West Haven defeats Prep, earns Class LL state berth

WEST HAVEN – After suffering a complete thumping at the hands of Xavier 10 days earlier, West Haven coach Ed McCarthy was not sure how his team would respond. Up until kickoff against Fairfield Prep, McCarthy still was not sure.

It took the Westies just three series into the game to ease the concerns of McCarthy. Scoring the first three times they touched the ball, the Westies defeated Fairfield Prep 24-7 at Ken Strong Stadium Thanksgiving morning.

With the victory, West Haven improved to 8-2 and clinched the No. 8 seed in the Class LL state playoffs. The Westies will face top-seeded Staples in the quarterfinals Tuesday evening in Westport at 6:30 p.m.






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PHOTOS: West Haven defeats Fairfield Prep

 










 

Cooper, Anderson lead Hillhouse over Cross in Elm City Bowl 

NEW HAVEN – The objective was clear and concise for the Hillhouse football team on Thursday.

Beat city rival Wilbur Cross and make a return trip to the CIAC Class M tournament, a division it won two years ago. Lose and, most likely, pack up the equipment.

It took some time to shake the cobwebs of nearly two weeks off, but the Academics left little to doubt. Junior Harold Cooper scored four touchdowns in a 42-0 win in the annual Elm City Bowl at Wilbur Cross.

Hillhouse (8-2) not only clinched a playoff spot, but earns a home game. As the No. 4 seed in the division, thanks to a tiebreaker over St. Joseph, the No. 5 Cadets will make the trip up I-95 from Trumbull.

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OTHER ACTION

FOOTBALL: Jalon White leads North Haven over Amity
PHOTOS: North Haven defeats Amity

FOOTBALL: Inspired Cadrin leads Foran past Law
FOOTBALL: Ansonia coaching legend Jack Hunt dies
FOOTBALL: Ansonia tops Naugatuck as Chargers mourn passing of Jack HuntFOOTBALL: Shelton comes from behind to beat DerbyFOOTBALL: Notre Dame-West Haven tops Hamden in Green Bowl
FOOTBALL: Branford blanks East Haven
FOOTBALL: Southington defeats CheshireFOOTBALL: Dominguez dominant in Sheehan win over Lyman HallFOOTBALL: Boyle, Berry lead Xavier over MiddletownFOOTBALL: Graham leads Platt Tech over O'Brien Tech
FOOTBALL: Zelkowitz breaks FCIAC record as Staples defeats Greenwich
FOOTBALL: Justin Potts, Platt rout Maloney in battle of Meriden

CIAC Playoff Pairings

The official CIAC state playoff pairings.
First round games will be played Tuesday. All games 6:30 p.m. 

CLASS LL

No. 8 West Haven at No. 1 Staples
No. 7 Glastonbury at No. 2 Southington
No. 6 Greenwich vs. No. 3 Xavier at Palmer Field, Middletown
No. 5 Norwich Free Academy at No. 4 Newtown 

CLASS L 

No. 8 Platt vs. No. 1 Hand at Surf Club, Madison
No. 7 Fitch at No. 2 Windsor
No. 6 New Canaan vs. No. 3 Avon at Simsbury
No. 5 Middletown vs. No. 4 Masuk at Bunnell High, Stratford

CLASS M 

No. 8 Montville at No. 1 Wolcott
No. 7 Bullard Havens at No. 2 Berlin at Sage Park
No. 6 Weston vs. No. 3 Ellington/Somers at Enfield
No.  5 St. Joseph vs. No. 4 Hillhouse at East Haven

CLASS S 

No. 8 Prince Tech at No. 1 Ansonia (Nolan Field)
No. 7 Woodland vs. No. 2 Capital/Classical/Achievement at Dillon Stadium, Hartford
No. 6 Trinity Catholic at No. 3 North Branford
No. 5 Hyde at No. 4 Rocky Hill

CCC INTER
Berlin 32, New Britain 28  
South Windsor 42, Rockville 14  

CSC
Wilcox Tech 47, Whitney Tech 20  

ECC INTER
Montville 43, St. Bernard/Norwich Tech 0  

FCIAC INTER
Ridgefield 42, Danbury 6  
St. Joseph 55, Trumbull 20  

NVL INTER
Wilby 52, Sacred Heart 28  
Woodland 62, Seymour 26  

PEQUOT SASSACUS
North Branford 32, Hyde Leadership 28  
Morgan 20, Old Saybrook/Westbrook 7  
Valley Regional/Old Lyme 42, Haddam-Killingworth 12  

