CROMWELL
Coach: Chris Eckert (1st year)
Last season: 7-4 (Class S quarterfinalist)
Top players
Anthony Morales (6-3, 175, Sr., QB)
Brett Director (5-9, 170, Sr., WR)
Mike Sullivan (5-10, 220, Sr., DL)
Ricky Feggins (6-1, 165, Sr., FS)
Strengths
Strong senior leadership, team speed and athleticism
Weaknesses
At a small school, depth is always a concern. Limiting injuries will be key.
Outlook
Eckert, in his first year with the Panthers after being the head man at Wilby last year, feels confident that his team can be very competitive in the Pequot Conference Sassacus Division. Cromwell may be the favorite at this point. The Panthers should also contend for a Class S state playoff berth.
Note
Morales is ranked No. 1 academically in his senior class. He's looking to attend an Ivy League school according to Eckert.

SEYMOUR — Perhaps the biggest change for the Seymour football team entering the 2011 season occurred soon after last season ended.

At the first meeting back after Thanksgiving, Wildcats’ coach Tom Lennon decided to allow his team to elect captains instead of waiting for later on in the offseason, as had been the norm during the previous two seasons under Lennon.

Selected were quarterback Luke Grabowski and linebackers Dylan Sadick and Josh Tilton.

“We needed to shore up the leadership position,” Lennon said. “We needed a little more leadership internally. They voted for captains and I think they absolutely made the right choice. We have three guys that are outstanding leaders, in addition to the rest of the senior class.

“We put a lot of (pressure) on (the seniors). It’s up to them to try to change the way things have gone for us.”

Read the full story here.

Derby WR/DB Jake Tomczak, a Register All-Area selection in 2010, will miss the entire upcoming season after tearing the ACL in his right knee during a preseason camp last Friday, according to Derby coach George French.

It was recommended that Tomczak have surgery although nothing has been planned at this point.

"We were prepared for it (the bad news)," French said. "It hurts but we have to get it past it."

Although Tomczak made the Register All-Area team as a WR last year, he might be more valuable to the Red Raiders defensively.

Derby has several other offensive options, including senior WRs Brian Dobek and Tim Adanti and junior WR Dillon McMahon.

"We (still) have a lot of firepower on offense," French said. "We have a lot of skill players."

Seymour has lost 13 straight games dating back to the 2009 season. They went 1-9 that year and 0-10 in 2010. The Wildcats have not won since defeating Crosby 41-26 on Oct. 30, 2009.

That's 22 months without winning a football game.

Seymour, though, is out to change its fortunes in 2011. The Wildcats have a fairly strong senior class led by captains Luke Grabowski, a quarterback, and linebacker Dylan Sadick and Josh Tilton.

The Wildcats open this season on the road on Sept. 14 against O'Brien Tech, a first-year varsity program. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Derby's Ryan Field.

Despite not winning a game last season, Seymour coach Tom Lennon thought his squad was competitive, and he's optimistic as the preseason gets underway this week.

"I don't feel we're that far away (from contending)," Lennon said, "and I never thought we were (last year) despite our record. As bad as our record was, we weren't getting blown out in every game. We were in the mix in every game. We just never got over the hump. I think we just needed to take one more step and I think these guys are going to be the ones to do it."

Lennon says numbers have increased this year. The Wildcats entered the first day of conditioning Wednesday with 28 guys on the varsity squad. Seymour has 30 on the freshman team.

Read more on Seymour in Thursday's print editions of the Register.

XAVIER
Coach: Sean Marinan (10th year)
Last season: 13-0 (SCC D1 West and Class LL state champions)
Top players
Pat D'Amato (6-2, 200, Sr., QB)
Mike Mastroianni (5-9, 190, Sr., RB)
Jovan Santos (6-3, 235, Sr., LB)
Ryan Murphy (6-3, 210, Sr., TE/SS)
Strengths
Quarterback position, several skill players return, defense expected to be solid.
Weaknesses
Not much. Xavier is loaded, again. The Falcons will have to put last year's remarkable season behind them and focus on an daunting upcoming schedule.
Outlook
Xavier should be favored to repeat in the SCC Division I West. The Falcons have the talent to repeat as state champions if they can remain healthy. Repeating won't be easy, but Xavier should be in the mix for a state title come December.
Note
D'Amato has a full scholarship offer from Central Conn. State and Stonybrook.

