Wilbur Cross at West Haven VIDEO RECAP

Read how West Haven survived against Cross here

No. 10 Notre Dame-West Haven defeats Cheshire

North Branford rallies past Coginchaug

Roundup and linescores

Check out how the Register Top 10 Fared

No. 10 Notre Dame-West Haven defeated Cheshire 28-7.

Of note:

Cheshire junior running back left the game in the first half with an ankle injury and did not return. Pascale gained 24 yards on eight carries before exiting.

"Sam's really developed into our play maker," Cheshire coach Mark Ecke said. "He's a heck of a running back."

Senior Billy Weyrauch gained 44 yards on 10 carries in Pascale's place.

Notre Dame senior Amihr Bess returned after missing last week's contest with an ankle injury.
Bess still wasn't at 100 percent and played sparingly. Bess carried six times for 25 yards in the first half. He did not carry the ball at all during the final two quarters.

Senior Javon Grey rushed 24 times for 173 yards and three touchdowns for the Green Knights in this SCC Division I East victory over Cheshire at Veteran's Stadium in West Haven.

Grey scored on runs of 1, 21 and 4 yards all in the first half as Notre Dame led 21-7 at halftime.

Mike Palmieri had a sack and returned a fumble 75 yards for a touchdown for the Green Knights (6-2).

Mike Ecke (17 carries, 128 yards) scored on a 65-yard run for the Rams (4-4).

Notre Dame-West Haven still has shot at playoffs.

Check out THE SCOUT TEAM, the Register's weekly football show.

Check out my Predictions for Week 8.

West Haven coach Ed McCarthy to return to sideline after heart procedure.

With three games remaining, Notre Dame (5-2) is currently ranked No. 11 in Class L. The top 8 teams advance to the quarterfinals.

Despite two losses, Notre Dame, if it wins out, can still reach the postseason. The Green Knights have lost to No. 1 Xavier and No. 3 Hand but have defeated North Haven (6-1), Shelton (5-2) and West Haven (5-2).

Notre Dame plays Cheshire (4-3) on Friday (7 p.m. at Veteran's Field in West Haven) in a SCC Division I East contest.

Last year the Green Knights went 7-3 but failed to qualify for the postseason. In 2009, Notre Dame won the Class L state title and was ranked No. 1 in the final Register Top 10 Poll.

"We've been working so hard in the preseason trying to get from Point A to Point B," Notre Dame senior captain Davante Mallard said. "The work ethic has been really strong. We wish we can be better than (5-2), but all we can do is keep going. (The goal) has always been to keep on pushing and keep on moving forward."

The Notre Dame defense is allowing just 15 points per contest this season despite the tough schedule. Still, the Green Knights believe they can play even better.

"I don't think we're ever going to be content," Notre Dame captain Anthony Masucci said. "There's always room for improvement. As far as what (the coaches) expect from us on the defensive side of the ball, I think we're giving our best effort and it shows. Day after day we come out here, work hard, do the same drills over and over, and it's paid off."

After Cheshire, Notre Dame has games remaining with Fairfield Prep and Hamden. The Green Knights will likely have to win their remaining three games, and may even need some help, to reach the postseason.

"From Aug. 17 ( the first day of practice), actually from when we were lifting during the summer," Masucci said, "all we talked about was getting another ring, getting another shot at it. It would be a dream come true if we can get back there (to the playoffs)."

Just in from the CIAC:

The CIAC fall tournaments in soccer, field hockey, volleyball and swimming were originally scheduled to begin on Monday, November 7th. Maintaining this schedule would require that many student-athletes would enter tournament competition after numerous days without practice or game play. After a thorough review of the calendar, discussion with tournament directors, and communication with potential host sites, the CIAC has developed a revised schedule for tournaments for the previously mentioned four sports. (Cross-country is already following a revised schedule for the remaining state class races and the State Open race).

