next week.

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The New Canaan High School football team, which finished the season 13-0 and with its first undefeated record in coach Lou Marinelli’s 28 years at the school on Saturday, got one last honor today: the No. 1 ranking in both the state writers’ and coaches polls.

It is the first time a Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference school has finished in the top spot in 16 years.

“It’s a tremendous honor and a tribute to the hard work of the kids,” Marinelli said today.

New Canaan won its third straight Class MM title on Saturday with a 26-7 win over Darien. The Rams had defeated their arch-rivals nine days earlier for the FCIAC championship.