CLASS LL
(711 and over/36)
Amity
Bridgeport Central
Brien McMahon
Bristol Central
Bristol Eastern
Cheshire
Conard
Crosby
Danbury
East Hartford
Fairfield Prep
Glastonbury
Greenwich
Hall
Hamden
Harding
Hartford Public
Manchester
New Britain
New Milford
Newington
Newtown
Norwalk
Norwich Free Academy
Pomperaug
Ridgefield
Shelton
Simsbury
South Windsor
Southington
Stamford
Staples
Trumbull
West Haven
Westhill
Xavier

CLASS L
(526-710/36)
Avon
Bassick
Branford
Bulkeley
Bunnell
Coventry/Windham Tech
Daniel Hand
Darien
E.O. Smith
East Hampton/Vinal Tech
East Lyme
Fairfield Ludlowe
Fairfield Warde
Farmington
Fermi
Fitch
Guilford
Kennedy
Maloney
Masuk
Middletown
Naugatuck
New Canaan
New London
North Haven
Notre Dame-West Haven
Platt
Platt Tech
RHAM
Rockville
Torrington
Wethersfield
Wilbur Cross
Wilby
Wilton
Windsor

CLASS M
(404-525/37)
Abbott Tech
Ansonia
Bacon Academy
Berlin
Bethel
Brookfield
Bullard Havens Tech
Cheney Tech
East Haven
Ellington/Somers
Enfield
Foran
Gilbert/NW Regional
Hillhouse
Joel Barlow
Jonathan Law
Ledyard
Lewis Mills
Lyman Hall
Montville
New Fairfield
Nonnewaug
Putnam/Tourtellotte/Ellis Tech
Sheehan
SMSA/University
St. Bernard/Norwich Tech
Stonington
Stratford
Tolland
Waterford
Watertown
Wilcox Tech
Windham
Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby
Wolcott
Wolcott Tech
Woodstock Academy

CLASS S
(Up to 403/37)
Bloomfield
Canton
Capital Prep/Classical Magnet
Coginchaug
Cromwell
Derby
East Catholic
Granby Memorial
Griswold
Haddam-Killingworth
Holy Cross
Housatonic/Wamogo
Hyde Leadership
Immaculate
Killingly
Morgan
North Branford
Northwest Catholic
Notre Dame-Fairfield
O’Brien Tech
Old Saybrook/Westbrook
Oxford
Plainfield
Plainville
Prince Tech
Rocky Hill
Sacred Heart
Seymour
St. Joseph
St. Paul Catholic
Stafford/East Windsor
Stamford Academy
Trinity Catholic
Valley Regional/Old Lyme
Weaver
Weston
Woodland

From the Waterbury Rep-Am

Perhaps the only blemish during the 2010 Naugatuck Valley League football season was the debacle surrounding the Copper Division championship. Starting this fall, the NVL is making sure it won’t happen again.

The league’s athletic directors recently voted to officially change the tiebreaker rules for football only to make head-to-head meetings more important than overall record in determining a division champion.

Naugatuck athletic director and new NVL president Tom Pompei confirmed the change in an email Monday. He noted that the tiebreaker change will be for football only because of the shorter schedule and higher importance on games.

Read the full story here.

The following teams elected to have additional practice days in the fall. For them, conditioning starts Aug. 17 and the first practice is scheduled for Aug. 23.

