Ridgefield continues to prove it’s an elite program

Matt Knachel, a thirdteam All-State player, graduated. Dylan Veillette, a first-team All-State player as a sophomore, transferred to a prep school.

Still, Ridgefield was 12th in votes in the preseason GameTimeCT Boys Basketball Top 10 Poll.

That is a sign of respect for the program coach Andrew McClellan has built.

“We knew we’d still be really good,” said junior Alister Walsh, the one returning starter.

That is a sign of confidence McClellan’s players have.

Don’t look now, but

Ridgefield, which got into the top five last season, is back at No. 6.

In the latest poll, you’ll also find the top four teams are Catholic schools. And six of the top 10. They are able to attract players from across school districts. And the better they get the more top young players want to play for them.

That’s not an opinion. That’s fact.

The other fact is prep schools swoop in and attract top players from public and Catholic schools alike.

That’s not an opinion. That’s life.

Public schools obviously are subject to the cyclical ebb and flow of talent. Against this backdrop, Ridgefield, a suburban school with the 19th highest enrollment in the CIAC, has become a fascinating study in success in recent years.

Ridgefield, 13-2, has beaten Notre Dame-Fairfield,

St. Bernard, Windsor and avenged an early season loss to Danbury. All Top Ten teams when they played, although Danbury did drop from seventh to 11th in the latest poll.

Ridgefield faces Wilton on Friday in a rematch of last year’s FCIAC final that the Tigers won. That made it four in a row.

You know how many Ridgefield players were on GameTimeCT’s 25 To Watch this preseason? None.

And at midseason, the five we overlooked?

None.

Brian A. Pounds/Hearst Connecticut Media Ridgefield’s Evan Kozdeba (3) is one of several players to step up for the Tigers this season.