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While Khairi Fortt gets all the attention, the person standing next to him in the middle of the field for Stamford High School’s defense is another player who opposing coaches scheme against.

If a vote was made to select the most underrated player in the FCIAC, Black Knights linebacker Pat Atkinson would be prominent in the discussion.

After two games Atkinson has 32 tackles and two forced fumbles. Following Friday night’s 41-7 loss to Greenwich, Stamford coach Kevin Jones raved about Atkinson, who had 19 tackles. That may have been the first time a coach ever was so effusive praising a player on a defense that gave up that many points.

Atkinson is soft spoken on the field but is a dynamic presence once the whistle blows.

I’ll have a column on Atkinson in Friday’s paper. Here is a video I shot of him today, in which Atkinson talked about what it is like playing with Fortt — the two have been teammates since the 4th grade — how football is his second favorite sport, and his unusual career goals.

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I just left Stamford High School’s football practice — I’m working on a column on Pat Atkinson that will run in Friday’s paper — and coach Kevin Jones told me that right now Khairi Fortt is 50-50 for Friday night’s game at Brien McMahon. Jones said he will meet with Fortt’s father, Guy, Friday morning to determine whether the star linebacker will return after missing the last game and a half.

Jones told me two interesting things regarding the situation, one of which is that the exact nature of Fortt’s injury has not been properly revealed. As reported, Fortt sprained the ACL and suffered a bone bruise in his right knee. Both of those have healed. What is slowing Fortt’s recovery is a small tear in the cartilage behind the patella. It is causing Fortt pain and can only get better with rest.

“Right now there is not better than a 50 percent chance that he will play,” Jones said. “I’m hopeful.”

Jones also said the handling of the situation last week led to a lot of misunderstanding and undue criticism of Fortt, who hurt his knee in the season opener against Ridgefield and missed last week’s game against Greenwich. Jones said that the decision about whether Fortt would play against the Cardinals was up to the player, and a lot of people misinterpreted that to be frustration on Jones’ part with Fortt.

Fortt also took a lot of shots from people who thought he was ducking Greenwich, babying himself or more concerned about his long-term future than helping his team.

Jones said this week he is taking responsibility for whether Fortt, who will reveal his college choice during a ceremony at Stamford High School Monday afternoon, is back in action.

“People used it as an opportunity to take cheap shots at the kid,” Jones said. “It was not a case of he didn’t want to play. He couldn’t play.”

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The Connecticut Post’s Sean Patrick Bowley and I will be doing our third weekly high school football chat tonight at 8:30. Viewers are welcome to ask questions or just follow the discussion.

So come back here tonight and join in.

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As expected, ESPN announced today that Bobby Valentine will be returning to the network as an analyst. In an e-mail from Japan, Valentine said he will make his debut next month, working the league championship series from the studio and on site at the World Series.

Valentine said he has a four-year contract, but there is an out clause if a major league team offers him a contract to manage.

“It is a deal I could not refuse,” Valentine said. “I really like the team there. It will be a lot of fun.”

The 59-year-old Stamford native previously worked at ESPN in 2003 as a studio analyst.

Valentine, who is due back in town sometime during the week before his ESPN debut, is completing his sixth season with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Pacific League. In 2005 he led the team to the championship, its first since 1974.

Valentine is believed to still be interested in managing. He has had previous stints with the Rangers and Mets.

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Khairi Fortt has made his college choice, and on Monday he will make it public.

Fortt, the Stamford High School linebacker who is considered the No. 2 prospect in the country at his position, plans to make his announcement when he is honored at an assembly at the school at 1:15 as part of the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Tour, when he will be officially selected to play in and awarded his jersey for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Fortt, who has over 30 scholarship offers, narrowed his final list down to six in August, and then to Penn State, Georgia and North Carolina. Fortt made an official visit to Georgia two weeks ago during its game with South Carolina. He made unofficial visits over the summer to North Carolina and Penn State, a school he has been to many times over the years. He met with coach Joe Paterno while at a combine in July.

The All-American Bowl, which will be broadcast by NBC, will be held on January 9 at noon from the Alamodome.

Fortt had planned on using Monday’s ceremony to make his disclosure, but just finalized the plans.

Fortt is equally anxious for Friday night, when he is expected to make his return to the field at Brien McMahon. Fortt sprained his ACL in the first half of a loss to Ridgefield, sat out the remainder of that contest, as well as last weekend’s game with Greeenwich.

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I had no idea when I started using Twitter that is would end up being such a good tool for work — and other things. I probably use it now as much as, if not more than, Facebook.

Thus, I have changed my Twitter user name from the cryptic RudyT45 to the much easier DaveRuden

I hope if you use Twitter you will begin following me. As for changing my name, just call me a Twit.

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More so than any of the three high school sports seasons, the fall seems to be the time of year for dominant programs, teams with a long-standing history of success.

So in an attempt to create the first poll for the blog, I was thinking, which team in the readers’ eyes is the most dominant?

The Darien High School volleyball team, which is the eight-time defending FCIAC and state champion, and has won 17 conference and 14 state titles since 1990?

The Wilton High School girls soccer team, which has won two state titles in the last three years, four this decade, and has won 10 state and nine league titles in its history?

The New Canaan football team, the three-time defending state champion and reigning league champion, which has won five state titles this decade and 18 state and seven FCIAC titles in its history?

The Greenwich High School girls swimming team, which has won 11 consecutive league titles and every one but two since 1980?

Or the Greenwich High School football team, which has won five league titles this decade, 13 in all, two state titles in the past three years, made six appearances in the state final this decade and has won seven state championships overall?

So, who do you think is the most dominant? Now’s your chance to have your say. I have set up a poll that is open until noon on Sunday. You are allowed to vote once. And you are allowed to comment; I will post them all as long as they are done in an appropriate manner. What was the reason for your vote? What teams should have also been considered — I did not include any boys soccer or field hockey teams because of recent parity?

Make your voice heard, and may the best team win.

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In a year in which kickers are going to be getting a lot of attention in the FCIAC, one of the more unusual stories is coming out of New Canaan. Looking for a reliable kicker both for this year and beyond, coach Lou Marinelli plucked Brianna Valente out of gym class and helped convince her to make the jump from the school’s girls soccer program to becoming the first female kicker on the Rams’ football team.

Valente made her debut last week and scored her first career point with a conversion in a win over Bassick.

What makes this story even more interesting is Valente was not a big football fan or an activist looking to make a statement. Valente admits she is not a big fan of the sport, but instead possessed the self-confidence to try something different.

And as anyone who knows Marinelli can attest, this is hardly a publicity stunt. He is looking for one of his kickers to show consistency and step up to win the job. And he said Valente will be given every chance to be that person.

I caught up with Valente before the Rams’ practice on Thursday, when she told me about her jump from soccer to football player.