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

Ansonia    Tuesday June 18, 6 p.m.
Bassick Thursday June 13, 5 p.m.
Berlin Friday June 14, 5:30 p.m.
Bethel Friday June 14, 6 p.m.
Bridgeport Central    Tuesday June 18, 3:30 p.m.
Coventry Thursday, June 13, 5 p.m.
Danbury Friday June 14, 5 p.m.
Darien Sunday June 16, 5 p.m.
Farmington Saturday June 15, 11 a.m.
Greenwich, Saturday June 15, 10 a.m.
Hand Saturday June 22, 10 a.m.
Kennedy Friday June 14, 3 p.m.
Lyman Hall Saturday June 15, 6 p.m.
McMahon Wednesday June 12, 5:30 p.m.
Naugatuck Friday June 14, 4 p.m.
New Canaan Friday June 14, 7 p.m.
New Milford Friday June 14, 7 p.m.
Newtown Friday June 14, 6 p.m.
North Haven Friday June 21, 6 p.m.
Norwalk Wednesday June 12, 5:30 p.m.
Oxford Saturday June 15, 10 a.m.
Platt Friday June 14, 5 p.m.
Sheehan Friday June 21, 7 p.m.
Shelton Friday June 14, 6 p.m.
Simsbury Saturday June 15, 1 p.m.
Southington Friday June 14, 7 p.m.
Stamford Friday June 14, 7 p.m.
Staples Friday June 14, 5:30 p.m.
Stonington Friday June 14, 5 p.m. (rain date Monday June 17, 5 p.m.)
St. Joseph Friday June 14, 3:30 p.m.
Trumbull Friday June 14, 4 p.m.
West Haven    Wednesday June 19, 6 p.m.
Westhill Saturday June 15, 10:30 a.m.
Wolcott Wednesday June 19, 5 p.m.
Woodland Saturday June 15, 10 a.m.

The CIAC state playoffs began Tuesday with quarterfinal round action:

Hillhouse tops St. Joseph to advance to Class M semifinals

EAST HAVEN — A football game might be won on the field, but often its fate is decided during practice.

Hillhouse was certainly well aware of St. Joseph’s potent passing attack, featuring quarterback Jordan Vazzano and a slew of talented receivers.

Leading up to Tuesday’s Class M state quarterfinal contest, the Academics concentrated on containing those weapons.

Practice does indeed make perfect.

The physical Hillhouse defense forced four turnovers and kept the Cadets’ offense out of sync throughout as the fourth-seeded Academics advanced with a 34-14 victory on a snowy Crisafi Field.

PHOTOS: Check out the scenes from snowy Crisafi Field in Hillhouse's Class M quarterfinal win.

Hillhouse (9-2) will face either No. 1 Wolcott or No. 8 Montville in Sunday’s semifinals.

Senior Darryn Horner made two interceptions, including one he returned 97 yards for a touchdown, for the Academics.

READ MORE

Hyde slides into Class S semifinals after blocking Rocky Hill PAT

ROCKY HILL — Chris Young crossed the goal line on a 3-yard touchdown run and all the momentum seemed to be in Rocky Hill’s favor.

Now the Terriers just needed an extra point. That would tie it up at 15 and send the game to overtime.

Instead, with just 17 seconds left, Hyde seniors Ezekiel Nixon and William Burroughs got a hand on Greg Marzilli’s extra-point attempt. The kick fell short and the No. 5 Howling Wolves escaped with a 15-14 victory over No. 4 Rocky Hill Tuesday in the Class S quarterfinals.

“We know every point counts and that’s a prime example,” Hyde coach Melvin Wells said. “In the end we made a great play and we’re moving on.”

READ MORE

Staples rolls past West Haven in Class LL quarterfinals 

WESTPORT — As the seconds ticked away right before the end of the first half, Staples’ Jared Levi delivered a bone-jarring shot to West Haven’s Eddy Williams that sent the back flat down on the cold, snow-flurried turf.

