No. 2 DANIEL HAND (11-1) vs. No. 5 MASUK (11-1)

WHEN/WHERE: Monday, Cheshire High School, 6:30 p.m.

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Hand defeated SCC counterpart North Haven, the No. 7 seed, 35-13 in the quarterfinals, then beat No. 3 Windsor 31-6 in the semifinals. Masuk went on the road to beat No. 4 Fitch 43-7 in the quarterfinals, before returning home to knock off No. 8 New Canaan, the four-time defending champion, 28-14 in the semifinals.

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Hand is 11-6 all-time in the state finals. The Tigers are seeking their first championship since 2012, when they defeated Windsor, 23-6. Masuk will be appearing in its first final since defeating New Canaan 50-20 in 2010. The Panthers are 3-6 all-time in championship appearances.

PLAYER TO WATCH, HAND: Phoenix Billings, QB: The sophomore displayed his dual-threat abilities against Windsor, completing 9-of-11 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns, and rushing for 70 yards. Fifty-five of those yards came on a second-quarter touchdown run.

PLAYER TO WATCH, MASUK: Nick Lorusso, WR/CB: The senior was a big boost to the Panthers’ injury-riddled receiving core against New Canaan, hauling in two touchdown passes.

STORYLINES: Hand kicked off the postseason by winning its first state playoff game at the Surf Club since 2012. That also happens to the last time the Tigers won a title. In order to claim the school’s 12th state championship, Dave Mastroianni and Co. must beat the class of the SWC, Masuk. The Panthers have one of the state’s premier quarterbacks in senior Matt Hersch, who fought through an injury to throw for 239 yards and two touchdowns against New Canaan. Standout linebacker Brian Casagrande and the rest of the Tigers will try to make life difficult for the Panthers.