On this historic day in the state of Connecticut, it is only fitting that I do something historic.

Fairfield Prep and St. Joseph will embark upon two games in two sports on one day for state titles. I will be at both, blogging about whatever catches my fancy, and sending back the intriguing things that catch my eye.

9:20 a.m.- Wake up with a charlie horse (an inauspicious start to the day)

11:44- I’m leaving for Ingalls Rink, with a stop at my office in Fairfield. Last year I left Bridgeport at 1 for the 2 p.m. state final, and arrived midway through the first period, having missed three goals. I’m not taking any chances this year.

11:57- I stopped at Cumberland Farms for gas and Dunkin’ Donuts. Here’s hoping I don’t have to get gas the rest of the day.

12:10 p.m.- Good to know that the “Big N’ Toasty” fulfills neither of its names. I had coffee #1, french vanilla with half and half and sugar. It was less than good.

12:16- Departing from Fairfield. Let’s hope I get there on time!

12:43- Reached Lot 22 in New Haven. Why would anyone pay to park in New Haven for this, when there is free parking on weekends in Lot 22!?

1:12- Coffees #2 and 3. Again DD, but in the Ingalls Rink press area. I may have a problem.

1:42- Prep has the Ryan Brennan sweater hanging behind its bench. The Jesuits are playing for their fallen senior, who died of cancer on Feb. 28.

1:58- One of the many reasons to love the state hockey title games at Ingalls. It is just big enough to seat fans, but just small enough to have the spillover along the rails. Awesome.

1:59- The teams take the ice. The Prep “Bomb Squad” breaks into its “I believe that we will win” chant.

2:03- I’m on Diet Coke No. 2 and the game hasn’t even started yet. I love free drinks.

2:07- The teams took the ice eight minutes ago, sat through a long-winded speech, and now have to warm up for 15 minutes. Why wouldn’t the CIAC say that this game is going to start at 2:20?

2:11- At least the game is being delayed because it is being broadcast on MSG Varsity…Monday night at 7 p.m…

2:21- Puck drops. Prep vs. St. Joseph, round 1 is underway

2:24- That was fast. Prep’s Connor Peterson tallies on the Jesuits’ fourth shot and Prep is up 1-0.

2:26- Don Carnicky pots a goal for Prep. This could get out of hand. 2-0 just 3:22 in.

2:32- The shot clock at Ingalls Rink is ridiculous. DRIBBLERS ARE NOT SHOTS!

2:40- Bryan Puffer scores over Carrano’s shoulder for Prep’s third goal of the first. Jesuits appear on their way.

2:43- At the end of 1, Prep leads St. Joseph 3-0. Shots are 14-10 in favor of the Jesuits.

2:51- The soundtrack at Ingalls is awesome. They get a +1 from me.

2:57- Second period has begun.

3:06- Puffer scores again. Jesuits lead 4-0. This is too easy.

3:10- Prep takes a penalty. Sean Henry goes for interference. Jesuits kill it without a sweat.

3:15- St. Joes’ star forward Pat Corcoran is going to have nightmares of Prep goalie John Galiani. Galiani has stopped him twice on breakaways.

3:18- End of 2, Prep 4, St. Joes 0. Shots after two: Prep 31, SJ 19.

3:33- Third period is underway. I’m setting the odds of St. Joes coming back and winning this game at .002 percent.

3:39- David Griffin pots a goal to make it 5-0 Prep. Puffer now has three points, and a sweet assist on the fifth goal.

3:49- Say what you want about St. Joes being dominated today, but Carrano has been very good. 41 saves. This could be much worse.

3:53- Prep wins 5-0, to take home its first state title since 2008.

4:36- Just got done with interviews from Ingalls.

5:01- Story is filed. I’ll chime in from Mohegan

5:18- I got in the car and bolted for Uncasville

5:41- Stopped at McDonalds and got the All-American meal: No. 1 (Big Mac meal) with a diet coke.

6:00- I talked to my buddy Brian Fitzsimmons. He’s helping me with a side project that I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention. It’s an MLB blog called “The Bullpen” it launches tomorrow at http://bullpen-blog.com!