The play was indicative of the first two quarters and the rest of the game, as the Wreckers carried a dominant 35-0 lead into the half and rolled to a 42-20 victory over West Haven in a Class LL state quarterfinal football game at Staples High.

“It’s very difficult to emulate their speed with our scout team,” West Haven coach Ed McCarthy said. “And our tackling was shoddy at best in the first quarter.”

READ MORE

Darryn Horner made two interceptions, including one he returned 97 yards for a touchdown, to lead fourth-seeded Hillhouse to a 34-14 victory over No. 5 St. Joseph in a Class M quarterfinal contest held Tuesday at East Haven High.

Horner's interception return gave the Academics (9-2) a 28-6 lead just before halftime. Horner also intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory.

Hillhouse will face either No. 1 Wolcott or No. 8 Montville in Sunday's semifinals. That game was postponed and will be held on Wednesday.

Andre Anderson rushed 15 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns for the Academics. Facinete Haderia and Je'Vaughn Moore also had rushing touchdowns in the win. Moore also picked off a pass.

Jason Pelletier scored on a 92-yard kickoff return, and Jordan Vazzano rushed for a 13-yard touchdown for the Cadets (8-3).

Here is the ballot I submitted for the New Haven Register Top 10 football poll after Week 11. 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. Newtown
7. Southington
8. Norwich Free Academy
9. Greenwich
10. Masuk
11. Hillhouse
12. West Haven
13. North Branford
14. Glastonbury
15. St. Joseph

 Both Hand and Xaiver have lengthy win streaks heading into their showdown on Friday (7 p.m. at Palmer Field, Middletown).

• Xavier has won 30 straight games. Its last lost came against Staples in the Class LL state semifinals in 2009. The Falcons’ last regular season defeat was to Wilbur Cross in the season opener that year. 

•  Hand has won 17 in a row. This is the team’s first meeting since the Tigers emerged with a 31-16 victory in 2007.

Below is a list of the state's longest winning streaks:

MOST CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITHOUT A LOSS

School Games Years
Cheshire 49 1992-96
Ansonia 36 1975-78
Bloomfield 35 1996-2000
Ansonia 35 2005-08
Stamford (33-0-2) 35 1911-14
Derby (33-0-1) 34 1966-70
New Canaan 34 1967-70
Xavier-Middletown 34 1970-1973
Fitch-Groton 34 1999-2001
Southington (32-0-1) 33 1962-66
St. Joseph-Trumbull 30 1981-84
Xavier 30 2010-2012

On Nov. 10, 1973, West Haven stopped Xavier's 34-game winning streak, emerging with a 25-20 victory.

Several Milford Academy football players, including former Ansonia standout Montrell Dobbs, recently decided on their college destinations.

Dobbs, a running back and the 2010 Register All-State player of the year, will attend Temple, Milford Academy coach Bill Chaplick confirmed Wednesday.

In his one season with the Falcons, Dobbs, finished the year with a team leading 20 touchdowns and 1,366 yards and became the school’s second leader rusher all-time.

Dobbs originally planned to attend UConn but did not meet the academic requirements. Dobbs then briefly considered playing at Marshall.

Temple is coached by former Cheshire High coach Steve Addazio.

“Playing for coach Addazio is going to be great for him (Dobbs),” Chaplick said.

Dobbs will enroll at the Philadelphia school on Tuesday.

Former Milford Academy running back Matt Brown will be a senior at Temple in the fall.
Running back Bernard Pierce recently decided to forego his senior season with the Owls to enter the NFL draft.

“It’s a perfect situation for (Dobbs),” Chaplick said. “By the time he settles in down there, he’ll have the chance to be the man.”

Former St. Joseph standout Tyler Matakevich, a linebacker and Dobbs’ roommate at Milford Academy, has also committed to play at Temple.

“They both had a great year with me,” Chaplick said. “All their hard work has really paid off.”

Three other Milford Academy players from this area also made their choice.

Quarterback Erich Berzinskas, a former standout at Morgan, reported this past Sunday to Purdue, while North Haven’s Eddie Glenn and Naugatuck’s Aaron Echevarria will both play at Southern Connecticut State.