PEQUOT UNCAS
Stafford/East Windsor 50, Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby 20  

SCC INTER
Daniel Hand 34, Guilford 13  

SWC COLONIAL
Newtown 21, Masuk 14  

SWC PATRIOT
Notre Dame-Fairfield 26, Immaculate 22  

SWC YANKEE
Bunnell 57, Stratford 26  

SWC INTER
Oxford 42, Pomperaug 22  

OTHERS
East Catholic 50, Cheney Tech 8  

Our Thanksgiving Football Special Section was included in Wednesday's print editions. 

It features a story on Seymour statistician John Commune, who is retiring after 44 years on the sidelines.

ANSONIA — With his pen and notebook in hand, John Commune will walk the Seymour sideline tonight for the final time.

He will record every pass, every run and every touchdown in his shorthand style just as he always has. He’s been doing so since 1968, his junior year at Seymour High. Commune has missed just two games in his 44 seasons as the Wildcats statistician.

Now, he says, it’s time to retire that pen and notebook that’s been a staple in the Valley for so long.

“I’m getting old,” said the 62-year-old Commune, a lifelong Seymour resident. “The cold weather, it’s no fun. But I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. There’s been a lot of good memories. The coaches and kids have been great.”

There's also capsules on every area game.

Capsule: Hillhouse vs. Cross
Capsule: West Haven vs. Fairfield Prep
Capsule: Hand vs. Guilford
Capsule: Ansonia vs. Naugatuck
Capsule: Xavier vs. Middletown
Capsule: Cheshire vs. Southington
Capsule: Derby vs. Shelton
Capsule: Hamden vs. ND-WH
Capsule: Amity vs. North Haven
Capsule: Branford vs. East Haven
Capsule: Law vs. Foran
Capsule: Seymour vs. Woodland
Capsule: Old Saybrook/Westbrook vs. Morgan
Capsule: H-K vs. Valley Regional/Old Lyme
Capsule: Stratford vs. Bunnell
Capsule: Oxford vs. Pomperaug
Capsule: Platt Tech vs. O'Brien Tech

Westhill had to forfeit four wins Tuesday for using an ineligible player.

Read the article posted by the Stamford Advocate's Dave Ruden:

The Westhill High School football team, reveling in its best season in 25 years under first-year coach Frank Marcucio, was jolted Tuesday morning when it was forced to forfeit four of its five victories for using an ineligible player.

School officials learned of the violation, involving a defensive starter who is a fifth-year senior, on Monday, and Westhill athletic director Mike King reported the incident to the CIAC, the state’s governing body for high school sports, later that day.

CIAC executive director Karissa Niehoff said on Tuesday morning that it had yet to receive the official report but that the organization was taking actions as if the violation were verified.

“If I had an idea the kid was ineligible he wouldn’t have played,” Marcucio said on Tuesday.

HOW IT AFFECTS THE STATE PLAYOFFS

The situation also impacted the state playoffs, most notably in Class LL.
If West Haven wins against Fairfield Prep, West Haven will earn the eighth, and final, spot in that division. However, if West Haven loses, it opens the door for Ridgefield to qualify.

Ruden writes:

Teams that went to bed Monday night with dire hopes woke up Tuesday morning to renewed optimism because of a shifting of bonus points in the CIAC’s scoring system. Perhaps the team that benefited the most was Ridgefield, which now can qualify for a berth in the Class LL field with a win against Danbury and a victory by Fairfield Prep over West Haven.

The situation also had an impact on another of Westhill’s intra-city rivals. Trinity Catholic would have automatically qualified for the Class S Tournament with a win on Thursday at Wilton. The Crusaders are still in a strong position, but they will now need a little bit of outside help.

FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Hyde returns to Class S state playoffs

Last season’s subpar 4-6 finish might seem like a distant memory for the Hyde football team.

But the Howling Wolves, especially the seniors, never forgot how it felt to miss out on a state playoff berth.