6:30- I arrive at Mohegan Sun and even find a spot in the parking garage. Good breaks!

7:07- Made it inside, and begin eating dinner No. 2, General Tso Chicken, an egg roll, rice, pizza and a Diet Coke.

7:20- Dessert: cake. Mmmmm.

8:05- The Class L final game ends. New London beats Northwest Catholic 63-55.

8:35- St. Joes and Prep are eight minutes from tipping off. Prep’s “Bomb Squad” is out in full force. St. Joseph has a large student contingent as well.

8:47- Teams are introduced. We’re only 32 minutes behind schedule. Sweet.

8:51- Game is underway and Timajh Parker already has a three-point play. 3-0 St. Joes.

8:54- St. Joes is off to an 16-2 start. Leo Redgate calls Prep’s first timeout. THIS could get ugly here early too.

8:58- Four minutes into the game, St. Joseph leads 18-6.

9:06- End of one quarter, St. Joseph leads 27-9

9:08- If this pace holds, St. Joseph will beat Prep 108-36

9:11- Just got a stat sheet from the first quarter. Prep was 2-13 from the field. St. Joes, on the other hand, shot 65 percent.

9:15- Prep is getting killed. This is men vs. boys. St. Joes is up 37-18 with 4:15 left in the half.

9:21- St. Joes is up 45-21 with 1:49 left in the half.

9:24- Prep closes the half on a 7-0 run, still trails 48-28 at halftime.

9:30- Announced attendance for New London and Northwest Catholic in the Class L Final: 9,566. Capacity at Mohegan: 10,000. WOW

9:33- Just looked at my halftime stat sheet. St. Joes shot 58 percent. DAMN.

9:35- Second half is underway.

9:41- St. Joseph is up by 24, and Prep refuses to make free throws. Hard to believe a comeback is coming.

9:43- Tarpey is down after being tangled up with a teammate. He appears pretty badly hurt.

9:46- St. Joseph leads by 30. Yikes.

9:49- St. Joseph’s students pull out their first “Let’s play football” chant. Bomb Squad responds with a “Let’s play hockey” chant.

9:51- It’s always bad when you’re a fan at a game and you say “if we can cut this lead to 20, I think we can get back in this.” That’s what Prep is up against now.

9:54- St. Joseph leads Prep 69-44 after three quarters.

9:58- Robbie Bier definitely has more air balls than field goals in this game.

10:00- With 5:33 left in the game, St. Joseph leads Prep 73-48.

10:04- Bier and Heiman exit to end their high school careers.

10:06- Daley exits. His HS career is over too, he will have a future in college, though

10:08- We’re officially in garbage time. I didn’t see this coming.

10:12- This game is a junior varsity game at this point.

10:16- St. Joseph wins the Class LL final with a 79-53 win over Prep.

10:20- Prep’s seniors are in tears as they accept their second place medals. It’s to be expected.

10:33- That concludes our daily odyssey of two games between Prep and St. Joseph. I appreciate all of you who stuck it out with me. I’ll have a blog update tomorrow. Hope those of you arriving home, get there safely. I hope I do too.

Miles traveled: 79 Diet Cokes: 4, cups of coffee: 6.

It is likely a game that Fairfield Prep folks will be talking about for years to come.

If you didn’t hear, the Jesuits stunned Xavier 61-59 on Friday night at Alumni Hall in the Class LL quarterfinal. For the full rundown on that game, click here.

The numerous story lines lend themselves to dig deeper, and that is what I feel compelled to do. This game had:

a.) A raucous  crowd, with a vocal student section for both sides

b.) Xavier overcoming a 10-point deficit with a 14-0 run over the course of two minutes.

c.) Prep’s Terry Tarpey taking over at the end, willing his team to victory by scoring his team’s final eight points, including the game-winning shot.

d.) A court storming from the Prep “Bomb Squad”

Honestly, the environment felt like an NCAA tournament game, only better because of the intimacy of Alumni Hall. Prep coach Leo Redgate also agreed that the game had a college feel to it.

