Xavier Wins Connecticut LL Title

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut High School Football Huddle

Top-ranked Xavier beat Trumbull 24-13 Saturday to claim the state's Class LL championship.

The Falcons were led by Mike Mastroianni, who carried the ball 39 times for 229 yards and two touchdowns.  Quarterback Pat D'Amato also had a big game completing 5-of-8 passes for 195 yards and one touchdown.

New Canaan's Championship Streak Ends at Four

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut High School Football Huddle

Masuk beat New Canaan 50-20 on Saturday to capture the Class L state title.

The top-seeded Panthers were led by Gatorade State Player of the Year Casey Cochran, who completed 22-of-32 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns.  Cochran also ran for a score.

New Canaan was seeking its fifth straight state title.

8th Seeded Hillhouse Wins Connecticut Class M Football Crown

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut High School Football Huddle

Hillhouse became the first team to win a state championship as an 8th seeded on Saturday when the Academics beat New London 7-0 for the Class M title.

After three scoreless quarters, Harold Cooper scored on an 8-yard run on the second play of the fourth quarter to give Hillhouse its fourth state championship.  The Academics put away the title by stopping the Whalers on three drives down the stretch, including stopping one drive at the Hillhouse two-yard line on a fourth-and-goal try.

St. Joseph Wins Another Connecticut State Football Championship

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut High School Football Huddle

The two schools that have won the most Connecticut state football championships battled Saturday for the state's Class S title.

In the end, it was St. Joseph adding to its trophy case with a 49-28 win over Ansonia.  Tyler Matakevich led St. Joseph, which captured its 10th state title, with 122 yards rushing, 51 yards receiving and four touchdowns.

Montrell Dobbs carried the ball an incredible 52 times for 303 yards for Ansonia, which was looking to add to its state leading 16 state titles.

Last year St. Joseph won the Class SS crown, which is now a defunct classification.

Connecticut High School Football Scores - Playoffs/Championships

Connecticut High School Football Scores
Saturday, December 11, 2010

Class LL Championship
Xavier  24  Trumbull  13

Class L Championship
Masuk  50  New Canaan  20

Class M Championship
Hillhouse  7  New London  0

Class S Championship
St. Joseph  49  Ansonia  28

For more high school football scores from around the country, go to High School Football America @ www.highschoolfootballamerica.com.

Connecticut High School Football Scores - Playoffs/Semifinals

Connecticut High School Football Scores
Saturday, December 4, 2010

Playoffs
Semifinals

Class LL
Xavier 24 Glastonbury 13
Trumball 21 Norwich Free Academy 6 Game Story

Class L
Masuk 41 Darien 0
New Canaan  39  Hand  21

Class M
Hillhouse 42 Gilbert 14
New London 30 Brookfield 12

Class S
Ansonia 46 Montville 15
St. Joseph 44  Valley Regional/Old Lyme  7

Connecticut High School Football Scores - Playoffs/Quarterfinals

Connecticut High School Football Scores
Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Playoffs
Quarterfinals

CLASS LL
Xavier 28, West Haven 7
Norwich Free Academy 30, Hall 14
Trumbull 27, Conard 9
Glastonbury 7, Staples 6

CLASS L
Masuk 49,Bristol Eastern 23
Hand 19, North Haven 7
New Canaan 21, Naugatuck 12
Darien 31, Wethersfield 7

CLASS M
Hillhouse 33, Berlin 30
New London 53, Platt 14
Brookfield 50, Lyman Hall 21
Gilbert/NW Regional 41, Plainville 6

CLASS S
Valley Regional/Old Lyme 37, Sacred Heart 24
Montville 55, Cromwell 28
Ansonia 47, Hyde 26
St. Joseph 48, Woodland 12

Connecticut High School Football Playoff Match-ups Announced

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut High School Football Huddle

The Connecticut high school football playoffs begin Tuesday night with quarterfinal action. Below is the first round games...

CLASS LL
#8 West Haven (8-2) at #1 Xavier (10-0)
#7 Hall (8-2) at #2 Norwich Free Academy (10-0)
#6 Conard (8-2) at #3 Trumbull (9-2)
#5 Staples (9-1) at #4 Glastonbury (9-1)

CLASS L
#8 Bristol Eastern (9-1) vs. #1 Masuk (10-0) at Bunnell
#7 North Haven (9-1) at #2 Hand (9-1)
#6 New Canaan (9-1) at #3 Naugatuck (9-1)
#5 Darien (10-1) at #4 Wethersfield (9-1)

CLASS M
#8 Hillhouse (7-3) at #1 Berlin (10-0)
#7 Platt (8-2) at #2 New London (8-2)
#6 Lyman Hall (8-2) at #3 Brookfield (8-2)
#5 Plainville (8-2) at #4 Gilbert/Northwestern (8-2)

CLASS S
#8 Sacred Heart (6-4) at #1 Valley Regional/Old Lyme (10-0)
#7 Cromwell (7-3) at #2 Montville (9-1)
#6 Hyde (7-3) at #3 Ansonia (9-1)
#5 Woodland (7-3) vs. #4 St. Joseph (7-3)

Manchester Takes Its Cheating Accusations to CIAC

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Manchester High School is furious.

