CIAC BOYS LACROSSE GAMES TO WATCH IN 2021

New Canaan at Staples, Saturday, 3 p.m.: It's No. 3 vs. No. 6 in perhaps the premier game of the premiere day.

Stamford at Branford/East Haven (at Branford), Saturday, 6 p.m.: Branford and East Haven had a firstyear co-op set to go last spring. Then there was no “last spring.” Let's try this again! (Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern have also formed a co-op. Wethersfield is new, and Capital Prep/Classical is playing its first full season.)

Glastonbury at Wilton, Saturday, 7 p.m.: We could joke about the Revenge Tour of the Revenge Tour for No. 5 Wilton, which beat Darien and lost to New Canaan in the FCIAC tournament, then flipped that in the Class L tourney. Wilton was to go to Class M last year but returns this season to a Class L that's enlarged just enough to include the Warriors. Their first game: No. 8 Glastonbury, which had a very nice 2019 and ran into Wilton in the Class L tournament . ... Revenge Tour!

Somers at Simsbury, Monday, 6:30 p.m.: For this year only, the NCCC teams have been placed into CCC divisions, with the postseason situation to be determined. The lone NCCC team in the top division is perennial Class S contender Somers, which gets a tough one against a solid

Class L team in Game 2 of its season (and has Glastonbury in a week, too).

New Canaan at Ridgefield, Thursday, 4 p.m.: The second spot in the state poll seemed to swing back and forth between these two with every vote. Ridgefield eked it out. There'll be a whole lot of top talent at Tiger Hollow (and at Dunning Field when they meet again May 8) when they vie for it on turf instead of paper.

Wilton at Brunswick, April 15, 4 p.m.; Brunswick at Darien, May 1, 1 p.m.; Ridgefield at Brunswick, May 4, 7 p.m.; New Canaan at Brunswick, May 13, TBA: Let's go. With out-of-state games discouraged to the point of nonexistence for CIAC teams this season, a date with the Bruins is about as good as it gets. A couple of extra locals get a crack at it this year. (Brunswick was to play Greenwich on Monday, but the pandemic took that one away.)

Darien at Ridgefield, April 20, 6 p.m.: After its opener at McMahon, No. 1 Darien plays four top-10 teams in a row, then Brunswick. No. 1 vs. No. 2 is this one. Rematch at Darien on May 13.

New Canaan at Darien, April 24, 3 p.m.: This is the third of those four games for Darien (Glastonbury is first; Staples is fourth). These two besties will meet again in New Canaan on May 20.

Hand at Guilford, April 29, 4 p.m.: No. 7 New Fairfield was the class of Class M the past two times they played a tournament, but the Rebels will battle for Class S supremacy this year. That leaves Class M wide open, and a couple of teams in the conversation are these SCC rivals. They'll meet again May 17 at the Surf Club.

Weston at New Fairfield, May 5, 6 p.m.: Weston also fits in that Class M discussion. When New Fairfield beat the Trojans for the 2019 Class M championship, Rebels coach Marty Morgan thought Weston had the makings of a big 2020. Stuff intervened. Let's see how 2021 goes.

Darien at Fairfield Prep, May 15, 1 p.m.: Missing out on all those out-of-state games meant that a lot of the top teams in the state had to fill out 16 games with each other. See: all those rematches. That also includes this matchup, which hasn't happened in a game that counted since the Blue Wave visited the old Alumni Field on May 17, 2007.