"We are aware that many schools will not reopen until next week and that interscholastic athletic programs across the state have been seriously disrupted," commented CIAC Executive Director Dr. Karissa Niehoff. "As it became obvious that the delays and impact from the storm were going to be longer then and more widespread then originally anticipated we determined that delaying the start of the state tournaments was the appropriate course of action to take."

According to the revised schedule, the last day to count for the regular season will be Tuesday, November 8th. We will allow schools to schedule contests on Sunday, November 6th, provided that those contests occur after 12:30 p.m. Tournament competition will begin on Thursday, November 10th. Championship contests for volleyball and field hockey will be played the weekend of November 18-19; finals for girls and boys soccer on the weekend of November 25-26. We intentionally did not schedule tournament play for the three school days prior to Thanksgiving in consideration of the many events that occur in schools during that abbreviated week, to allow for rescheduling of semi-final matches if there is inclement weather, and because school fields are being used by football teams preparing for Thanksgiving Day games.

Tournament pairings for Fall sports will be announced on Wednesday, November 9 by 11:00 a.m. The following is the revised competition schedule:

BOYS SOCCER
* First Round - LL, L, M, S -- November 11
* Second Round - LL, L, M, S -- November 14
* Quarter-Finals - LL, L, M, S -- November 16
* Semi-Finals - LL, L, M, S -- November 19
* Finals - LL, L, M, S -- November 25-26

GIRLS SOCCER
* First Round - LL, L, M, S -- November 10
* Second Round - LL, L, M, S -- November 12
* Quarter-Finals - LL, L, M, S -- November 15
* Semi-Finals - LL, L, M, S -- November 18
* Finals - LL, L, M, S -- November 25-26

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
* First Round Thursday, November 10
* Second Round - Saturday, November 12
* Quarter-Finals - M & S Monday, November 14
* Quarter Finals - L & LL Tuesday, November 15
* Semi-Finals - M & S Wednesday, November 16
* Semi-Finals - L & LL Thursday, November 17
* Finals S -- 7:00 p.m. Friday, November 18
* Finals M-- 1:00 / L -- 4:00 / LL - 7:00 p.m. Saturday, November 19

FIELD HOCKEY
* Qualifying Round - S Wednesday, November 9
* Qualifying Round - M, L Thursday, November 10
* First Round - S Thursday, November 10
* First Round - M, L Friday, November 11
* Quarter-finals - S Saturday, November 12
* Quarter-finals - M, L Monday, November 14
* Semi-finals - S Tuesday, November 15
* Semi-finals - M, L Wednesday, November 16
* Finals - All Divisions, Times TBA -- Saturday, November 19

GIRLS SWIMMING
* Diving trials and finals for classes L and M will be postponed from Wednesday, November 9 to either Friday, November 11 or Monday, November 14
* The remainder of the swimming schedule will remain as originally announced

Here is the Week 8 schedule with the latest postponement information.

THURSDAY
NVL COPPER
St. Paul Catholic at Sacred Heart, 6:00 p.m.