Southington High School thinks it's not a big deal.

Now it's the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Association's time to decide who's right.

Manchester officials have filed an official protest with the CIAC over its team's 28-14 loss to Southington on October 22nd.  The protest stems from Manchester head coach Marco Pizzoferrato's accusation in the Hartford Courant that his opponent used a Manchester armband that contained his plays to help the Southington defense.

Southington High has already decided to suspend its coach D.J. Hernandez for one-game following its own internal investigation.  Hernandez has admitted to using the arm band for "four plays", according to a report in the Hartford Courant.

Southington gained control of the armband card sometime late in the first half when it came off a Manchester player

Connecticut High School Football Scores - Week 5

Connecticut High School Football Scores
Friday, October 15, 2010

Amity 17 Hamden 3
Ansonia 39 Wolcott 20
Berlin 43 Simsbury 0
Bethel 35 Stratford 11
Brookfield 28 Barlow 3
Canton 20 Stafford/East Windsor 14
Cheney Tech 64 Platt Tech 28
Griswold 28 St. Bernard/Norwich Tech 0
Hall 30 South Windsor 20
Hartford Public 44 Rockville 6
Hillhouse 12 Law 9
Lyman Hall 27 Branford 20
Maloney 27 Bristol Central 18
Manchester 38 Tolland 0
Masuk 45 Bunnell 0
Montville 48 Bacon Academy 0
Naugatuck 41 Fermi 0
New Canaan 49 Seymour 0
New Milford 14 Oxford 12
North Haven 46 East Haven 13
Notre Dame-West Haven 38 Hand-Madison 14
Plainville 27 Bulkeley 20
Platt 20 New Britain 0
Putnam/Tourtellotte/Ellis Tech 29 Capital Prep/Classical Magnet 19
Ridgefield 41 Harding 6
Sacred Heart 28 St. Paul 21
Shelton 31 Guilford 0
Stamford 21 Danbury 7
Staples 21 McMahon 13
St. Joseph 41 Bassick 20
Torrington 22 Kennedy 8
Trumbull 18 Greenwich 13
Valley Regional/Old Lyme 20 North Branford 6
Waterford 20 Ledyard 14
West Haven 42 Sheehan 0
Wilbur Cross 18 Cheshire 14
Windham 26 Plainfield 7
Windsor 39 Rocky Hill 6
Woodland 19 Holy Cross 0
Xavier 34 Fairfield Prep 0

Connecticut High School Football Pre-Season Practice Begins August 18th

by Jeff Fisher

Connecticut High School Football Huddle

Welcome to our new look for the 2010 Connecticut high school football season!

With the first day of practice beginning August 18th, I wanted to take the time to thank all of my readers, who have made this blog successful over the past three years.  I have bigger-and-better things planned this year with more original content.

Also, don't forget to check-out High School Football America for great high school football stories from around the country.  If you have story ideas that I should know about, please feel free to email me.

Here's a look at important dates for the 2010 season...

First Practice - August 18th (Conditioning for non-Spring practice schools); August 23rd (Conditioning for Spring practice schools)

Regular Season Begins - September 14th

Playoffs Begin - November 30th

Championships - December 10th & 11th

Jeff Fisher is Founder/Editor-in-Chief of High School Football America

Part 2 of America's Oldest High School Football Rivalry Released at High School Football America

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut High School Football Huddle

Norwich Free Academy and New London are closing-in on their 150th game in a couple of years, but before that big celebration, myself and Trish Hoffman took our High School Football America cameras to the two towns for their Thanksgiving 2009 showdown.

A look back at the game and the series, which is the oldest high school football rivalry in the country, is the subject of Part 2 of our video vignette that can be seen at www.highschoolfootballamerica.com/videos.

Middletown HS Hires New Head Football Coach

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut High School Football Huddle

Two days after two assistant coaches were charged in connection with the collapse of a player during a conditioning drill, Middletown High School has hired former Cromwell head coach Sal Morello to lead the program.

The Middletown Press reports that Morello, who's a graduate of Middletown, led Cromwell to the 2008 Class S state title, was 69-12 in seven seasons at Cromwell.

Middletown HS Coaches Charged After Player Collapses During Conditioning Drill

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut High School Football Huddle

 

A Middletown High School football player who collapsed during a Tuesday conditioning drill is home and doing fine according NBC Connecticut.

The website also reports that the school athletic director is looking into the incident in which two assistant coaches Kelly Ellis and Joshua Hamilton received a misdemeanor summons for second-degree reckless endangerment.

The northeast has been gripped by a weeklong heat wave that has seen temperatures soar into the 100's in some spots.

Connecticut Reduces Number of Classifications in High School Football

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut High School Football Huddle

Connecticut will crown two fewer high school football champs in 2010.

