By Dave StewartMaxPreps.com
NEW CANAAN, Conn. – New Canaan and Darien will duke it out in for the second time in nine days when the heated rivals clash for the Class MM state football championship at 2 p.m. Saturday at Trumbull High School.
The Rams and Blue Wave, the FCIAC’s only representatives in the state tournaments this season, won their semifinal match-ups Tuesday evening, with New Canaan beating Weaver 34-7 at home, and Darien knocking off Hillhouse 35-32 in West Haven.
New Canaan (12-0) and Darien (11-1) played for the FCIAC championship on Thanksgiving Day, with the Rams posting a 28-20 victory in front of 9,500 people at Stamford’s Boyle Stadium.
The Rams are the two-time defending champions in Class MM, having beaten Maloney 53-21 in 2006 and Hand 34-30 in 2007. They are seeking their seventh state championship since 1976 and their fifth in the last eight years.
Darien, which has four state championships since 1976, is making its first appearance in a state final since 2000.
Darien’s win over Hillhouse was a mild upset, as the second-seeded Academics (11-1) came in as the state’s second-ranked team behind New Canaan.
Hillhouse had the upper hand early in the third quarter, after Jeremy Moore scored on a 55-yard pass from Brendan Risco to make it 17-7 in favor of the home team.
But Darien responded with 28 unanswered points. First, Nikki Dysenchuk caught a 15-yard pass from quarterback Matt Wheelock to make it 17-14, and Wheelock then hooked up with Cameron Ross on a 21-yard strike to put the Wave in front, 21-17.
Hillhouse fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Dysenchuk cashed in for a 39-yard run and a 28-17 lead.
Another Hillhouse fumble left Darien at the Academics’ 41-yard line, and the Wave scored on a fake field goal attempt, when Dysenchuk took the snap and threw a 15-yard TD pass to Ross for a 35-17 lead in the fourth quarter.
Hillhouse made a strong comeback bid, as Brandon Wright scored on a 13-yard run, and Marvin McClendon caught a 54-yard TD pass from Risco. When Hillhouse converted for two points, Darien’s lead had dwindled to three points at 35-32 with just under four minutes to play.
The Academics got the ball back in the final minute, but did not score as the wave escaped with the victory.
Back in New Canaan, the Rams faced their first deficit of the season when Maurice Campbell scored on a 3-yard run for No. 4 Weaver (8-4).
The Rams found their offense in the second quarter with four TDs. Evan Otis scored on a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs, Kurt Ondash scored on a 20-yard TD pass from Nate Quinn and Quinn scored on a 1-yard run as time expired for a 28-7 halftime lead. Quinn then added the final score on an 83-yard TD run in the third quarter.
Class L: Masuk 50, Windsor 15
The Masuk Panthers rolled in their Class L semifinal match-up with Windsor, 50-15, and will face No. 3 Newington in the final Saturday at 7 p.m. at West Haven’s Ken Strong Stadium.
Quarterback Bobby Baker three for four touchdowns and 212 yards and the Panthers (11-1) built up a 44-0 lead at halftime. Nick Bacarella had six receptions for 140 yards and TDs of 65 and 33 yards.
Class M: Brookfield 36, Avon 19
In Class M, SWC champion Brookfield topped Avon 36-19 to earn a championship game trip opposite No. 2 Ledyard.
The No. 1 seeded Bobcats trailed 12-7 at halftime, but scored 20 points in the third quarter for a 27-12 advantage.
Trevor Treibt put Brookfield in front with a 1-yard run, and quarterback Jordan Burandt, who had three TD passes, connected with Treibt for 58 yards and Brendan Slattery for 3 yards as the Bobcats took control.
After Avon scored on a 50-yard run by Mike D’Onofrio to draw to within 27-19, the Bobcats put the game away with a 52-yard run by Treibt and a safety, as Treibt tackled Andy Livingstone in the end zone.
Class LL: Glastonbury 42, Newtown 28
The third SWC team in the postseason, the Newtown Nighthawks, were bumped in the semifinals as Jordan Brown ran for 240 yards and two touchdowns to lead top-seeded Glastonbury (12-0) to a 42-28 win. Newtown, the No. 4 seed in Class LL, finished the season 9-4.
Glastonbury took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter as Brown scored on runs of 34, 11 and 10 yards.
Newtown got on the board when Kyle O’Connor ran for a 23-yard touchdown and the ’Hawks outscored Glastonbury 21-7 in the second quarter to draw to with seven points at 28-21 by halftime. Brown had the Tomahawks lone TD in the second quarter on a 61-yard run.
Brown added a 1-yard run in the fourth frame to make it 35-21 and after Newtown’s Jake DeVellis scored his second TD on a 27-yard run, Brown iced the game with a 48-yard run.
Glastonbury will face No. 3 Cheshire (10-2) in the Class LL championship game Saturday at 2 p.m. at New Britain’s Willowbrook Park.
In the two other State championship games, No. 1 New Londan (11-1) will take on No. 2 Seymour (11-1) in Class SS at 2 p.m. Saturday in West Haven, while No. 1 Cromwell (11-1) faces No. 2 Ansonia (12-1) in the Class S final at 7 p.m. Saturday in Trumbull.
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps.com writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com
