As football kickoff inches closer around the country, MaxPreps forecasts the top five teams in the state of Connecticut for the 2009 season. 
Sean McQuillan, Glastonbury (Conn.) High
Photo by Jonathan Bloom
1. Hamden
With nine starters back on offense and seven on defense, Hamden begins the season as the top-ranked team in Connecticut. The Green Dragons were 9-3 overall last year while winning the Southern Connecticut Division I West.
Coach Scott Benoit’s team has experience and speed thanks to the return of quarterback Jason Lassiter (5-10, 160) and junior running back Jordan Teague (5-8, 165). Hamden also has experience on the offensive and defensive lines.
Cameron Davis was a first-team all-conference pick on the offensive line last year while Jo Von Ladson was honored on the defensive side after racking up 13 sacks. The Green Dragons also have one of the state’s most dependable kickers in Kemuel Lawrence, who earned all-conference first-team honors as a junior.
2. Seymour
The Wildcats (11-2) hope to return to the top of the pack in Class SS after falling short in their bid to repeat as state champs last year. The return of quarterback Connor Shugrue and running back Taylor Searles will help.
Shugrue threw for 1,303 yards as a junior and added 441 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. Searles was the team’s second-leading rusher last year with 834 yards rushing and 17 catches for 225 yards.
The Wildcats will have to replace all-everything Mike Osiecki, who led the team in rushing, scoring and tackles last year, but Jacob Drozd (6-3, 207), a returning all-league defensive lineman, will take over the role as defensive leader. He had 108 tackles as a junior, which was third-best on the team. Searles will also help out after racking up 86 tackles last year.
3. Cheshire
The Rams could be the favorites this year in Class LL thanks to a solid group of returning skill players and an experienced defense that boasts seven returning starters. Cheshire finished 10-3 last year and won the Southern Connecticut Division I East.
The Rams will miss Billy Ragone, who threw for 2,291 yards and rushed for 1,350 yards and 30 touchdowns last season. No other QB candidate threw more than one pass last year, but the Rams are strong at all of the other skill positions.
Brian Havlicek (6-4, 185) returns after catching 57 passes for 647 yards last year. Meanwhile, Dan Sweeney, the team’s second-leading rusher last year with 591 yards (along with 27 catches for 377 yards), also returns. Paul Tuscano is another talented receiver back in the lineup after catching 12 passes for 129 yards as a junior.
4. Glastonbury
The Tomahawks won the Class LL state championship last season with a 13-0 record that included a 28-14 win over Cheshire in the finals. However, Glastonbury lost state MVP Jordan Brown to graduation, along with several other key players on defense, including LB John Pinone and Tyler MacDowell.
All-state offensive lineman Joseph Ghergurovich returns to anchor the offensive line. Meanwhile, all-conference receiver Sean McQuillan will likely move into the quarterback spot vacated by all-conference pick Erich Pfeffer.
Ryan McCarthy, an all-conference selection as a junior, is the top returning player at defensive back.
Glastonbury moves into the newly revamped Central Connecticut I Division this year after playing in the CCC North last season.
5. New Canaan
The Rams don’t have a lot of returning starters back from last year’s team that went 13-1 and won the Class MM state championship, but they do have one of the top young prospects in the state in lineman Conor Hanratty.
The son of former Notre Dame All-American quarterback Terry Hanratty, Conor is 6-foot-5 and 295 pounds heading into his junior year. He is the lone returning all-conference pick for the Rams, but New Canaan’s proven system should help make up for the deficit in experience. The Rams have won three straight state titles.