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference has eliminated Class MM and Class SS for the upcoming season.  The 143 football-playing schools in the state will now be divided into Classes LL, L, M and S.

The state athletic governing body also added an extra game to the post-season as it will now take three wins instead of two to capture the crown.

The New Canaan Patch reports that New Canaan High's athletic director likes the re-alignment.  The Rams will be seeking a fifth straight football title in the fall.

New London/Norwich Free Academy Football Rivalry Featured in 2-Part Series at High School Football America

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut High School Football Huddle

It all began in 1875 in Connecticut.

What am I talking about?  The birth of high school football.

On May 12, 1875, Norwich Free Academy played Bulkeley School for Boys (now New London HS) in the first-ever football game.

Now, High School Football America takes you inside the tradition with a two-part series that you can check-out at www.highschoolfootballamerica.com/videos.

In Part 1, High School Football America co-host Trisha Hoffman checks-out the pre-game festivities...the New London Whaler pep rally, plus a Powder Puff football game.  Part 2 on the game itself will be released on June 30th.

Connecticut High School Football Coaches Weigh-In on UConn Football Recruiting

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut High School Football Huddle

Great story in the Hartford Courant on why Connecticut's top high school football talent may be leaving the state when it comes to playing college football.

The story comes on the heels of a comments made by UConn head coach Randy Edsall on national letter of intent signing day that questioned Connecticut high school football coaches commitment to checking-out the hometown Huskies.

On February 3rd Edsall said, ""We are better received, in my opinion, outside the state of Connecticut than what we are within the state of Connecticut — in certain pockets. That's tough to say, but you've got to say it because it's true."

High school coaches quoted in the story are...Stamford High's Kevin Jones, Notre Dame-West Haven's Tom Marcucci, Bloomfield's Ray Roberts, Rocky Hill's Dave Coyne, New Canaan's Lou Marinelli, St. Paul/Goodwin Tech's Jude Kelly Windsor's Rob Fleeting and Xaverian's Sean Marinan, plus John Fontana, president of the Connecticut High School Coaches Association.

Hamden Head Football Coach Resigns

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut High School Football Huddle

Hamden High is looking for a new head football coach after Scott Benoit resigned Monday to become an assistant coach at the University of New Haven.

Benoit was 16-6 in two seasons with the Green Dragons. In his first season, he lead the team to the Class LL playoffs where the Dragons lost to Cheshire in the semifinals.

Stratford High Hires Svatik as New Football Coach

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut HIgh School Football Huddle

After 23-years away from the high school game, John Svatik has been hired as the new head football coach at Stratford.

GreenwichTime.com reports that Svatlik, who spent the last two years as an assistant at the University of New Hampshire, was chosen from a group of 20 applicants.

Immaculata Taps Bellagamba as New Football Coach

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut High School Football Huddle
Gary Bellagamba is the new head football coach at Immaculata.

The Ridgfield Press reports that Bellagamba, who is a lifelong resident of Ridgefield, has a big rebuilding job in front of him after only five wins in the last three seasons.

Connecticut - 2010 National Signing Day

Alexander Amidon (Hotchkiss School) WR - Boston College
Dominic Appiah (Cheshire Academy) DL - Boston College
Robert Bowman (Notre Dame) OL/DL - New Hampshire
Andrew Clements (Pomperaug) S/QB - Central Connecticut St.
Khairi Fortt (Stamford) LB - Penn St.
Taylor Fuller (Bunnell) OL - Central Connecticut St.
Victor Harris (Windsor) DE - Central Connecticut St.
Jalen Hill (Bloomfield) WR - Central Connecticut St.
Byron Jones (St. Paul) DB - Connecticut
Denzell Jones (Bloomfield) QB - Central Connecticut St.
Tebucky Jones (New Britain) WR - Connecticut
Eric Joyner (King & Low Heywood Thomas) RB/DB - New Hampshire
Rory Kennedy (New Milford) TE/DE - Central Connecticut St.
Kevin Kucinskas (Simsbury) LB - Central Connecticut St.
Chris Linares (New Britain) DB - Central Connecticut St.
Kevin Pierre-Louis (King & Low Heywood Thomas) LB - Boston College
Silas Reed (King & Low Heywood Thomas) RB - Penn St.
Hayden Stanton (Xavier) DL/OL - Central Connecticut St.
Sean Sylvia (Cheshire Academy) DB - Boston College

Vinal Tech and East Hampton Form New Connecticut High School Football Team

by Jeff Fisher
Connecticut High School Football Huddle

The Middletown Press is reporting that Vinal Tech and East Hampton High are forming a cooperative team that will begin playing JV football in the fall and then a varsity schedule in 2011.

The move was needed because Vinal Tech's cooperative with Coginchaug ended at the end of the 2010 season because Coginchaug had too many players under state rules. Vinal Tech/Coginchaug qualified for the Class MM playoffs in 2009...losing 39-0 to East Lyme in the state semifinals.