Below is our list of the Top 10 must-see scrimmages.
Times and dates are as listed on the
CIAC website, and are subject to change.
1. Ansonia at Shelton, Sept. 11, 7 p.m.This has the intensity of a regular season game, and it’s treated as such.
There may not be a bigger hotbed for high school football in the state than the Valley, so players, coaches and fans highly anticipate this preseason meeting. It’s the perfect way to kickoff the year.
As usual, both teams should field competitive teams.
Ansonia, which is a member of the
Naugatuck Valley League, lost a bunch to graduation, and junior running back
Montrell Dobbs will be called upon to carry most of the offensive load.
Shelton, out of the Southern Connecticut Conference, returns quarterback Ray
Pendegast, who saw spot duty last season, running back Joel
Youd and Paul
Piccirillo, who can play four positions.
2. Bunnell at Staples, Sept. 2, 4 p.m.Two of the state’s best coaches,
Bunnell’s Craig Bruno and Staples’
Marce Petroccio,
square off here.
Bunnell, out of the South-West Conference, lost All-State quarterback Chris
Sloat to graduation, in addition to several other talented starters from last season, when the Bulldogs went 9-2 but failed to qualify for a third straight playoff berth. It may be a rebuilding year for
Bunnell.
Staples, from the
Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, also failed to make the postseason.
Bunnell defeated Staples for the Class L title in 2006, and again in the Class L semifinals in 2007.
The Wreckers, however, should improve on last season’s 6-5 mark, as the team had a large junior class.
3. Hyde at Hamden, Sept. 11. 6 p.m.Hyde has only a short ride up
Dixwell Ave. for this contest with the Green Dragons, out of the
SCC.
The Howling Wolves, from the Pequot Conference, return senior quarterback Kendell Groom and wide receiver/linebacker
DeShawn Murphy. Hyde went 9-3, and advanced to the Class S semifinals a year ago.
Hamden also advanced to the state semifinals, before losing to
Cheshire in Class LL. The Green Dragons might return the most talent of any team in the state, including quarterback Jason
Lassiter and two-way lineman Jo-Von
Ladson.
4. Masuk at Darien, Sept. 11, 4:30 p.m.The biggest off-season transaction was Casey Cochran transferring to
Masuk.
Cochran, a sophomore quarterback, led New London to the Class SS state title last season after taking over the starting duties for the injured Jordan Reed at mid-season. Cochran is the son of former New London coach Jack Cochran, who was fired in the spring.
The Panthers are usually contenders in the South-West Conference, but with Casey Cochran’s arrival,
Masuk may just repeat as Class L champions.
Darien went to the Class MM final before losing to fellow
FCIAC member New Canaan. The Blue Wave suffered heavy graduation losses, but veteran coach Rob
Trifone should have
Darien in the mix again.
5. Ansonia at West Haven, Sept. 4, 6:30 p.m.As mentioned above,
Ansonia lost most of its skill players to graduation, but the Chargers should contend for the
NVL title and a Class S playoff berth.
As with the Shelton scrimmage, this annual preseason tilt is usually just as exciting and competitive as a regular season game.
Fiery West Haven coach Ed McCarthy is an entertaining sideshow. The
Westies have some talent returning, and should improve on last season’s 6-4 record.
6. Ridgefield at Ledyard, Sept. 12, 3 p.m.This is a battle between two of the state’s most consistent programs.
Ledyard went 10-3 and advanced to the Class M state final in coach Jim
Buonocore’s first season with the team. The Colonels lost quarterback J.J.
Jablonski to graduation, but
Ledyard should rebuild nicely.
Ridgefield, an
FCIAC member, went 8-3 and just missed a playoff berth in 2008. The Tigers lost plenty of skill players, but coach Kevin Callahan and his staff have put together consistently good seasons recently despite a usually brutal schedule.
7. Cheshire at Windsor, Sept. 11, 7 p.m.Cheshire must adjust to life without quarterback/defensive back Billy
Ragone, the 2008 Register All-Area MVP.
But the Rams do return running back Dan Sweeney and wide receivers Brian
Havlicek and Brian
Debisschop, who should keep Cheshire’s spread offense chugging along.
The Rob Fleeting era begins at Windsor. Fleeting previously led Weaver to five playoff appearances in 10 seasons. The 1999 edition won the Class M state title.
Quarterback Pierre
Narcisse, who threw for over 1,500 yards last year, returns for his senior season for the Warriors.
8. Stamford at Holy Cross, Sept. 5, 10 a.m.The main reason to attend this scrimmage is to see Stamford linebacker
Khairi Fortt in action. The 6-foot-3, 220 pound
Fortt is the state’s top recruit on the website Rivals.com, and ranks No. 26 nationwide.
Among the interested schools are Georgia, Penn. State, North Carolina, Tennessee, Michigan and
USC.
Stamford, from the
FCIAC, is looking to be better than last’s season 6-5 record.
Holy Cross, from the
NVL, went 5-6 last year, but first-year coach Mike
Giampetruzzi thinks the Crusaders could be one of the top five teams in the league. Senior running back Pat Cronin will lead the offense.
9. Seymour at Branford, Sept. 11, tbaBoth teams have new coaches.
Mike Tracy takes over for Gary
Gravina at
Branford.
Gravina led the Hornets to the 2005 Class MM title.
Branford went 7-4 last season, and returns a solid nucleus this year. Senior quarterback Andrew
Luzzi is a threat to both run and pass the ball. He threw for 17 touchdowns and ran for 10 last season.
Tom Lennon inherits the Seymour reigns from legendary coach Paul
Sponheimer, who retired with four state titles and over 200 victories.
Lennon was left in good hands. Quarterback Connor
Shugrue, running back Taylor
Searles and two-way lineman Jacob
Drozd, who may be the best returning player in the
NVL, return. The Wildcats are a legitimate contender for the
NVL and Class SS titles.
10. Cromwell at Berlin, Sept. 11, 4 p.m.Berlin moves from the Nutmeg League to the powerful Central Connecticut Conference. The Red Coats have qualified for the state playoffs in five of the last six years. They lost to
Ledyard in the 2007 Class M final.
Berlin returns a solid nucleus from a young team that went 6-4 last year. However, a tough schedule that includes games with Weaver, Bristol Eastern and New Britain, will be challenging.
Cromwell is coming off a 12-1 record, which included winning the Class S state title, the school’s first. The Panthers, however, were a senior-laden team, but still look for Cromwell to compete in the Pequot Conference.
Which scrimmage are you looking forward too? Leave a comment below.
Labels: Ansonia, Berlin, Branford, Bunnell, Cheshire, Cromwell, Darien, FCIAC, Hamden, Holy Cross, Hyde, Masuk, NVL, Seymour, Shelton, Stamford, Staples, West Haven
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