Abbott Tech
Avon
Bacon Academy
Bloomfield
Bulkeley
Bullard Havens Tech
Canton
Capital Prep/Classical Magnet
Cheney Tech
Conard
Derby
E.O. Smith
East Catholic
East Hampton/Vinal Tech
East Hartford
East Haven
Ellington/Somers
Fermi
Fitch
Foran
Gilbert/NW Regional
Glastonbury
Granby Memorial
Griswold
Haddam-Killingworth
Hall
Hartford Public
Housatonic/Wamogo
Immaculate
Joel Barlow
Jonathan Law
Killingly
Maloney
Middletown
Morgan
New Fairfield
New London
Nonnewaug
North Branford
Northwest Catholic
Norwich Free Academy
Notre Dame-Fairfield
Notre Dame-West Haven
Plainfield
Plainville
Pomperaug
Putnam/Tourtellotte/Ellis Tech
RHAM
Ridgefield
Rockville
Sacred Heart
Seymour
Simsbury
SMSA/University
South Windsor
Southington
St. Bernard/Norwich Tech
Stamford
Stamford Academy
Stonington
Stratford
Waterford
Watertown
Wilby
Wilcox Tech
Windsor
Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby
Wolcott Tech
Woodstock Academy



The following teams elected to have traditional spring practice. For them, conditioning starts Aug. 22 and the first practice is scheduled for Aug. 27.

Amity
Ansonia
Bassick
Berlin
Bethel
Branford
Bridgeport Central
Brien McMahon
Bristol Central
Bristol Eastern
Brookfield
Bunnell
Cheshire
Coginchaug
Coventry/Windham Tech
Cromwell
Crosby
Danbury
Daniel Hand
Darien
East Lyme
Enfield
Fairfield Ludlowe
Fairfield Prep
Fairfield Warde
Farmington
Greenwich
Guilford
Hamden
Harding
Hillhouse
Holy Cross
Hyde Leadership
Kennedy
Ledyard
Lewis Mills
Lyman Hall
Manchester
Masuk
Montville
Naugatuck
New Britain
New Canaan
New Milford
Newington
Newtown
North Haven
Norwalk
O’Brien Tech
Old Saybrook/Westbrook
Oxford
Platt
Platt Tech
Prince Tech
Rocky Hill
Sheehan
Shelton
St. Joseph
St. Paul Catholic
Stafford/East Windsor
Staples
Tolland
Torrington
Trinity Catholic
Trumbull
Valley Regional/Old Lyme
Weaver
West Haven
Westhill
Weston
Wethersfield
Wilbur Cross
Wilton
Windham
Wolcott
Woodland
Xavier

OXFORD
Coach: Joe Stochmal (4th year)
Last season: 5-5
Top players
Alex Miller (6-0, 178, Sr., QB/S)
Jordan Biagioni (6-1, 187, Sr., WR/FS)
Chris Hovan (5-10, 174, Sr., TB/LB)
Matt Hanna (6-4, 247, Sr., OL/DL)
Strengths
Returns six starters on each side of the ball.
Weaknesses
Must replace running back Nick Donofrio, who graduated after rushing for 1,285 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior.
Outlook
Stochmal feels Oxford can be competitive in a balanced South-West Conference. The goal is to improve on last season's win total.
Note
Oxford opens the season against defending SWC and Class L champion Masuk at noon at home on Sept. 17.

HYDE
Coach: Melvin Wells (6th year)
Last season: 7-4 (Class S quarterfinalist)
Top players
Devon Dolphin (6-0, 190, Sr., RB)
Elijah Nixon (5-10 175, Jr., WR)
Akeem Berry (5-10, 180, Jr. RB)
Matthew Sheffield (5-10, 178, Sr., LB)
Strengths
Athleticism and speed in the skill positions.
Weaknesses
The Howling Wolves must replace the entire offensive line.
Outlook
Despite some inexperience up front, Hyde should be in contention in the Pequot Conference Sassacus Division.
Note
The Howling Wolves have lost four straight games. After winning their first seven to open the 2010 season, Hyde lost its last three regular season games, and then lost to Ansonia in the Class S state quarterfinals.