There are 14 CT players on the Milford Academy roster. Milford Academy is a prep school located in New Berlin, N.Y. Milford Academy has opened the season with three straight wins.

Aug. 20 vs. Atlanta Sports Prep W 34-28
Aug. 27 vs. Hudson Valley W 50-0
Sept. 4 at Lehigh W 26-21
The next game is Sunday at Wagner at 4 p.m.

Most notable on the roster is former Ansonia standout Montrell Dobbs, the 2010 Register state player of the year. In the first game, Dobbs rushed for 97 yards on 14 carries and caught two passes for 47 yards. In Game 2, he rushed four times for 14 yards and one touchdown. In Game 3, he had 10 carries for 45 yards.

"He works real hard," Milford Academy coach Bill Chaplick said. "He reminds me of (former Milford Academy player) Graig Cooper, who played at the University of Miami and is now at the (Philadelphia) Eagles camp. He (Dobbs) is a north-south downhill runner. So far he's been really good."

Another Ansonia product, defensive end Bobby Kinnebrew, is also on the roster. Kinnebrew took a year off from school and football but has been impressive, Chaplick said.

"He's been a surprise," Chaplick said. "He's been out of school and football but he's trying to get a scholarship."

Former Morgan quarterback Erich Berzinskas led the team on a 96-yard drive that covered 56 seconds and capped it with a 15-yard touchdown pass with six seconds remaining in the victory over Lehigh, which was Chaplick's 100th victory with the school. In 12 years, Chaplick is 100-31.

Berzinskas is expected to make an official visit to Iowa soon.

North Haven's Ed Glenn, a defensive lineman, linebacker Tyler Matakevich, out of St. Joseph, Naugatuck offensive lineman Aaron Echevarria and wide receiver Marc Desruisseaux of Stratford have also contributed.

Chaplick said Glennn has positioned himself to be a Division I player.

"When they see the film of him (Glenn)," Chaplick said, "they're going to be all over him. He has a great body, works hard and is totally coachable."


The CT players are:
Ruben Berger, DB, Naugatuck
Erich Berzinskas, QB, Morgan
Lucas DeSouza, LB/K, Bridgeport Central
Marc Desruisseaux, WR, Stratford
Montrell Dobbs, RB, Ansonia
Aaron Echevarria, OL, Naugatuck
Frank Gaines, WR, Trumbull
John Galloway, LB, Middletown
Tyler Girard-Floyd, RB, Montville
Ed Glenn, DL, North Haven
Bobby Kinnebrew, DE, Ansonia
Tyler Matakevich, LB, St. Joseph
Jaron Russell, TE, Norwich Free Academy
Glenn Taylor, TE/DL, Masuk

Via press release.

St. Joseph High School is pleased to announce that senior Joe DellaVecchia has signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at Stonehill College in Easton, MA. DellaVecchia, son of Joe (St. Joseph head football coach) and Kathleen DellaVecchia, is from Stratford.


DellaVecchia, a quarterback, led St. Joseph to back-to-back state titles in 2009 and 2010. He was named All-State and All-FCIAC in 2009 and 2010. He was honored as the Patch.com Player of the Year and the CT Old Spice Player of the Year in 2010. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 2010 Class S state championship playoffs. In 2010, St. Joseph finished with a 10-3 record after defeating Ansonia, 49-28, in the Class S championship game. The Cadets finished as high as No. 3 in final state polls. In 2009, SJ finished 10-2 overall and won the Class SS state title defeating Montville, 14-3.


For his career, DellaVecchia threw 477 completions for 7,710 yards and 85 touchdowns, all state records. He also rushed for 1,251 yards and 11 touchdowns in his career. His career total of 8,961 yards from scrimmage is also a state record. In 2010, while serving as a team captain, DellaVecchia threw for 3,075 yards and 37 touchdowns, both school records.

St. Joseph's L.J. Hunt will play football and lacrosse at Yale.

