CIAC releases high school football schedules, playoff divisions

New London has been dropped down from Class L to Class M

Hopefully, high school sports will return next fall with a full season after the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic canceled the final four months of this season.

Should the 2020 CIAC football season go as scheduled this year, then there are two notable teams that have moved into Class M next season — one local, and the other a state superpower.

The CIAC has released both the 2020 schedules and its four playoff divisions for 2020, and New London has dropped from Class L to M, the lone Eastern Connecticut Conference team that changed classes.

CREC, Killingly, last season's division runner-up, Thames River, Waterford, and Valley Regional/Old Lyme are also in Class M.

The state's most noteworthy move is defending Class L champion St. Joseph moving back to Class M. It had moved up to Class L last season due to the “tournament success” modifier that was implemented in 2018 for schools of choice. The modifier bumps a team up one division if they've made the state semifinals the previous two seasons.

The Cadets finished 13-0 last year and were a unanimous No. 1 in The Day's season-ending Top 10 state coaches' poll. They also earned 24 of 25 first-place votes to finish No. 1 in the GameTimeCT/New Haven Register Top 10 media poll.

St. Joseph has won three straight CIAC titles. It won Class S in 2017 and were moved up to Class M in 2018. It has won 15 CIAC state titles, second only to Ansonia (20) in

state history.

Norwich Free Academy remains the only ECC team that will play in Class LL.

East Lyme, Fitch and Woodstock Academy remain in Class L.

Bacon Academy, Capital Prep/ Achievement, Griswold/Wheeler, Ledyard, Montville, Plainfield, Stonington, and Windham are in Class S.

The ECC returns to a four-division alignment this fall as the addition of the Capital Prep/Achievement First co-op gives it 16 teams. The new alignment is as follows:

Division I: East Lyme, Fitch, New London, and NFA.

Division II: Bacon, Killingly, Waterford and Woodstock.

Division III: Ledyard, Plainfield, Stonington and Windham

Division IV: Capital/Achievement, CREC, Griswold/Wheeler and Montville.

DANA JENSEN/THE DAY In this Sept. 7, 2018, file photo, New London football coach Johnny Burns walks away from the team huddle on the field to the sideline before a game against Capital /Achievement First at New London High School.