Here's how I voted for the 2013 New Haven Register Top 10 Football Poll after Week 1.

The Poll will be posted on-line later tonight and appear in Tuesday's print editions.

1. Ansonia
2. Xavier
3. New Canaan
4. NFA
5. Newtown
6. Middletown
7. Southington
8. St. Joseph
9. Greenwich
10. Shelton
11. New London
12. Masuk
13. Darien
14. Fairfield Prep
15. West Haven

Here's how I voted for the 2013 New Haven Register Preseason Top 10 Football Poll.

Each voter is asked to rank their Top 15 teams. The Preseason Poll will be posted on-line later tonight and appear in Tuesday's print editions.

I'm sure my ranking will change after Week 1 and throughout the year, but here goes.



1. Ansonia
2. Xavier
3. NFA
4. West Haven
5. New Canaan
6. Newtown
7. Southington
8. Middletown
9. St. Joseph
10.Greenwich
11. Glastonbury
12. Shelton
13. New London
14. Masuk
15. Hand

Here is the ballot I submitted for the New Haven Register Top 10 football poll after Week 3. 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.


Two teams from my previous ballot lost (Darien and Ledyard), so I dropped them out and added two new teams.

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

Here is the ballot I submitted for the New Haven Register Top 10 football poll after Week 2. 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.


Two teams from my previous ballot lost (Hillhouse and New Canaan), so I dropped them out and added two new teams.

1. Xavier
2. Staples
3. Hand
4. Windsor
5. Ansonia
6. Greenwich
7. Newtown
8. Darien
9. West Haven
10. Ledyard
11. Masuk
12. Berlin
13. Southington
14. Glastonbury
15. New London

The 2012 High School Football Record book has not yet been released (you can view the 2011 edition here), but here are the records that were broken in 2011 (courtesy of stat guru Bob Barton and Gerry deSimas, Jr.)

RUSHING

Most yards rushing, season – 3,763, by Arkeel Newsome, Ansonia (old record 3,596, by Alex Thomas, Ansonia, 2007).

           

Highest average gain per rush, season – 12.0 by Arkeel Newsome, Ansonia (old record 10.6, by Alex Thomas, Ansonia, 2007).

Highest average gain per rush, career -- 11.9*,  by Arkeel Newsome, Ansonia, 2010-11 (old record 10.2, by Alex Thomas, Ansonia, 2004-07).

 * Player remains active.

Most consecutive 300-yard games (record tied): 3, by Brenden Lytton, Torrington, 2011, and by Arkeel Newsome, Ansonia (twice), 2011 (original record 3, by Montrell Dobbs, Ansonia, 2010).

Most touchdowns by rushing, season – 59, by Arkeel Newsome, Ansonia, 2011 (old record 47, by Alex Thomas, Ansonia, 2007).

           

FORWARD PASSING

Most passes completed, game (record tied) --  38 by Matthew Milano, New Canaan, vs Hand, Dec. 10, 2011 (original record 38, by Jake White, Foran, vs. North Haven, Nov. 2, 2007).

Most passes completed, season --  257, by Matthew Milano, New Canaan, 2011 (old record 236 by Eian Bain, Stafford, 2003).

Most passes completed, career -- 635, by Casey Cochran, New London-Masuk, 2008-11 (old record 477 by Joe DellaVecchia, St. Joseph, 2007-10).

Most yards by passing, season -- 3,688, by Anthony Morales, Cromwell, 2011 (old record  3,558, by Matt Kelleher, Southington, 2005).

Most yards by passing, career -- 10,767, by Casey Cochran, New London-Masuk, 2008-11 (old record 7,710, by Joe Della Vecchia, St. Joseph, 2007-10).

Most touchdown passes, season -- 43, by Anthony Morales, Cromwell, 2011 (old record 42, by Matthew Milano, New Canaan, 2010).

Most touchdown passes, career -- 112 by Casey Cochran, New London-Masuk, 2008-11 (old record 85 by Joe DellaVecchia, St. Joseph, 2007-10).

