Last year's football champs playing for pride in Connecticut

In the preseason, few would have believed that the Week 8 football matchup between Cheshire and Notre Dame (West Haven) would have no playoff implications for either school.

ND and Cheshire, the defending champions in Classes L and LL and the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the state last season respectively, have had their seasons fall far short of expectations.

Entering their SCC game Friday, Cheshire had already lost four games by an average of about three points, and ND had dropped three. Still, the teams put on an offensive shootout.

ND (5-3, 3-1 SCC Div. I East) prevailed 46-36 in a game with six lead changes that was decided on a defensive play late in the fourth quarter when the Green Knights' David Rose recovered a Michael Skibicki fumble and took it in from 29 yards away.

ND senior quarterback Sean Goldrich and wide receiver Tirrell Young-Williams had stellar nights. Goldrich completed 14 of 18 passes for 321 yards and six touchdowns, four to Young-Williams (five catches, 177 yards).

"We just want to finish the season strong," Goldrich said. "We obviously know things didn't work out the way we hoped for. That's just football, we accept that. But we've got two games left, the seniors especially know that these are going to be the last two high school football games that we play. We just want to make the best of them. We're going out there, there's no worries. We're just playing with our backs against the wall, going out there and have a good time. That's all we want to do."

As for Cheshire (3-5, 0-4), it's been week after week of frustratingly close losses.

Senior wideout Jake Scinto had one of his best games, making seven catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns, and making a couple of key returns, one on a kickoff for 55 yards that set up a third-quarter score. But those accomplishments were bittersweet.

"It's tough to come out here and keep losing games like this," Scinto said. "But everybody came out, the D-line, the O-line, and played 110 percent the whole game. Sometimes it's not going to go your way. But I'm proud of the whole team. We were prepared all week. The coaches gave us a great idea of what we they were doing on defense and everybody was pretty confident about that. Unfortunately, we just couldn't get more points today."

STORYLINES
* Bryan Fowler of Tolland nipped Fairfield Prep's Connor Rog at the finish line to win the CIAC State Open boys cross country championship race at Wickham Park in Manchester. Fowler, a senior, finished in 15 minutes, 50 seconds over 5,000 meters. Tolland took the team title with 111 points. Guilford was second with 133.

* Jackie Nicholas of Nonnewaug (Woodbury) broke her own course record with an 18:12 over 5,000 meters to outpace Glastonbury's Lindsay Crevoiserat (18:18) in the CIAC State Open girls cross country championship race at Wickham Park. Glastonbury won the team title with 77 points. Guilford was second with 157.

* Staples (Westport) boys soccer won its third consecutive Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference title with a 2-1 victory over Fairfield Warde. Staples' Brendan Lesch, the game MVP, assisted on Greg Gudis' goal in the first minute of the second half. Taylor Rosenblum tied it for Warde, then Lesch scored from the penalty area after Warde goalie Dylan Strachen had turned away two shots in the scoring sequence.

* Scott Grant of Pomperaug (Southbury) scored what proved to be the winner in the Panthers' 2-1 victory over Bunnell (Stratford) in the South-West Conference boys soccer championship game.

* Fiorella Johnson of Barlow (Redding) scored unassisted in the 27th minute to lift her team to a 1-0 SWC girls soccer championship victory.

* East Lyme girls volleyball defeated Fitch (Groton) 3-1 to win the Eastern Connecticut Conference championship game. Molly Giannattasio made 38 assists in earning the game MVP award.

* Senior Tyler Parmalee scored the game's only goal to lift Bacon Academy (Colchester) to the inaugural ECC boys soccer tournament championship over Norwich Free Academy.

* Emily Skinner and Melina Spanos each scored to lead Waterford to the first ECC girls soccer tournament title over Lyman Memorial (Lebanon) 2-1.

* Cromwell boys soccer handed previously undefeated and small school No. 1 Old Lyme its first loss 3-1 in the Shoreline Conference final.

* Hand (Madison) defeated Guilford 2-1 on Ben Lussier's header in overtime to win the SCC tournament championship.

* Other conference tournament champions included: Girls volleyball, CCC — Southington; SCC — Shelton; NCCC — Coventry; CSC — Windham Tech; SWC — Newtown; FCIAC —Darien; Field hockey, SCC — Hand (Madison); Boys Soccer, CSC — Windham Tech.

TOP FOOTBALL PERFORMERS
* Matthew Milano, New Canaan: Completed 17 of 23 passes for 293 yards and five touchdown passes, three to Kevin Macari, as the Rams cruised past Greenwich 42-20 in an FCIAC matchup.

* Zac Falconeri and Joe DeSandre, Lyman Hall (Wallingford): Falconeri gained 216 yards on 36 carries with three touchdowns, eclipsing 1,000 yards for the season, and DeSandre rushed for 190 on 16 carries with one TD in a 34-27 SCC interdivision victory over Amity (Woodbridge).

* Bryan Castelot, Bunnell (Stratford): The quarterback was 11 of 17 passing for 354 yards and a school-record seven touchdown passes, four to Jawad Chisholm, in a 51-20 SWC victory over Immaculate (Danbury).

* Montrell Dobbs, Ansonia: Rushed for 340 yards and scored six touchdowns, five rushing and one on an 88-yard kickoff return, in a 54-25 NVL victory over St. Paul (Bristol).

* Aaron Berardino, Windsor: Scored 18 of his team's 19 points with two touchdown receptions and a kickoff return of 84 yards for another score as the Warriors defeated Manchester 19-0 in a CCC Division I game.

* Joe Della Vecchia, St. Joseph (Trumbull) football: Passed for 280 yards and four TDs in the Cadets 49-20 FCIAC victory over Norwalk.

MILESTONES
West Haven football coach Ed McCarthy earned his 300th coaching victory, second in state history behind Bill Mignault's 321, in a 57-44 SCC victory over Wilbur Cross (New Haven). McCarthy, who is in his 40th year coaching, 28 at West Haven and 12 at St. Joseph (Trumbull), is 300-103-9.

LOOKING AHEAD
* The CIAC tournaments in boys and girls soccer, field hockey and girls volleyball begin this week, and the New England cross country championships are Saturday in Thetford, Vt.

* West Haven (7-1) visits No. 1 Xavier (Middletown) (8-0) in football in yet another tough SCC matchup. A letdown by the Falcons, who have played some close games in recent weeks, could open the door for Masuk (Monroe), which last week already took over the top spot in the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance poll.

Paul Rosano, the former assistant sport editor of The Hartford Courant and sports editor of The New Haven Register, covers Connecticut for MaxPreps.com. He may be reached at pjrosano@cox.net.