The Road to Boyle

So how accurate are the state’s high school football polls? You’d like to think they are unbiased, and that the voters are well-schooled in what’s happening on the local gridirons. But let’s face it: Do I really know how powerful Montville, Berlin or Glastonbury are if my focus as a writer is Fairfield County?

The answer is no, but I still have a vole on the Connecticut Sports Writer’s Alliance poll. New Britain Herald sports writer Ken Lipshez told me befire the 2009 season began that the CSWA poll was supposed to be more geographically balanced than the New Haven Register’s poll, which had become a predominantly New Haven-biased voting base (even though New Canaan has 16 of the 21 first-place votes).

The Day of New London’s poll is represented by a pretty well-balanced geographic mix of coaches, and the results are usually in check with the other two state polls.

Full disclosure: I run a poll, too, the Bill Gonillo 5. The voters are local media members, and many of them don’t have a voice in the state polls. But they know the region and are in-touch with what’s going on in Fairfield County.

And the poll only includes teams in the Fairfield County-predominant leagues – the FCIAC and the SWC (so Pomperaug, New Milford and Oxford are in the mix), and these schools that are also based in Fairfield County: Fairfield Prep and Shelton from the SCC, Bullard-Havens and Abbott Tech from the CSC, and Fairchester schools King, Brusnwick and St. Luke’s.

So how accurate are the polls, and are there too many to go around? For that matter, should we really run amok and have some sort of fan poll? Or are polls just an overrated way to keep fans talking in the first place.

You tell me…

I know this sounds a little crazy, especially since less than 24 hours ago New Canaan dismantled them, but there’s still a very good on-paper chance that Fairfield Warde will reach the CIAC Class MM Playoffs.

One the 35-13 game got out of reach last night, Fairfield Citizen sports editor Pat Pickens and I looked at Warde’s remaining schedule:

Neither me or Pickens thinks Warde will beat St. Joseph, but we think there’s a very good chance the Mustangs can go into its Thanksgiving Day clash against Ludlowe with a 7-2 record.

And even if Warde falls on Thanksgiving, it could set up a first-round re-match between Warde and New Canaan.

How fitting that this could happen both in former New Canaan assistant Duncan Della Volpe’s first season as Warde’s head coach, as well as the 50th anniversary of the school’s first state championship (back when the school was known as “Andrew Warde” and were the “Crimson Eagles”).

And to show Warde is not a fluke, here’s what Rams head coach Lou Marinelli told me about the Mustangs after the game:

“You can see that they are well coached, it’s just that right now they lack a few football players. They’re right there, it’s one of the best Warde teams I’ve seen in a long time.”

Welcome to New Canaan, Turner Baty.

As reported late Friday night at FCIAC Football Blog, Turner Baty, with a Stanford scholarship offer in hand, enrolled today at New Canaan High School.

What does this mean for the 2008 Kelly Award winners? Stay tuned, Baty has not suited up yet, and the Rams open its season in five days against Bassick.

Sometimes if tough to put a face on Connecticut’s budget impasse. I found one it the Bullard-Havens football team.

Bullard-Havens is a state technical school. It gets its money from the state budget. And as we know, Governor Jodi Rell is in disagreement with the state’s Democrats, and no state budget has been passed.

Political football is now affecting football. Literally. And it’s a shame.

Bullard-Havens head coach John Johnson first had to deal with the fact the field at the Bridgeport tech school hadn’t been mowed in some time, and still is not lined.

Then he found out there really would be a void in its schedule because Stamford Academy would not be able to field a team without co-op partner Wright Tech, which the state closed last month.

And now scrimmages may have to be canceled. Johnson thought Bullard-Havens would be safe because it is home for all its scrimmages this summer, and wouldn’t have to pay for buses.

But without a budget, Bullard-Havens also can’t pay for referees or for janitorial staff to work overtime to open the locker rooms and bathroom facilities.

Funds are frozen, and groups like the Bullard-Havens football team are the victims.

Here’s Johnson’s story:

Any chance of Stamford Academy fielding a football team this season has been put to rest, according to breaking news on the FCIAC Football Blog.

Stamford Academy athletic director Bob Festo, who was left trying to keep the team afloat after co-op partner Wright Tech was closed by the state, said the decision was made yesterday.

For more, and what it means for high school teams in Danbury and Bridgeport, see the FCIAC Football Blog.

Lou Marinelli answers this question today at defending FCIAC and CIAC Class MM champion New Canaan’s practice: How do you follow up a 13-0 season and a number-one ranking in all the state polls?

More from New Canaan’s second conditioning week practice can be found here.

If there’s one question on America’s mind right now, it’s, “What do you think about Michael Vick signing with the Philadelphia Eagles?”

So, where do you stand? Do you or are you:

1. Hope Michael Vick sincerely wants to become part of the solution?
2. An angry Eagles fan who is upset with your team’s decision to sign Michael Vick?
3. Willing to give Michael Vick a second chance?
4. Go protest at Eagles training camp?

Leave a comment. Tell us how you feel.

I posted this today about the uncertain state of the Wright Tech-Stamford Academy football team. We know that operations at Wright Tech have been suspended for the next two years.

What we don’t know is if Stamford Academy would be able to support a football team on its own. Or for that matter, if head coach Wright Tech’s Trevor Jones – also the commissioner of the Constitution State Conference – will be around to run that team. He and offensive coordinator Fred Trumpler were employees at the technical school.

I did hear from Matthew Fischer of the CIAC today. He told me in an e-mail that the CIAC has not received any official notification regarding Wright Tech, nor has it been contacted by Stamford Academy in regards to this situation.

Should Wright Tech close though, its players are protected. Fischer wrote that if a school ceases to exist, it’s student-athletes will be immediately eligible at whatever school they attend next (assuming of course that they meet all other eligibility requirements).

I did drop Trevor Jones a line, but have not heard back from the Wright Tech coach yet.