PUNTING

Highest average distance, season: (minimum 25 punts) – 48.0, by Ardian Sahinovic, New Fairfield, 2011 (old record 47.5, by Jason Mawicke, Staples, 2010).

           

SCORING

Most points scored, season -- 388, by Arkeel Newsome, Ansonia, 2011 (old record  294, by Tim Washington, Bristol Central, 2000).

 Most touchdowns scored, season -- 62, by Arkeel Newsome, Ansonia, 2011 (old record 47, by Alex Thomas, Ansonia, 2007).

Most points for which responsible, all methods (rushing, passing, receiving, kicking), season -- 394, by Arkeel Newsome, Ansonia, 2011 (old record  350, by Tim Washington, Bristol Central, 2000).

Via press release.

NEW HAVEN, CT (August 31, 2012) –MyTV9’s High School Football Game of the Week, returns on Saturday nights this fall. The fifth season of MyTV9’s High School Football Game of the Week will feature some of the best of this year’s football match-ups from 10 different locations around the state. 

If you can’t make it to the football field, you still have two chances to watch your favorite teams in action. The High School Football Game of the Week will be streamed live each week on wtnh.com. It will then be broadcast on Saturday night, at 7pm on MyTV9. Keep up with the latest news about the High School Football Game of the Week on wtnh.com.

Date/Time                                          Teams                                                     TV Date/Time
Sept. 14, 7 p.m.                              Hamden at West Haven                               Sept. 15, 7 p.m.
Sept. 21, 7 p.m.                              Foran at Shelton                                          Sept. 22, 7 p.m.
Sept. 28, 7 p.m.                              Derby at Ansonia                                        Sept. 29, 7 p.m.
Oct. 5, 7 p.m.                                 Masuk at Bunnell                                         Oct. 6, 7 p.m.
Oct. 12, 7 p.m.                               Hillhouse at North Haven                             Oct. 13, 7 p.m.
Oct. 19, 7 p.m.                               West Haven at Hand                                    Oct. 20, 7 p.m.
Oct. 26, 6 p.m.                               Branford at Guilford                                     Oct. 27, 7 p.m.
Nov. 2, 7 p.m.                                 Fitch at New London                                   Nov. 3, 7 p.m.
Nov. 9, 7 p.m.                                 Wilbur Cross at Amity                                 Nov. 10, 7 p.m.
Nov. 21, 6 p.m.                               Berlin at New Britain                                    Nov. 24, 7 p.m.

Windsor's Aaron Berardino caught two touchdown passes from Xavier's Pat D'Amato as Connecticut escaped with a 14-8 victory over Rhode Island in the 14th Governors' Cup game before an estimated 3,000 Saturday at Rentschler Field.

Berardino (five catches, 87 yards) caught TD passes of 34 and 13 yards from D'Amato and was named CT's offensive MVP.

New London's Jevan Elmore made three interceptions and was named CT's defensive MVP. Bunnell's Jawad Chisholm also had an INT.

Connecticut has won 10 straight meetings and leads the series 11-3.

The CIAC released 2012 football schedules on Thursday. Here are some interesting non-league games worth checking out. Times, dates and sites subject to change.

Week 2
Sept. 21
Hamden at Danbury, 7 p.m.: Hamden won just one game last season.

Week 3
Sept. 28
Whitney Tech at Sacred Heart, 7 p.m.: Whitney Tech fields first varsity team this fall.

Week 4
Oct. 5
North Haven at New London, 6:30 p.m.: Both teams qualified for state playoffs last season. 

Week 6
Oct. 20
Stamford at Norwich Free Academy, 1 p.m.: Stamford makes the long journey east to take on the Wildcats, one of the most consistent programs in the ECC.

Week 10
Nov. 15
Plainfield vs. Law at Sheehan, 6 p.m.:Law didn't win a game in 2011.

No. 8 New London fell to Montville 21-19 in ECC action Saturday.

