Overtime

The furor over all but one of last week’s Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference football games not counting in the league standings is mounting again.

One coach, who asked not to be identified, told me this morning that in the preseason packet all coaches are given, there is not one mention that the Week 5 slate would only count in the state rankings.

There seems to be no question that the FCIAC’s athletic directors, board of directors and principals approved this scheduling quirk, brought on by a rare season in which there are 11 games instead of the usual 10. And it appears that this information may not have been properly conveyed to the coaches.

The feeling of the coaches is that they are being forced by administrators to adopt a basketball mentality, where teams play 18 league games and two non-league contests.

New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli, who is the head of the FCIAC football committee, told me this morning, “I don’t think football is a sport where you can’t count games. It is not like other sports because you don’t play as many games. Our ADs voted on it and the principals so we have to abide by it.”

The football coaches are unhappy but right now they have little recourse.

Check this out: High school football fans should check out a fascinating story on the front page of today’s New York Times about schools using what is known as an A-11 offense, a wild version of the spread in which all 11 players on the field are potentially eligible to receive a pass.

A controversy pitting football coaches against administrators has arisen in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference over the past few days with the news that last week’s games, except for one, will not count against league records.

John Kuczo, the league’s executive secretary, said he was puzzled by the uproar that has been created. He said the current schedule was approved by athletic directors last October, then agreed to by the board of directors and given final approval by the principals, who have final say, in January.

“Apparently some people have conveniently forgotten about this,” Kuczo said. “It is all in writing. I think this is coming from just a couple of people.”

Chip Salvestrini, the athletic director at Danbury High School, backed up Kuczo’s assessment.

“It’s pretty simple, pretty clear,” Salvestrini said. “It was passed officially. People in our conference knew it was going to happen. I’m surprised why people feel differently about it now.”

According to several coaches I have spoken to, including New Canaan’s Lou Marinelli and Ridgefield’s Kevin Callahan, they were under the assumption that last weekend’s games would count in the league standings. Marinelli, who is the head of the league’s football committee, said he was stunned when told otherwise on Monday.

“Had I known this I would have objected and I did object when I it was explained to me a few days ago,” Marinelli said. “This could create some problems. Never in the FCIAC has this happened where football games don’t count.”

Ironically, because of a confusing schedule created because each team is allowed to play 11 games this year instead of the usual 10, the Rams’ 25-0 win over Norwalk on Saturday is the only one that does count against the standings.

One of the teams most hurt by this is Ridgefield, which upset Greenwich, 21-14.

Callahan, a member of the league’s board of directors, said he was unaware of the rule and is doing his due diligence to get verification. He is going through his athletic director, Carl Charles, who is requesting minutes from the meeting where the schedule was passed.

“I’m a little confused,” Callahan said. “It doesn’t mean it’s not there. Maybe I missed the meeting. I just want to make sure.”

Teams that benefit are Greenwich, which was spared a second league loss and elimination for a league title berth, and St. Joseph and Wilton, which remain undefeated in the FCIAC despite falling last week, respectively, to Stamford and Westhill.

The league coaches might be unhappy but basically nothing is going to change, which is the perspective Staples coach Marce Petroccio, whose team defeated Danbury last weekend, is taking.

“I think what the league did was with good intentions,” he said. “For whatever reasons there was a lack of communication and whether we agree with it or not we have to live with it. In the end we will have the 2 best teams in the FCIAC final.”

There is a lot more to this story, which I will have in tomorrow’s paper.

Tonight was a disappointment for Stamford High School and a celebration for Westhill at Boyle Stadium.

The Vikings won their first city field hockey title since 2004 with a 3-1 victory. The biggest winner of all, however, was fans of the sport. And there were many of them out tonight.

This is the strongest Stamford and Westhill have been during the same season in years. The Black Knights have the edge in flash, with dynamic scorer Madi McLaughlin and dominant midfielder Laura Dembofsky, while the Vikings have been riding the finishing power of forward Alli Oakes and a team with few stars but who perform extremely well together.

The Westhill defense was under extraordinary pressure for much of the game as the Black Knights took 16 shots and attempted 12 penalty corners. But Shannon Tallcouch made eight saves in goal and was supported by a strong defensive effort.

Though Stamford lost six starters from last year’s state championship team, it still has all the pieces in place to make another strong postseason run. Right now the biggest concern has to be maintaining confidence as it tries to solve its problems finishing plays.

“I’m disappointed with the result but happy with the effort,” Stamford coach Matt Forker said after the game.

A few skeptics were puzzled by how the Vikings could get two penalty strokes nine minutes apart in the second half, both of which Oakes converted into goals. But they forced the situation with several good counterattacks.

With Oakes having one of the best offensive seasons in school history and her teammates providing strong play all around her, Westhill is a team no one will want to face in the playoffs. And with each win has come increased confidence.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Westhill coach Emily Lisy said. “They have worked hard and I am really happy for them.”

Overtime is just a few weeks old, and as a new blogger it is hard to tell how much of an audience there is out there. The blog has received very little publicity (thank you good people associated with Staples High School boys soccer and New Canaan High School football for your help) and it is difficult to tell if I am writing for anyone but myself.

