ECC likely to have only two teams in state football playoffs
Fitch, Killingly certain of berths, but conference could have lowest total since expansion in 2010
It used to be that qualifying for the CIAC football playoffs was one-part skill and two-parts luck.
The playoffs were state champion- ship games from 1976-94. Two teams made it per class. That was it. There weren't any quarterfinals or semifinals. The format sometimes shut very good teams out of tournament. Trumbull (1980) and Fitch (1994) had unbeaten seasons in which they didn't make the playoffs.
The CIAC expanded the playoffs to 32 teams in 2010 to give more teams an opportunity. Theoretically, a handful of teams should qualify from each of the state's leagues, yet the Eastern Connecticut Conference is set to have its worst representation since that expansion.
Fitch has unofficially earned a trip to the Class L playoffs. Killingly is the ECC's other playoff qualifier and is a strong contender for the Class M title
That's it for the ECC, unless East Lyme (Class L) and Plainfield (Class S) experience a holiday miracle.
There were years in which the ECC had as many as four playoff teams when 24 teams qualified.
Two teams would be the fewest for the ECC since 2007 when 24 teams made the playoffs. That was also the last season that an ECC team won a state title (New London). It's never had a longer championship drought, and every league in the state has won at least one state title except for the first-year Connecticut Technical Con- ference.
Valley Regional/Old Lyme of the Pequot League (Class S) joins Fitch as southeastern Connecticut's other playoff participant.
Here's a look at the four playoff races:
CLASS L: Windsor (9-0), Masuk (90), Hand (8-1) and Middletown (9-0) have all qualified.
Fitch ( 9- 0) is ranked fifth and
Man, it’s been a rough two weeks for Guilford against its Madison neighbor. First, the Tigers beat Guilford in the Class L boys’ soccer semifinals (1-0, Nov. 13) en route to a state title. The next day, Hand edged the Indians, 2-1, in the Class M field hockey semifinals and went on to win the championship. The two football teams meet in what might be the state’s most lopsided Thanksgiving week rivarly — Hand has ruled the series, 38-5-1. at Guilford, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
South Windsor (8-1), 111 points; New Canaan (7-2), 99; Rocky Hill (9-0), 95; North Haven (7-2), 85; Killingly (9-0), 83; East Hartford (8-1), 80; Fitch (9-0), 57; Naugatuck (9-0), 50; Ridgefield (6-3), 15; Southington (7-2), 7.
Rich Angarano, Brookfield; Tom Brockett, Ansonia; Scott Daniels, Glastonbury; Joe DellaVecchia, St. Joseph; Mike Ellis, Fitch; Rob Fleeting, Windsor; Tanner Grove, Montville; Andy Guyon, Xavier; Tim King, Valley Regional/Old Lyme; Joe Lato, Masuk; Tom Lennon, Seymour; Marce Petroccio, Staples; Jeff Roy, Shelton.
Go to www.theday.com to read The Lonesome Polecat, Ned Griffen’s state high school football blog. will likely earn a home quarterfinal with a win at Ledyard (2-7) on Thanksgiving. There's a slim chance Windsor can lose at home to Middletown on Wednesday and outpoint Fitch for the fourth seed.
East Lyme (6-3) hosts winless Waterford on Thanksgiving. It can only qualify as the eighth seed. It needs New Canaan (7-2) to lose to Darien (9-0), and Bunnell (7-2) to fall to Stratford (4-5). The Vikings will also need to earn as many playoff points as possible, but even that may not be enough.
CLASS S: Odds are that Valley/OL (9-1) will finish as the fifth or sixth seed and play a quarterfinal road game.
Defending champion Ansonia (9-0), St. Joseph (8-1), Rocky Hill ( 9- 0) and Bullard-Havens (9-1) are the other qualifiers and have all clinched home quarterfinals.
CLASS LL: No local team qualified in this class. Naugatuck (9-0), Darien, Shelton (8-1), Greenwich (9-0), West Haven (8-1), and South Windsor (8-1) have clinched berths.
CLASS M: There won't be a local qualifier in this division, either. Killingly (9-0) is presently the top-ranked team. It, the Coventry/Windham Tech/ Bolton/Lyman Memorial co-op (10-0) and Sheehan (8-1) have all clinched home quarterfinals. Berlin ( 8- 2) will most likely get one, too.
Watertown (7-2) and SMSA/ University/Classical (7-3) have also qualified. n.griffen@theday.com