FRIDAY
CCC DIV. II EAST
Hartford Public at Bulkeley, 7:00 p.m.
RHAM at Wethersfield, 7:00 p.m.
CCC DIV. II WEST
Farmington at Middletown (Ppd. to date TBA)
Maloney at Windsor (Ppd. to date TBA)
CCC DIV. III EAST
Berlin at Platt, 6:30 p.m.
CCC INTER
Northwest Catholic at Bristol Eastern, 7:00 p.m.
CSC
Platt Tech at Putnam/Tourtellotte/Ellis Tech, 6:30 p.m.
ECC LARGE
Norwich Free Academy at Fitch, 6:30 p.m.
ECC MEDIUM
Bacon Academy at Windham, 6:30 p.m.
Waterford at Ledyard, 6:30 p.m.
ECC SMALL
Griswold at Stonington, 6:30 p.m.
St. Bernard/Norwich Tech at Killingly, 6:30 p.m.
ECC INTER
New London at Montville, 6:30 p.m.
FCIAC WEST
Bridgeport Central at Trumbull, 7:00 p.m.
FCIAC INTER
Fairfield Ludlowe at Danbury, 6:00 p.m.
NVL BRASS
Ansonia at Wolcott, 7:00 p.m.
Seymour at Derby, 7:00 p.m.
Wilby at Crosby, 7:00 p.m.
NVL INTER
Naugatuck at Watertown, 7:00 p.m.
PEQUOT SASSACUS
Coginchaug at North Branford, 7:00 p.m.
SCC DIVISION I EAST
Cheshire at Notre Dame-West Haven, 7:00 p.m.
Wilbur Cross at West Haven, 7:00 p.m.
SCC DIVISION I WEST
Fairfield Prep at Shelton, 7:00 p.m.
SCC DIVISION II EAST
Foran at North Haven, 7:00 p.m.
SCC DIVISION II WEST
Hillhouse at Branford, 7:00 p.m.
Jonathan Law at Guilford, 7:00 p.m.
SCC INTER
East Haven at Daniel Hand, 7:00 p.m.
SWC COLONIAL
Bethel at Newtown, 7:00 p.m.
SWC PATRIOT
Oxford at New Fairfield, 7:00 p.m.

SATURDAY
CCC DIV. I EAST
Glastonbury at South Windsor (Ppd. to date TBA)
CCC DIV. II EAST
Fermi at E.O. Smith (Ppd. to date TBA)
CCC DIV. III WEST
Weaver at Bloomfield, 2:00 p.m.
CSC
Bullard Havens Tech at Abbott Tech, 1:00 p.m.
Wolcott Tech at Cheney Tech, 3:00 p.m.
Wilcox Tech at O'Brien Tech, 6:00 p.m.
ECC LARGE
East Lyme at Woodstock Academy, 2:00 p.m.
FCIAC CENTRAL
Ridgefield at Harding, 3:00 p.m.
FCIAC EAST
Bassick at St. Joseph, 2:00 p.m.
Trinity Catholic at Darien, 2:00 p.m.
FCIAC INTER
Brien McMahon at Greenwich, 2:00 p.m.
Fairfield Warde at Staples, 2:00 p.m.
Westhill at Wilton, 2:00 p.m.
New Canaan at Stamford, 5:00 p.m.
NVL COPPER
Kennedy at Torrington, 1 p.m. at Kennedy Stadium, Bridgeport
PEQUOT SASSACUS
Old Saybrook/Westbrook at Cromwell, 1:00 p.m.
East Hampton/Vinal Tech at Hyde Leadership, 2:00 p.m.
PEQUOT UNCAS
Granby Memorial at Gilbert/NW Regional, 1:00 p.m.
Housatonic/Wamogo at Coventry/Windham Tech, 2:15 p.m.
Enfield at Avon (Ppd. to date TBA)
Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby at SMSA/University, 6:30 p.m.
SCC DIVISION I WEST
Xavier at Hamden, 3:00 p.m.
SCC INTER
Lyman Hall at Amity, 2:00 p.m.
SWC COLONIAL
Masuk at Pomperaug, 7:00 p.m.
SWC PATRIOT
Weston at Notre Dame-Fairfield, 2:30 p.m.
SWC INTER
Brookfield at Immaculate, 2:30 p.m.
Stratford at New Milford, 7:00 p.m.
OTHERS
Stamford Academy at Capital Prep/Classical Magnet, 11:00 a.m.

SUNDAY
NON-LEAGUE
Plainfield at Prince Tech, 2:00 p.m.

MONDAY
CCC INTER
Hall at Newington, 6:00 p.m.
NVL COPPER
Woodland at Holy Cross, 7:00 p.m.
PEQUOT SASSACUS
Lewis Mills at Valley Regional/Old Lyme, 5:30 p.m.
Nonnewaug at Morgan, 6:30 p.m.
SWC INTER
Bunnell at Joel Barlow, TBA

TUESDAY
CCC INTER
East Hartford at Conard, 1:30 p.m.
PEQUOT UNCAS
Stafford/East Windsor at Canton, 3:00 p.m.