Here's an edited press release sent by St. Joseph.



Hunt was a three-year varsity football letterwinner at running back and defensive back for St. Joseph head coach Joe DellaVecchia. Over the last two seasons, the team won back-to-back state championships (Class S in 2010, Class SS in 2009). In 2010, Hunt led the team with 998 rushing yards and scored nine touchdowns on the season. He also totaled 75 tackles on defense. In the 2010 state title game, Hunt rushed for 102 yards and two scores to help lead SJ over Ansonia, 49-28. SJ finished 10-3 overall and ranked as high as No. 3 in state polls.

This spring in lacrosse, Hunt will captain the 2011 St. Joseph team and earn his fourth varsity letter as a midfielder for head coach Joe Izzo. SJ lost in the CIAC Class S state title game in 2010 (7-6 to Weston) after winning the Class S championship in 2009 (12-11 over Weston), the school’s first-ever lacrosse title. He was named to the 2010 Connecticut Super Juniors team. He has also played on the Bulldog Elite summer lacrosse team for three years.

Hunt, son of Lance and Faith Hunt, is from Stratford.

Note: Hunt received a likely letter which means he has been accepted at Yale but since there are no scholarships at Yale, he will not be signing a letter of intent.

Ansonia running back Montrell Dobbs, who will prep at Milford Academy in the fall, is featured in an article at uchuskies.com. Read the story here.

St. Joseph LB Tyler Matakevich and Montville LB Tyler Girard-Floyd will also prep at Milford Academy.

Ansonia running back Montrell Dobbs was named the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Player of the Year at the annual football banquet held Sunday at the AquaTurf.

Dobbs rushed for 3,445 yards and 45 touchdowns as a senior, while leading the Chargers to an 11-2 record and an appearance in the Class S state championship game.

Other award winners included:

Class LL MVP: Graham Stewart, Xavier
Class L MVP: Kevin Macari, New Canaan
Class M MVP: Max DeLorenzo, Berlin
Class S MVP: Tyler Matakevich, St. Joseph
Team of Year: Xavier
Scholar Athlete Award: Pat Murray, Staples. Murray will play at Yale in the fall.

Award winners were limited to seniors, and to players who made the CHSCA overall all-state team. MVPs were chosen among the Top 3 vote-getters in each class using the previously mentioned criteria.

Via press release:

As part of its 44th annual Weekend festivities, the
Walter Camp Football Foundation will host a High School “Breakfast of
Champions” on Saturday, January 15 at Anthony’s Ocean View in New Haven.
The event, which begins at 9 a.m., will be sponsored by the Dan Orlovsky
Foundation.

Xavier High School of Middletown, the Class LL champion and state’s
top-ranked team, will be honored along with the three other state champions
– Masuk (Class L), Hillhouse (Class M) and St. Joseph’s of Trumbull (Class
SS).

In addition, the announcement of the Walter Camp All-Connecticut Team will
be made as will the presentations of three awards.

The state Coach of the Year award will be presented by Stadium System. The
three finalists include: Tom Dyer (Hillhouse), Sean Marinan (Xavier) and
John Murphy (Masuk).

The three finalists for the state Player of the Year include: Masuk junior
quarterback Casey Cochran, Ansonia senior running back Montrell Dobbs and
New Canaan senior wide receiver Kevin Macari.

The Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented by NFP Sports, will be
presented to Larry Ciotti, former head coach at Daniel Hand High School who
won five state titles during his 19 seasons (141-42-2 record).

Later that evening, the Foundation will host its national awards banquet at
the Yale University Commons in New Haven. The 2010 Walter Camp All-America
Team, Player of the Year Cam Newton (Auburn), Coach of the Year Chip Kelly
(Oregon), and Connecticut Player of the Year John Moffitt (Wisconsin/Notre
Dame-WH) will be recognized. In addition, three individuals – NFL
Hall-of-Famer Chuck Bednarik (Pennsylvania) and former NFL All-Pros Will
Shields (Nebraska) and Tedy Bruschi (Arizona) – will be presented with
major awards.

with a 49-28 victory over Ansonia.