The football rivalry between New London and NFA, who have faced each other each year since 1875, is the subject of a video clip on the website http://www.highschoolfootballamerica.com/.

To view the clip, click here.

Staples (11-0) remained No. 1 in the Top 10 Poll.

The rest of the Top 5:

2. Pomperaug (11-0)
3. New London (10-0)
4. Xavier (9-1)
5. Notre Dame-West Haven (9-1)

To see the complete poll, check out Tuesday's Register. Also Tuesday, stories on Notre Dame-West Haven (Class L) and Ansonia (Class S) and capsules on all 12 semifinal games.

Staples (9-0) is the new No. 1 team in the Register Top 10 Poll.

Here is the rest of the Top 5
2. Glastonbury (9-0)
3. Pomperaug (9-0)
4. Masuk (9-0)
5. New London (8-0)

Check out the complete Top 10 in Tuesday's Register.

Sheehan will host defending Class SS champion New London on Friday Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. in Wallingford.

With that game set, all nine teams who were supposed to play Derby this season have found an opponent. Derby bolted from the Southern Connecticut Conference last spring to join the Naugatuck Valley League.

This week's installment of the Top 10 football topics is all about rivalries. Some are the greatest in state history, others made the list because of longevity, and some appear because of recent memorable moments in the series.

Tell us what is your favorite.

1. New London vs. Norwich Free Academy
The annual Thanksgiving Day game between the two schools is the oldest high school football rivalry in the COUNTRY. The teams will meet for the 148th time on Nov. 26 at 10 a.m. in Norwich.

The longevity of this series makes it the state’s best rivalry. At times, however, football from the Eastern part of the state doesn’t get as much recognition as teams from the south-western sections do.

But this one, between a program (New London) that has a long history of success on the gridiron, and one (NFA) that has been one of the state’s most consistent teams in recent years, is reminiscent of rivalries down in the Valley, in Southern Connecticut and in Central Connecticut.

Both programs are passionate about the sport, and the fans are as crazed as any in the state.
New London has won four of the last seven meetings, including a 21-7 victory last season before the Whalers went on to win the Class SS state title for the program’s fifth championship.

2. Greenwich vs. Staples
While there are several other big games down in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference — New Canaan vs. Staples, New Canaan vs. Greenwich, St. Joseph vs. Trumbull, Darien vs. New Canaan — this one, in recent years, usually has major implications on the state playoff ratings.

Since 2005, this contest has been played on Thanksgiving, and it’s one of the most highly anticipated games of the year. In 2007, Greenwich defeated the Wreckers, 37-0, and also captured the FCIAC title in the process. Both teams earned playoff berths that year.
The winning team in the last four games in this series has won by shutout (Staples in 2005 and 2006, and Greenwich in 2007 and 2008).

This year’s meeting is set for Nov. 26 at 10 a.m. in Westport. It’s been the MSG game of the week the past several seasons.

3. Ansonia vs. Seymour
The Valley has produced several notable rivalries. Ansonia vs. Naugatuck, Ansonia vs. Derby and Shelton vs. Derby immediately come to mind.

But in recent years, Ansonia vs. Seymour might be the most intense, and important, one in this football-rich section of the state.

Ansonia is a founding member of the Naugatuck Valley League, while Seymour joined the NVL in 1994. The teams sometimes played a non-league contest against each other in years when the schedule allowed for an 11th game.

In 2007, the teams were put in the Brass Division of the NVL, with the division winner, which has been Ansonia the past two years, moving on to the NVL championship. This has only heightened the rivalry, although since 1994, Ansonia holds a 12-3 series lead against its neighbors.

This year’s contest is set for Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in Seymour.

To read last season's game story click here.

4. New Britain vs. Southington
This rivalry has become so big, in fact, that last year’s game was played at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, home to the University of Connecticut.

The game will be contested at that site again this year on Oct. 9 at 7 p.m.

Last year, New Britain snapped a three-game losing streak to the Blue Knights with a 3-0 victory.

