New Canaan hosts 33 teams for Grip It and Rip It
Football is back.
New Canaan will again host the annual Grip It and Rip It 7-on-7 football tournament, which will be held on Friday, July 8, and Saturday, July 9.
As of this week, 33 teams were featured on the schedule, including teams from six Connecticut conferences, including the FCIAC, SCC, SWC, NVL, CCC, NCCC. and Pequot.
The field includes defending Class LL champion Darien, as well as state runners-up Fairfield Prep from Class LL and Windsor from Class M. Windsor won last year’s Grip It and Rip It championship.
In all, nine 2021 CIAC tournament qualifiers will be in action.
Since its inception in 2007, the competition has been held every year except 2020.
Teams are divided into eight groups for pool play, with one group including five teams.
The first day of competition on Friday, July 8, will feature four games for each team in pool play, with those results used to seed a double elimination tournament on Saturday, July 9.
Each team will play the other teams in its group, with one crossover game against an opponent from a different group.
Teams are guaranteed a minimum of six games, according to the Grip It and Rip It website.
THE GROUPS
Friday, July 8, Pool Play
Group 1 (Dunning Stadium field 1, early games, 1-4 p.m.)
New Canaan; Jonathan Law; John Jay EF (NY); Harrison (NY)
Group 2 (Dunning Stadium field 2, early games, 1-4 p.m.)
Newtown; Ridgefield; Scarsdale (NY); Notre Dame-West Haven
Group 3 (Water Tower Turf field 7, early games, 1-4 p.m.)
Rye (NY); Fairfield Prep; Wilton; New Fairfield; Brien McMahon
Group 4 (Water Tower Turf field 6, early games, 1-4 p.m.)
West Haven; New Rochelle (NY); Westhill; Warde
Group 5 (Dunning Stadium field 1, late games, 4:30-7:25 p.m.)
New Canaan #2; Trumbull; Granby/Canton; Woodland
Group 6 (Dunning Stadium field 2, late games, 4:30-7:25 p.m.)
Ludlowe; Windsor; John Jay Cross River (NY); Greenwich
Group 7 (Water Tower Turf field 7, late games, 4:30-7:25 p.m.)
Stepinac (NY); Shenendehowa (NY); Darien; Bunnell
Group 8 (Water Tower Turf field 6, late games, 4:30-7:25 p.m.)
Morgan; Staples; Harding; Choate