“It reminded me of Holy Cross/Fairfield U or Boston College/Fairfield U double overtime games in the Joe DeSantis days,” he said. “To see the electricity from both sides…I’m so proud of the students for coming out.”

I spoke with Tarpey after the game, and the Junior Bomb Squad (a group of youngsters with t-shirts) were chanting “MVP! MVP!” while Bob Birge and myself interviewed him. Tarpey is becoming the Jimmer Fredette of the Connecticut high school basketball scene, doing whatever it takes to lift his upstart Prep team to victory.

I like Prep as a favorite to beat Ridgefield in the semis. The Tigers likely can’t match up to Prep’s athleticism. It’s certainly two differing styles, when you consider that Prep will try to get up and down the floor and Ridgefield will be methodical in its pattern offense.

The key will be to see which team can get the other to play its style. I think the only thing Prep MUST do (which is easier said than done) is protect the basketball. If Prep can do that and contest Ridgefield’s jump shots, the Jesuits will win.

ND advances too

It wasn’t as easy as any of us thought, but Notre Dame advanced to the Class M semifinals with a 50-45 win over Stonington on Friday night.

The Lancers’ guard play has been stellar thus far in the tournament, and it has carried them to the semis. ND draws Trinity Catholic in the semifinals in a game that should  be excellent.

I still think that ND is on a collision course for the finals with Career, but the Crusaders could give ND fits, especially since Stonington did.

However, it’s hard to believe that a team that lost to Fairfield Ludlowe will beat ND in the state semis.

For more info, and updates on Prep’s semifinal game, follow me on Twitter. Take good care.

And then there were three.

Fairfield Prep boys basketball and ice hockey and ND-Fairfield boys basketball. Those three are the only squads left with hopes of winning a state title.

All three are in action over the next two days. Both Prep teams have dates with conference rivals. ND will take on Stonington.

I said before, and I’ll say it again now, I doubt that ND loses prior to the Class M final. The Lancers will take on No. 6 Stonington in the Class M tournament tonight.

Prep boys basketball will take on Xavier tonight, a team that it has beaten twice already. The Class LL tournament has opened up for the Jesuits to get to the finals. If Prep can knock off the Falcons for the third time tonight, it’ll likely have to beat Ridgefield, a game that Prep could definitely win. Then the state final will be all that is left.

Prep hockey will renew acquaintances with SCC rival Hamden, tomorrow at Bennett Rink in West Haven. The Jesuits and Green Dragons have split their prior two games.

The fans exchanged in unpleasantries at the game at Wonderland of Ice, leading to the reduced role of the Prep “Bomb Squad” of late. However, this game will be in West Haven, so we’ll see what happens. Prep will also look to avenge a loss to Hamden in the Division I final a year ago,which I’m sure Matt Sather will remind his team of.

I think all three teams win this weekend and keep their hopes alive for championships.

I’ll be at Prep vs. Xavier tonight, so follow me on Twitter for updates. Thanks for your support, and take good care.

The show begins now.

We, at the Fairfield Citizen, featured the public boys basketball teams on the cover of our sports preview this year, and I did previews on all four teams. I’m surprised that three teams have reached states, I’m also somewhat surprised that Prep will open with a home game tonight.

But, that’s why they play the games.

Notre Dame is fresh off of its SWC championship on Thursday, and will host Plainville tonight at 7 p.m. I’d be stunned if they have any trouble with the Blue Devils, unless overconfidence sets in.

I have the vision of ND reaching Mohegan Sun and playing Career. Don’t kill me if it doesn’t happen, but the only trouble spot I see for the Lancers prior to that would be the quarterfinals against Stonington. ND is more athletic than just about every team in the Class M tournament, and should be able to get to the finals. I’d love to see the Lancers play Career.

Prep opens its Class LL run tonight, when the Jesuits will host East Hartford at Alumni Hall. Prep is talented and athletic enough to play with any team in the state, including the class of Class LL, but if it gets out of control, the Jesuits could be in trouble.