It is, arguably, the central part of the state’s wildest rivalry. Despite last year’s result, both teams are have a penchant for putting points on the board. The teams combined to score 35 or more points every year from 2003-2007.

5. Bunnell vs. Masuk
It’s what Masuk wasn’t able to do, until last year, that made this rivalry the best in the South-West Conference.

When Masuk defeated the Bulldogs, 42-20, last season, it snapped the Panthers’ five-game losing skid to Bunnell. Masuk had lost six of the last seven to their rivals, including in the 2006 and 2007 SWC championship, and in the 2007 Class L state final.

Masuk’s victory last season snapped Bunnell’s 21-game winning streak dating back to 2006.
This year’s contest is scheduled for Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in Monroe.

Last season's game story can be found here.

6. Hand vs. West Haven
Two of the Southern Connecticut Conference most prominent programs have played several memorable games recently.

Last year, Hand won 38-20, in the series most lopsided game in four seasons.

In 2007, West Haven scored with 22 seconds remaining to take a 40-34 lead. However, Hand, on just two plays, scored with time winding down. A successful extra point kick by Joe Robichaud gave the Tigers a 41-40 victory and kept Hand’s perfect season in tact.

West Haven emerged with a 14-11 victory in 2006, and a 21-19 decision in 2005.

The teams have split the last six contests. This year’s game is set for Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. in West Haven.

7. Fairfield Prep vs. Shelton
Another one from the SCC that’s just as intense, and rowdy.

Although Shelton has won four of the last five meetings, the last four in this series have been highly competitive.

The rivalry was intensified in 2007 when Prep player Ryan Nolan was quoted as saying that "Shelton should be afraid of us." Shelton came back to win that contest 26-21. Prep emerged with a 14-9 win in 2006.

This year’s game is Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at Finn Stadium in Shelton.

8. Hillhouse vs. Wilbur Cross
These two New Haven schools first played in 1920. The series then began on Thanksgiving morning in 1984, and was called the Elm City Bowl.

Despite Hillhouse holding a 51-30-6 overall series lead, there have been several close games recently.

Last season, Hillhouse emerged with a 26-20 victory to cap an unbeaten regular season. The Academics trailed 20-12 at halftime, but Brandyn Wright’s 4-yard touchdown run in overtime lifted Hillhouse to victory.

Hillhouse has won the last four in the series, which includes a 7-0 victory in 2007, a 6-0 win in 2006 and a 21-12 victory in 2005. Cross last won in 2004, a 23-21 win.

Last year’s game was the first Elm City Bowl to be played at Wilbur Cross. The game returns to Bowen Field this year on Nov. 26 at 10:30 a.m.

To read last season's game story on the Elm City Bowl, click here.

9. Cromwell vs. Hyde
This rivalry is just eight games old, but it is, arguably, the biggest one in the Pequot Conference.
Cromwell earned two victories over the Howling Wolves last season — a 17-14 win in the regular season, and a 34-9 victory in the Class S state semifinals.

Cromwell leads the series 5-3. Hyde defeated the Panthers in the 2004 Class S championship.

If the first eight games are any indication, this rivalry has the potential to be one of the biggest in the state in the years to come.

The Class S semifinal game story could be found here.
The regular season game story is here.

10. Hartford Public vs. Weaver
This rivalry spans 85 games. Hartford Public leads the series over its fellow city school 43-38-4.

Basketball is usually the sport of choice in Hartford, but city schools have enjoyed success on the gridiron over the last 15 years. Hartford Public won the Class LL title in 1994 after a victory over Southington.

Weaver won the Class L title in 1996, and captured Class M crowns in 1997 and 1999. Weaver has advanced to the postseason in five of the last 10 seasons.

New London linebacker Rich Vitale will attend Stony Brook.

The 5-foot-8, 176 pound Vitale was a two-time Register All-State selection.

As a senior, Vitale made 149 tackles, nine sacks and five interceptions while leading the Whalers to the Class SS state title.

Vitale also rushed for 2,024 yards and 24 touchdowns.