I vote in a variety of state polls, which I have to admit are not worth the paper they are printed on. They are great for conversation, but really, how many sportswriters out there get to see teams from all over the state and can make an educated assessment? I only see teams in the FCIAC until the state tournament, so how can I tell how the New Canaan football team would do against Ansonia, or Darien against Seymour, other than from scores in the papers?

But since any kind of rankings seem to rouse passion, and I am trying to gauge how many people are actually reading these words, I offer my FCIAC Top Five.

1. New Canaan. The Rams have won impressively, play well in all facets of the game and have the best coaching staff around. That is a pretty winning combination.

2. Darien. Are people really that surprised by the Blue Wave’s success? They returned a lot of people, and coach Rob Trifone has a pretty good track record of producing contending teams.

3. Ridgefield. Except for getting blown out by the Rams, the Tigers are a solid unit that has faced the most difficult schedule. Their only other loss is to Darien, and they have consecutive wins over Staples and Greenwich. Seeing they would lose tiebreakers to New Canaan and Darien, they need too much help to reach the league final.

4. Staples. It is hard to get a read on the Wreckers right now. They have just one loss, but are they legitimate or paper tigers? The guess here is a notch below the top rung.

5. Greenwich. The Cardinals with two losses before the season is half old? I had to pick someone here and Greenwich has had to contend with a ward-full of injuries. Coach Rich Albonizio probably feels like the coach of a perennial winning college program going through an off year and having to deal with the alumni calling for his head.

What do you think? Feel free to send along your comments. It is starting to feel lonely around here.

Westhill’s 31-21 win over Wilton today leaves just two remaining unbeaten teams in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference: New Canaan and Darien.

More surprising than the Vikings’ win was the ease with which it came. Against a defense that had been strong against the run, Westhill’s ground game produced 329 yards on 44 carries. Quarterback Adler Florian, who had a 67-yard touchdown run, ran for 153 yards and threw for 131 and a pair of touchdowns.

Wilton coach Tim Eagen was obviously concerned and disappointed, and for good reason. The Warriors have a murderous remaining regular-season schedule: Darien, at Ridgefield, Greenwich, at St. Joseph and at New Canaan. Combined records: 20-5.

Westhill, which played six horrendous quarters in a row in opening the season with losses to Danbury and Trinity, has come roaring back. Coach Dick Cerone has his kids playing hard. Saturday the Vikings’ sideline was teeming with intensity.

Consider this another example of the parity in the league. If the Rams and Blue Wave can make it through the season unbeaten it will be an incredible accomplishment.

And also make for one of the wildest FCIAC finals ever.

The ever-present smile that left Madi McLaughlin’s face when she injured her right knee nine days ago returned this afternoon when she was given clearance to return to action.

McLaughlin, the star forward on Stamford High School’s field hockey team, will be at practice tomorrow and back on the field for the Black Knights’ home-and-home series with city rival Westhill Friday afternoon and next Tuesday night.

It was feared McLaughlin would be lost for the season when she went down during the team’s 0-0 tie with Ridgefield a week ago Monday. McLaughlin missed the team’s 3-1 loss to Wilton last week and 1-0 win at Danbury on Monday.

McLaughlin did not undergo an MRI until yesterday because of the swelling.

McLaughlin set a Stamford city scoring record with 26 goals last year to help the Black Knights win their second state title. She had the winning goal in overtime in the semifinals and the assist on Laura Dembofsky’s game-winner in the final minutes of the final.

Without McLaughlin, Stamford is a good team. With her, the Black Knights, who will take a 7-2-1 mark into Friday’s game with Westhill, are a legitimate threat to win the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference title and defend their state crown.

One of the biggest reasons for the Trinity Catholic High School volleyball team’s 8-4 start — its best in years — is the dynamic combination of setter Clare O’Leary and hitter Cayleigh Griffin.

That the two players have such perfect chemistry on the court should come as no surprise.

O’Leary’s mother Mary Ann and Griffin’s mother Dorothy were once teammates on the Providence College women’s basketball team. The two reconnected while dropping their daughters off at preschool, where O’Leary and Griffin quickly became close.

The two have stayed best friends. They laugh together and finish off each other’s sentences. And, more importantly as far as the Crusaders are concerned, Griffin has made a habit of finishing off O’Leary’s sets, which is a big reason why Trinity has won four of its last five matches.

And if the two continue on their current course — and their is no reason to believe they won’t — the Crusaders will return to the state tournament for the first time since 2005 and to the FCIAC playoffs for the first time since 1997.

“That would be great,” Griffin said, “But what we want even more is to win the city title. That’s our goal. That would be even bigger.”

The Crusaders already have a win over Westhill and play Stamford on October 20, a date that has been circled on their calendars.

The name O’Leary has become synonymous with success at Trinity. Her two older brothers — Jimmy and John — and two older sisters — Courtney and Maggie — all were part of championship teams at the school.

O’Leary has been adding to the family’s good name. She is an outstanding quarterback and team leader, and she has really made her mark with her service game.

Likewise, while Griffin has been great at net, her ability passing and playing defense has kept her on the court for full rotations.

“Our friendship has made it easier because we know we can depend on each other,” O’Leary said.

About the only thing more enjoyable than watching the two of them on the court is spending time with them off of it. Yesterday I got the opportunity to sit with them for 15 minutes outside the school before practice, which was equal parts interview and comedy routine.

To find out more about the Clare and Cayleigh show, check out my column in Thursday’s Advocate.