Five games to watch on opening night
For the first time since Newtown walked off with a Class LL state championship in December of 2019, sanctioned high school football will be played across Connecticut on Friday.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Connecticut was one of two states to not play a sanctioned football season during the 2020-21 school year.
Over 600 days removed from the last game, new stars will emerge, and the few that played in 2019 will continue to make their mark.
Here’s a look at the five best local games to kick off the 2021 season:
Bristol Central at Bloomfield
Bloomfield, which made back-to-back appearances in the Class S state title game, faces a stiff Week 1 test as Class L Bristol Central rolls into Phil Rubin Stadium at 7 p.m. Bristol Central is led by Uconn recruit Victor Rosa, a speedy quarterback who rushed for 1,146 yards and 19 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2019.
The Warhawks will have their hands full with the three-star recruit, but year after year they have shown an ability to develop talented players in their own right. They have a number of stars to replace from the 2019 squad, including Stony Brook quarterback Daron
Bryden, Arizona wide receiver Anthony Simpson and Albany cornerback Denzel Patrick, but despite having the smallest boys enrollment in the state, Bloomfield always fields a competitive team.
Middletown at Berlin
Two central Connecticut programs always in playoff contention clash to start the season at Sage Park’s Scalise Field at 7 p.m. Due to injuries in 2019, Berlin had some underclassmen see varsity playing time, including Jamie Palmese, now a senior running back who has drawn rave reviews out of camp, and Jonathan D’amore, who led the Redcoats in tackles.
Now in Class M, Berlin is looking for its fifth straight postseason appearance. Middletown went just 6-4 in 2019 after going 9-1 in 2018 and securing the second seed in the Class L tournament.
Maloney at Southington
Both playoff teams in 2019, their Week 1 showdown at 7 p.m. will be a good measuring stick for both Maloney and Southington. The Spartans of Class L return one of the area’s best quarterbacks in senior Angel Arce. Southington, a Class LL team, is one of the state’s blue blood programs. What the Blue
Knights lack in experience, they make up for in numbers and player buy-in.
Both teams went 9-1 in 2019 with both advancing to the semifinals in their class playoffs.
SMSA co-op at Granby/canton
Granby/canton hosts SMSA in Granby at 6:30 p.m. Both programs were Class M playoff teams in 2019 but are fielding rosters largely with inexperienced players. Both SMSA coach Kevin Quinn and Granby/ Canton coach Erik Shortell have helped turn their Pequot Conference programs in contenders. In a league that produced four playoff teams in 2019, a Week 1 win could be the difference between playing in the postseason or not. SMSA’S team includes co-op partners University High, Classical Magnet, Bulkeley and HMTCA (Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy).
East Haven at Sheehan
Sheehan, the reigning Class S state champ, returns to Riccitelli Field at 6:30 p.m. for the first time since its title victory over Bloomfield in December 2019. The
Titans have had to replace every starter from its championship team, including All-state players Terrence Bogan and Jordan Davis. Under head coach John Ferrazzi, Sheehan has done a good job of developing electrifying skill position players — from Bogan, who led the state in rushing, to Davis and his older brother Zach, who now plays at Fordham.
The Titans, who went 11-1 in 2019, face a daunting schedule littered with three Class LL and three Class L schools.