I think Prep gets by East Hartford easily tonight. I think it can beat Crosby in the second round, not saying it will. But Prep’s run will undoubtedly end in the quarters against top-seeded Windsor. Prep has not reached the Class LL quarters since 2008, and it would be a great cap to a remarkable year.

Ludlowe has the unenviable task of going to Storrs for its first round state playoff match against No. 9 EO Smith on Tuesday. The Falcons are not playing well, but EO Smith slows the tempo of the game, which could play into Ludlowe’s hands.

However, I don’t think Ludlowe gets passed EO Smith. Even if the Falcons do, Bassick is waiting. Brian Silvestro is dying for a 10th win, and I hope he gets it, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

MAAC summary

I must say that I’m flabbergasted that Fairfield was ousted prior to the MAAC final even. The Stags’ run in the second half was remarkable, but too little too late.

I said earlier in the year that this was Fairfield’s year to make noise, and it blew it by inconsistency in shooting in the first half yesterday. You can’t score 15 points in a half, shoot 4-17 from the field and expect to win a game. I also think that the crowd spurred on the Stags’ run in the second half, which they won’t get when the conference tournament moves to Springfield next year.

I’m interested in what your opinions were of the first half. Do you think Fairfield was intimidated by playing a huge game on its home floor? Do you think the Stags just shot the ball poorly? Do you think this team was too built around inside presence and running, and didn’t have a “zone-breaking shooter.”

Maybe it is all of the above, but a 24-7 year and a trip to the NIT is undoubtedly a disappointment when the entire show lined up for the Stags this year.

Oh yeah, and Iona wins tonight.

The Fairfield Prep boys basketball team has been extremely resourceful and calm in its 2010-11 season.

Head coach Leo Redgate gives up that vibe. He’s extraordinarily unflappable. His business savvy lends itself to keeping a calm and cool demeanor, which the Jesuits have thrived off of. I’d argue that Prep’s ability to remain calm and tune out outside distractions was a major reason why it went 17-5 this year.

However, that all went out the window in the second half of the Jesuits’ 65-44 loss in the SCC semifinals on Tuesday night at Quinnipiac.

Prep was outscored 37-24 in the second half, including 19-8 in the third quarter. All of the frustration boiled over in the fourth quarter, when Redgate received a technical foul with 5:38 to go in the game after guard Robbie Bier was thrown to the ground.

Redgate was stunningly candid when talking with reporters after the game about the officiating. “I was very disappointed with the attitude of some of the referees. If they were bad both ways, it would not be a problem,” he said.

Despite the officiating, Career was the better, more athletic team and I was amazed that the Jesuits hung as tough as they did. Prep played even with the Panthers for the first quarter, and had the lead as late as the 4:56 mark of the second quarter. Career closed the half on a 10-1 run and never looked back.

The journey for the Jesuits gets no easier. Prep will host East Hartford in its first round Class LL playoff game on Monday. However, after that will likely come a road game at Crosby, and if the Jesuits can get by that, a date with top-seeded Windsor at a neurtral site in the quarters.

Prep will have to keep its cool to get beyond there.

SWC update

Notre Dame advanced to the SWC finals for the second time in three years, but beating rival Kolbe Cathedral was certainly not as easy as it was the past two times the Lancers did it.

ND rallied behind the stellar play of its guards again, to beat Kolbe, 57-54 on Tuesday night. ND’s guards combined for 48 of the Lancers’ 57 points, including Earl Coleman’s 16.

ND will take on Pomperaug in the SWC final on Thursday at Weston.

Playoff schedule

Three boys basketball teams qualified for states. Their schedules were released today.

Class LL: Fairfield Prep will be the No. 9 seed and host No. 24 seed East Hartford on Monday at 7 p.m.

Class L: Fairfield Ludlowe will be the No. 25 seed and visit No. 8 EO Smith on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Class M: ND-Fairfield will be the No. 3 seed and host No. 30 Plainville on Monday at 7 p.m.

For more, follow me on Twitter. Take good care.