By Mike Pucci, Register staff
mpucci@nhregister.com
@MikePucciNHR

For the first time since 2007, the Fairfield Prep football team has won three of its first four games.

The Jesuits’ reward? A date with No. 1 Xavier on Friday in Fairfield.

Still, Fairfield Prep’s quick start is a refreshing change from several lean seasons recently.

“We haven’t been (in this position) in a while,” Jesuits coach Tom Shea said. “It’s new to the kids. It’s exciting, but now we got a real tough test coming up (against Xavier).”

In Shea’s first season last year, Fairfield Prep went 3-7.

The year before, the Jesuits didn’t win a game and were 3-7 in 2008.

In 2007, Fairfield Prep won three of its first four contests, finished 8-2, but failed to qualify for the state playoffs.

The last time the Jesuits advanced to the postseason was in 2006 when Fairfield Prep won its first three games. It lost to Greenwich in the state semifinals.

Read the rest of the football notebook here.

WEEK 4 HIGHLIGHTS

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

♦ Ansonia So. RB Arkeel Newsome: Rushed for 387 yards and five touchdowns in a 45-13 victory over previously unbeaten Holy Cross. Ansonia is 4-0.

♦ Bethel Sr. QB Brandon Schmidt: Had 346 yards of total offense, including a pair of rushing touchdowns, in a 54-41 win over Oxford.

♦ Foran Sr. RB Andrew Sileo: Had 16 carries for 218 yards and three TDs in a 41-20 win over East Haven.

♦ Hillhouse So. RB Harold Cooper: Finished with 322 rushing yards and four touchdowns and added a 59-yard TD reception to help the Academics beat Lyman Hall 46-7.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

♦ Cheney Tech Sr. DE Mike Majewski: Had 10 tackles, three assists and an interception in a 22-6 win over Platt Tech.

♦ Hand Sr. LB Edward O’Neill: Had an interception and forced a fumble in a 31-14 win over Cheshire.

♦ Notre Dame-West Haven Sr. DB Malik Tinney: Made two interceptions in a 28-15 victory over previously unbeaten West Haven.

♦ Windsor Jr. DE Cole Ormsby: Made five sacks in a 46-0 win over Hartford Public. The total is tied for second in state history for sacks in a game.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

♦ Naugatuck So. KR Nate Franklin: Returned a kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown in a 34-29 win over Sacred Heart.

♦ Sheehan So. KR Jeremy Gannon: Returned a kickoff 83 yards in a 41-7 loss to North Haven.

♦ Wilby Sr. KR JayLen Mahan: Returned the game’s opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown in a 38-28 victory over Derby. Mahan also ran for two touchdowns, made three two-point conversions and returned an interception 65 yards for another score.

♦ Windsor Sr. PR Aaron Berardino: Returned a punt 79 yards in a 46-0 victory over Hartford Public. He also made seven catches for 126 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a another score.

TEAMS OF THE WEEK

♦ Foran: The Lions defeated East Haven 41-20 to win their first game of the season.

♦ Harding: Torri Voss scored the game’s only touchdown on a 1-yard run in the third quarter as the Presidents won 6-0 to capture their first victory of the season and second in a row over Fairfield Ludlowe.

♦ Notre Dame-West Haven: Knocked off rival, and previously unbeaten, West Haven 28-15.

♦ Stratford: Defeated South-West Conference foe Notre Dame-Fairfield 41-38 for their first win.

ON THE AIR/WEB

♦ Guilford at Shelton, Friday, 7 p.m.: 960-WELI AM.

GET OUT AND GO

♦ Pomperaug (4-0) at No. 10 Bunnell (4-0): Both teams won hard-fought contests in Week 4. Bunnell rallied from a 7-0 halftime deficit by scoring 22 points in the third quarter to remain unbeaten after a 28-7 victory. In another defensive affair, Pomperaug returned two interceptions for touchdowns in a 16-9 win over previously unbeaten Newtown. Both Bunnell and Pomperaug are explosive offensively but were mostly contained last week. Will defense be key again, or will it be a high-scoring South-West Conference affair?

Check out the latest Top 10 Poll here.