Guilford, Torrington highlight Tuesday's notebook

WEEK 7 HIGHLIGHTS

Top offensive players of the week

Cromwell Jr. RB Derrick Villard: Accounted for all five touchdowns in a 41-33 loss to North Branford. Villard rushed 25 times for 129 yards and four scores, and returned an interception 54 yards for another touchdown.

Hand Sr. WR Nick Vitale: Caught eight passes for 117 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-14 win over West Haven.

Notre Dame-West Haven Sr. RB Javon Grey: Rushed 27 times for 204 yards and four touchdowns in a 27-12 win over Wilbur Cross.

Valley Regional/Old Lyme Sr. RB Jordan Saintil: Rushed 18 times for 254 yards and three touchdowns in a 32-0 win over previously unbeaten Coginchaug.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Haddam-Killingworth Jr. LB Nate Cruz: Returned a fumble 32 yards for a touchdown in a 40-6 victory over Morgan. Cruz also scored two rushing touchdowns.

Hillhouse Jr. DB Andre Anderson: Scored on a 100-yard interception return in a 35-7 loss to No. 1 Xavier.

North Haven Sr. LB Jason Cancel: Made 10 tackles and a sack in a 53-28 win over Bridgeport Central.

Shelton So. DB Eddie Kochiss: Returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown in a 28-17 win over Amity.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Pomperaug Sr. Matt Paola: Kicked a 54-yard field goal, which tied a state-record, in a 58-20 win over Notre Dame-Fairfield. Current Notre Dame-Fairfield coach Rico Brogna, and Fermi’s Tyler Timion, each kicked a field goal from that distance in 1987.

Ridgefield So. Griffin Jones: Kicked two extra points, including the eventual game-winner in the fourth quarter, in a 14-13 win over McMahon.

Sheehan So. Jeremy Gannon: Scored on an 81-yard kickoff return in a 37-12 win over East Haven.

Stamford Sr. Jake Demetros: Returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in a 45-0 win over Fairfield Ludlowe.

TEAMS OF THE WEEK

Bethel: Defeated previously unbeaten, and then No. 9, Bunnell 56-46.

Fitch: Defeated then No. 6, and previously unbeaten, New London 14-0 to earn its first win over the Whalers since 2001.

Kennedy: Defeated St. Paul 29-14 to earn its first win of the season.

North Branford: Defeated previously unbeaten Cromwell 41-33 to improve to 5-1.

GET OUT AND GO

Fairfield Prep (5-2) at Shelton (5-2), Friday, 7 p.m.: These two teams are likely playing for second place in the Southern Connecticut Conference Division I West. Division leader Xavier plays Hamden on the same night and a victory by the Falcons would clinch the division. Still, Fairfield Prep and Shelton can continue successful seasons with a victory here.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST TOP 10 POLL

Pomperaug senior Matt Paola kicked a 54-yard field goal that tied a state-record in a 58-20 win over Notre Dame-Fairfield on Friday.

Current Notre Dame-Fairfield coach Rico Brogna, and Fermi’s Tyler Timion, each kicked a field goal from that distance in 1987. Brogna and Paola posed for a photo after the game.

Info. from Milford Academy coach Bill Chaplick

Milford Academy rolled to its 10th straight win after a 40-27 victory over Erie Community College Sunday in Buffalo, N.Y. to remain unbeaten for the year.

UCONN commit Montrell Dobbs led the team with 38 carries for 206 yards and one touchdown. Dobbs leads all rushers with 18 touchdowns and 1,200 yards.

The Falcons have won 21 of the last 22 games. Milford Academy plays Globe Institute of Technology on Nov. 5th at 3 p.m. in New York City.