Since becoming a varsity program in 1998, Hyde has qualified for the postseason eight times and won Class S titles in 2000, 2004, 2005 and 2009.

After a year’s absence, the Howling Wolves are back in the Class S field.

“We’re glad to be back,” Hyde coach Melvin Wells said. “We’re glad to be in the mix again. The kids have done a real nice job of sticking to the ground stone. This (reaching the playoffs) was their plan for the start.”

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WEEK 10 HIGHLIGHTS

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

♦Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton Sr. RB Kyle Wing: Carried 18 times for a school-record 361 yards and six touchdowns in a 57-28 win over Granby on Saturday.

♦Guilford Jr. RB David Knapp: Rushed 13 times for 212 yards and two touchdowns in a 47-13 win over Foran on Wednesday. Knapp also returned an interception 81 yards for a touchdown.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

♦Ansonia Sr. LB Hezekiah Duncan: Scored on a 35-yard interception return in a 56-26 win over Woodland on Thursday.

♦Oxford Jr. DB Kyle Chudoba: Made two interceptions, including one he returned 23 yards for a touchdown, in a 35-12 win over Bunnell on Saturday.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

♦Ansonia Sr. LB Hezekiah Duncan: Scored on a 35-yard interception return in a 56-26 win over Woodland on Thursday.

♦Oxford Jr. DB Kyle Chudoba: Made two interceptions, including one he returned 23 yards for a touchdown, in a 35-12 win over Bunnell on Saturday.

TEAMS OF THE WEEK

♦Ansonia: Junior running back Arkeel Newsome rushed 23 times for 222 yards and three touchdowns and he also had a touchdown reception in a 56-26 victory over Woodland on Thursday in the Naugatuck Valley League championship game.

♦Barlow: Alex Lockwood had 171 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 29-22 victory over Brookfield on Thursday.

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Latest CIAC Pairings
Hand, Staples, Ansonia remain the top 3 teams in the latest Register Top 10 Poll

Here is the ballot I submitted for the New Haven Register Top 10 football poll after Week 10. Voters are asked to vote for 15 teams. Points on tabulated on a 30-28-26-24-22-20-18-16-14-12-11-10-9-8-7 basis.

The poll should be up later tonight on the Register's website and will appear in Tuesday's print editions.
My Top 10 ballot stays the same from last week.

1. Hand
2. Staples
3. Ansonia
4. Xavier
5. Windsor
6. Greenwich
7. Newtown
8. Masuk
9. Southington
10. Norwich Free Academy
11. Hillhouse
12. West Haven
13. North Branford
14. Glastonbury
15. Middletown

Ansonia wins NVL title

WATERBURY — Through 10 games, an opponent has yet to solve, much less contain, Ansonia’s potent offensive attack.

In the Naugatuck Valley League championship game with Woodland, it was essentially the same script its been all season: another decisive victory for the Chargers.

Through the air and on the ground, Ansonia, ranked third in the Register Top 10 Poll, operated on all cylinders Thursday.

Led by junior Arkeel Newsome, who rushed 23 times for 222 yards and three touchdowns, the Chargers cruised to a 56-26 win over the Hawks at Municipal Stadium.

It was the second straight league title for Ansonia (10-0), which has won 24 straight games.

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THURSDAY'S ROUNDUP

Hamden scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to rally for a 26-24 win over Amity in Hamden on Thursday night.

Quarterback Eli Bonadies scored on a 5-yard bootleg with just under a minute left to cap the Green Dragons’ rally.

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FRIDAY'S ROUNDUP

Quarterback Phil Cohen completed 14-of-20 passes for 201 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Valley Regional/Old Lyme football team to a 45-0 Pequot Sassacus win over East Hampton in East Hampton on Friday.

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SATURDAY'S ROUNDUP

HYDE CLINCHES CLASS S PLAYOFF BERTH

Kevin Jones scored two rushing touchdowns and also tossed a touchdown pass for the Hyde football team in a 48-0 Pequot Conference Sassacus Division win over Nonnewaug Saturday at New Haven.

The Howling Wolves (9-0) clinched a Class S state playoff berth. Jones scored on runs of 70 and 5 yards and threw a 17-yard td pass to Kahlil Morant.

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