By Hal Levy, Shore Line Newspapers
Special to MaxPreps.com
Six weeks into the high school football season in Connecticut, things are beginning to shake out in terms of top contenders for CIAC state playoff berths.
But it isn't always as simple as it seems.
Take Windsor, for instance. After five weeks, the Warriors were 5-0 and atop the Class L rankings. Then came a double blow. Windsor had to forfeit a game to Wethersfield, a game it won, 35-7, because of an ineligible player. Published reports indicate the situation was academic, but there is no official word.
Then, Windsor lost on the field to Conard and suddenly 5-0 became 4-2 and first in Class L became 10th. The top four in each division qualify for the playoffs, which will begin with semifinals the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and conclude that Saturday with state championship games.
There are no more than three unbeaten teams in any division, meaning those clubs pretty much control their own fates, but a lot of teams with one, or even two, losses are alive.
In Class LL, Greenwich (6-0-0) has a division leading average of 131.67 points with Norwich Free Academy (6-0-0) second at 123.33. Southington, also 6-0-0, is third at 118.33. Shelton (5-1-0, 105.00) is fourth. Then comes 5-1 New Britain (100.00), followed by Bridgeport Central (5-1) and Newtown (5-1). Both average more than 96.00
In Class L, Bunnell-Stratford is the leader at 6-0-0 with a 125.00 average. Second is Staples-Westport (6-0-0, 116.00), followed by Conard (5-1-0, 103.33) and Pomperaug-Southbury (5-1-0, 101.67) and Masuk-Monroe (5-1-0, 100.00). Wilton, Naugatuck and Newington are all 5-1 and averaging 95.00 or better.
Daniel Hand-Madison knocked off Shelton, 33-7, to move to the top of the division at 6-0-0 with a 135.83 average. Middletown (6-0-0) is second at 131.67, with New Canaan (5-1-0, 116.67) and Wethersfield (5-1-0, 108.33) fourth. Maloney-Meriden and the Ellington-Somers co-operative team are tied for fifth at 93.33.
Bristol Eastern (6-0-0, 136.67) leads Class M with Weaver-Hartford (5-0-0, 128.00) second. A gaggle of one-loss teams follows including Ledyard (4-1-0, 110.00), Berlin (5-1-0, 110.00), Jonathan Law-Milford (5-1-0, 100.83), Hillhouse-New Haven (5-1-0, 100.00) and Avon (5-1-0, 100.00).
Class SS is paced by Stratford (6-0-0, 131.67) and Seymour (6-0-0, 130.00). Then come St. Joseph-Trumbull (5-1-0, 108.33), Woodland-Beacon Falls (5-1-0, 100.00), Cheney Tech-Manchester (5-1-0, 98.33), Stonington (5-1-0, 95.00), Bullard-Havens Tech of Bridgeport (3-1-0, 92.50), Old Saybrook (4-1-0, 92.00) and Tolland (4-2-0, 90.00).
New London (6-0-0, 130.00) leads Class S, followed by Ansonia (6-0-0, 128.33), Cromwell (6-0-0, 126.67, Hyde Leadership-New Haven (5-1-0, 106.67), Haddam-Killingworth (4-1-0, 104.00), Rocky Hill (5-1-0, 103.33) and Montville (5-1-0, 93.33.
Since many of the top teams play one another in the next few weeks, a further shakedown will take place. Games like Greenwich-Staples, Norwich-New London, Southington-New Britain, Shelton-Hillhouse, Weaver-New Britain, Bunnell-Stratford, Wilton-Greenwich, Ansonia-Naugatuck, Hyde-Cromwell and a plethora of others make entry into the playoffs a game decided on the field, not by voters or a lot of luck. You have to beat good teams to get there.
Other Fall Sports
For most other fall sports, this is the final week of the regular season with conference tournaments taking up most of next week, with the exception of field hockey, in which no league has a tourney.
Hand-Madison (11-0) leads the field hockey coaches' poll and got all nine first-place votes. Granby Memorial remains second with Branford climbing from fifth to third. Pomperaug-Southbury is fourth and Greenwich rose from eighth to fifth. New Milford, Simsbury, Canton, South Windsor and Darien round out the top 10.
Cross country teams are aiming at Saturday's state championship races at Manchester's Wickham Park. Danbury is a unanimous choice as the top boys' team in the state coaches' poll with William Hall-West Hartford second and Glastonbury third. New Milford and Shelton round out the top five with Norwich Free Academy, Amity Regional-Woodbridge, Thomaston, Daniel Hand-Madison and Darien completing the top 10.
Glastonbury leads the girls' poll, followed by Guilford, Norwich Free Academy, Ridgefield, William Hall-West Hartford, Portland, Amity Regional-Woodbridge, Newtown, Wilton and Shelton.
Westhill-Stamford is a split decision leader in boys' soccer, receiving five of nine first-place votes. Simsbury (three) and Farmington (one) got the other firsts and are 2-3 in the poll overall. Then come Trumbull, Cheshire, Naugatuck, Wethersfield, Bethel, Xavier-Middletown and Guilford.
In the girls' poll, St. Joseph-Trumbull leads Daniel Hand-Madison and Cheshire. St. Joe's got eight of 10 first-place votes with Hand and Cheshire getting one each. Newtown, Ridgefield, Farmington, Southington, Masuk-Monroe, Avon and Trumbull round out the top 10.
In volleyball, Darien got 14 of 21 first-place votes and leads Coventry (five) and Newtown (two). Then come Cheshire, Amity Regional-Woodbridge, Bristol Eastern, Greenwich, RHAM-Hebron, East Lyme and Joel Barlow-Redding.