The Cadets (10-3) won their second straight championship, and 10th overall.

Third-seeded Ansonia (11-1) squares off against No. 4 St. Joseph (9-3) in the Class S final on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

Ansonia is making its 24th appearance in a state final. The Chargers have a championship game record of 16-7. The 16 titles are a state record.

St. Joseph has won nine titles, and are making its 12th trip to the final. The Cadets won the title in the now defunct Class SS last season.

Ironically, despite both team's success in the postseason, the two have never met for a state championship.

Below are some sound bites about the game:

Ansonia coach Tom Brockett:

"They're (St. Joseph) great, they really are. They're playing as good of football as anybody in the state. They just have so many different offensive weapons. They're physical on defense. (Joe) Della Vecchia (St. Joe's senior quarterback) does a good job of running the show for them; he can run and he can throw. They're presenting a ton of challenges."

St. Joseph coach Joe Della Vecchia (the quarterback's father):

"It’s a big challenge. He’s (Ansonia running back Montrell Dobbs) a great player, and they’re a great team. We have to slow him down, and score points ourselves. That’s going to be the key, to score points and to try to keep him contained."

Should St. Joseph (Class S) and Trumbull (Class LL) both win championships this weekend, it'll
mark just the second time since the inception of the CIAC playoffs in 1976 that two schools from the same town have won titles in the same year.

Wallingford schools Lyman Hall and Sheehan accomplished that feat in 1985. In 1981, St Joseph won in Class S-I, but Trumbull was defeated in Class L-I.

Stratford (Bunnell and Stratford High) had two teams make the final in 2006 but only Bunnell emerged victorious, which was the last time two schools from the same city reached the final.

"The (Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference) is one of the best leagues," St. Joseph running back Tyler Matakevich said. "Both of us are both very talented football teams. It really does say a lot, not only about the league, but about (the city of) Trumbull."

Trumbull rallied for a 38-27 victory over St. Joseph on Thanksgiving Eve.

St. Joseph (9-3) plays Ansonia (11-1) for the Class S title on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Trumbull (11-2) squares off against Xavier (12-0) in the Class LL title game on Friday at 7 p.m.

WATERBURY – Senior quarterback Joe Della Vecchia completed 8 of 14 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns to lead fourth-seeded St. Joseph to a 44-7 victory over No. 1, and previously undefeated, Valley Regional/Old Lyme in the Class S semifinals Saturday at Municipal Stadium.

Della Vecchia connected with Pat Mulligan on touchdown passes of 55 and 48 yards as the Cadets (9-3) scored 30 points in the third quarter after leading just 14-7 at halftime. Della Vecchia also scored on a 2-yard run.

Senior Tyler Matakevich rushed 12 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns, and senior L.J. Hunt gained 79 yards on 10 carries, including a touchdown, for St. Joseph, which will face No. 3 Ansonia in this weekend’s championship.

Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn connected with Mitchell King on a 19-yard touchdown pass for the Warriors (11-1).

Xavier (1-0), fresh off a 22-15 victory over then-No. 1 Notre Dame-West Haven in Week 1, has ascended to the top spot in the latest Register Top 10 Poll.

The Top 5
1. Xavier
2. New Canaan
3. Staples
4. St. Joseph
5. Masuk

The complete poll should be up later tonight here.

St. Joseph senior running back/linebacker Tyler Matakevich, a Register All-State selection in 2009, could miss significant action after fracturing a bone in his right foot in a scrimmage over the weekend, according to Cadets' coach Joe DellaVecchia.

"He could be better," DellaVecchia said Tuesday night.

There's a potential Matakevich could miss "a couple of weeks", but DellaVecchia is hoping Matakevich could return sooner.

"Hopefully things go our way early," DellaVecchia said.

St. Joseph, the defending Class SS state champions, opens its season on Sept. 18 against Crosby.

"It's tough to lose a kid like him, but we have a lot of good kids around him," DellaVecchia said.