It's not a surprise that perennial state power Ansonia has again reached a state final. The Chargers will appear in their 24th championship game Saturday when Ansonia (11-1) takes on St. Joseph (9-3) for the Class S title at 7 p.m.

The Chargers are 16-7 in championship games since the inception of the CIAC playoffs in 1976.

But what is surprising is that Ansonia reached the title game with a team primarily filled with underclassmen.

Said Brockett, who's in his fifth season at the helm and has a career record of 57-6:

"I think every year is a different challenge. Obviously, my first year (2006) was a big challenge, and the second year we had a lot of kids coming back so there was a lot of pressure. Then we had to replace those kids, and we were fortunate to get to a state championship (in 2008). Every year presents different challenges.

"But, as far as talent level, this, by far, was probably my most challenging year."

On playing the state final at Rentschler Field, home of UConn football, Ansonia senior running back Montrell Dobbs said:

"Everyone's dream is to play on a field like this. It's UConn, it's the best school in Connecticut. To be playing there for a championship like this is definitely a dream come true for a player like me."