Killingly caps unbeaten season with Class M crown
Soren Rief scored two third-quarter touchdowns to help Killingly break open the CIAC Class M football championship game in a 28-14 win over Rockville on Saturday at Veterans Stadium in New Britain.
Top-seeded Killingly (12-0), ranked seventh in the last regular-season GameTimeCT Top 10 Poll, won its fourth CIAC championship and its second in the past four football seasons.
Deshaun Perry’s 29-yard touchdown reception from Matt Ryan got secondseeded Rockville within 14 with 9:02 to go, but the Rams could get no closer, finishing 10-3.
Ben Jax’s second-quarter interception return put Killingly ahead again with 6:52 remaining in the second quarter, with Rockville facing third-and-11 from its own 2.
Rockville had not two minutes before gone ahead on Michael Naylor’s pointafter kick after Travon Edmondson’s 7-yard touchdown run.
Killingly took the first lead on Jack Sharpe’s 10yard touchdown run, capping a brisk seven-play, 53-yard drive. Killingly had stopped the Rams near midfield after a long return on the opening kickoff set up Rockville in Killingly territory.
Rief had six runs over 10 yards, including three over 20.
CLASS LL
Darien 42, Fairfield Prep 7: At Trumbull, Darien delivered an overwhelming performance on both defense and offense while capturing the 2021 Class LL championship with a rout of Fairfield Prep at McDougall Field.
The state title is the Wave’s first since 2017, when the Darien (12-1) beat Greenwich to complete a three-peat, and helps erase the sting of its 2019 state final loss.
The Wave defense was outstanding, holding Prep to 23 yards and one first down in the first half and just 52 yards and three first downs through three quarters. Prep’s lone touchdown came with 1:37 remaining in the game.
The Jesuits (11-2) finished one win short of their ultimate goal of winning their first state championship since 1988. They were also forced to play without one of their top players, as linebacker and co-captain Ryan O’Connell was sidelined with a knee injury.
Jeremiah Stafford rushed for 78 yards and scored on TD runs of four, 56, and nine yards in the second half, taking the Wave’s lead from 21-0 to 42-0 in the fourth quarter.
CLASS L
Maloney 35, Windsor 21: At New Britain, Josh Boganski had 47 carries for 244 yards and four touchdowns for No. 3 seed Maloney, which defeated No. 5 Windsor in the Class L state championship game at Veterans Stadium.
It was the first state championship ever for the Spartans (12-1). Maloney had made three previous trips to the final, the last in 2018 (Class L) against Hand.
The Spartans intercepted Windsor quarterback Elijah Cromartie four times, giving them 28 on the season.
Maloney quarterback Angel Arce scored the last touchdown for the Spartans on a 15-yard run with 8:51 left in the game.
Shawn Bell scored a pair of touchdowns for Windsor (11-2), including a 87-yard catch and run to cut the deficit to 28-21 early in the fourth quarter.
CLASS S
Cromwell/Portland 21, Bloomfield 6: At Trumbull, Teddy Williams said that before every game he visualizes himself making big plays. In the CIAC Class S championship game on Saturday in Trumbull, Williams exceeded even his own imagination.
The senior scored all three Cromwell/Portland touchdowns, recovered two fumbles and had an interception return of 66 yards for a touchdown as the Panthers defeated Bloomfield 21-6 to win the state title.
This was the first appearance in the finals and first win for Cromwell/ Portland as a co-op.
Bloomfield could not slow down the Cromwell/ Portland attack early on, though the defense largely held the Panthers in check in the second half.
Bloomfield had chances in the fourth quarter, but along with Williams interception, the Warhawks were twice stopped inside the red zone. First on an interception by Jack Nolan on the 2-yard line with 8:33 left. The Panthers then held on a 4th and goal from the 5-yard line with just under 5 minutes to play.
Bloomfield was playing in its third-straight state final.