2018 CIAC Football Playoffs

[huskymedic]

 

[JMick]

Every single game is going to be a blowout

 

[kris1]

Every single game is going to be a blowout

I agree, but I think at least two games have some entertainment value.

Class LL -- Maybe NC hangs with Greenwich for a bit due to familiarity, Father vs. Son, etc., but Greenwich isn't going to let Pyne sit back there and pick them apart. Their defense is too good. Gavin Muir isn't the D1 recruit Pyne is, but he has been the best QB in the FCIAC this year, if not the state. This is one of two games worth the $10 admission just to see if NC can find a way to slow Greenwich down.

Class L -- Hand is easily the second best team (and defense) in the state. Pheonix Billings will be too much for Maloney to handle. On offense, Maloney doesn't score a lot of points against good teams, that's not a good thing against an aggressive, opportunistic Hand defense. Hand coasts and roots hard for Greenwich to stumble.

Class M -- To me, Samson Johnson and Berlin would be the second game worth the admission. I expect Berlin to play Samson Johnson tough early. Berlin has a bit of toughness to them and they easily handled the Bloomfield athletes in the regular season. However, Bloomfield is not Samson Johnson. Samson Johnson is well coached, battle tested, has a better QB, a more dynamic offense, a home run threat RB, and are not the undisciplined team Bloomfield is. Samson Johnson has faced much better teams then Berlin in their FCIAC slate. So, I expect Samson Johnson to pull away in this one. They have too many weapons for Berlin to deal with.

Class S -- H-K hasn't faced a team with the athletes and speed that Bloomfield has in the Pequot. Add in a turf field and this one has "blowout" written all over it. Bloomfield is bigger, faster, and stronger. They're prone to mistakes, but that won't hurt them in this match up. Bloomfield won't need Daron Bryden to throw much. They should ride Ky'juon Butler to the title. He will be a handful for the H-K defense. He's a good combo of power and speed on offense and a terror from his LB position on defense. He's fun to watch.

 

[Alum86]

Every single game is going to be a blowout

St Joe.s v Berlin should be close

 

[JMick]

I agree, but I think at least two games have some entertainment value.

Class LL -- Maybe NC hangs with Greenwich for a bit due to familiarity, Father vs. Son, etc., but Greenwich isn't going to let Pyne sit back there and pick them apart. Their defense is too good. Gavin Muir isn't the D1 recruit Pyne is, but he has been the best QB in the FCIAC this year, if not the state. This is one of two games worth the $10 admission just to see if NC can find a way to slow Greenwich down.

Class L -- Hand is easily the second best team (and defense) in the state. Pheonix Billings will be too much for Maloney to handle. On offense, Maloney doesn't score a lot of points against good teams, that's not a good thing against an aggressive, opportunistic Hand defense. Hand coasts and roots hard for Greenwich to stumble.

Class M -- To me, Samson Johnson and Berlin would be the second game worth the admission. I expect Berlin to play Samson Johnson tough early. Berlin has a bit of toughness to them and they easily handled the Bloomfield athletes in the regular season. However, Bloomfield is not Samson Johnson. Samson Johnson is well coached, battle tested, has a better QB, a more dynamic offense, a home run threat RB, and are not the undisciplined team Bloomfield is. Samson Johnson has faced much better teams then Berlin in their FCIAC slate. So, I expect Samson Johnson to pull away in this one. They have too many weapons for Berlin to deal with.

Class S -- H-K hasn't faced a team with the athletes and speed that Bloomfield has in the Pequot. Add in a turf field and this one has "blowout" written all over it. Bloomfield is bigger, faster, and stronger. They're prone to mistakes, but that won't hurt them in this match up. Bloomfield won't need Daron Bryden to throw much. They should ride Ky'juon Butler to the title. He will be a handful for the H-K defense. He's a good combo of power and speed on offense and a terror from his LB position on defense. He's fun to watch.

I agree, Berlin has the best chance out of all the underdogs but I don't think they can go 4 quarters with St. Joes. I almost feel bad for Maloney. They're going to get destroyed. I'm hoping LL and M are not at the same time.

 

[kris1]

Good read....Didn’t know about Billings family connection to Meriden and UConn. It adds a little something to the game.

Jeff Jacobs: Meriden’s Billings family unleashes Hand QB on Maloney in L final

 

[JMick]

Good read....Didn’t know about Billings family connection to Meriden and UConn. It adds a little something to the game.

Jeff Jacobs: Meriden’s Billings family unleashes Hand QB on Maloney in L final

I wonder if we can convince him to play two sports...

 

[huskymedic]

I wonder if we can convince him to play two sports...

6-1 190lb +/-...

 

[Purple Stein]

They should ride Ky'juon Butler to the title. He will be a handful for the H-K defense. He's a good combo of power and speed on offense and a terror from his LB position on defense. He's fun to watch.

Do we know who’s recruiting Butler?

 

[huskymedic]

Do we know who’s recruiting Butler?

Not a lot out there from a national recruiting site perspective that i can see but he and Wholley have connected on social media so there appears to be some awareness.

 

[kris1]

Do we know who’s recruiting Butler?

Not a lot out there from a national recruiting site perspective that i can see but he and Wholley have connected on social media so there appears to be some awareness.

He's probably not a D1 recruit, unless it's the right situation. He's powerfully built at 5'8, 198. He runs well but he's not a burner. He's undersized for a college LB, and doesn't have the length to be a DB. I just like the way he plays on both sides of the ball. He's got a great motor and a heck of a stiff-arm. If UConn was interested, it's probably not as a scholarship player. They probably see him as a 3rd down back. He'll be a nice pick up for a D2 school. He seems like a great kid too. I wonder if he's a Supreme Athlete kid???

 

[JMick]

He's probably not a D1 recruit, unless it's the right situation. He's powerfully built at 5'8, 198. He runs well but he's not a burner. He's undersized for a college LB, and doesn't have the length to be a DB. I just like the way he plays on both sides of the ball. He's got a great motor and a heck of a stiff-arm. If UConn was interested, it's probably not as a scholarship player. They probably see him as a 3rd down back. He'll be a nice pick up for a D2 school. He seems like a great kid too. I wonder if he's a Supreme Athlete kid???

I think he's good enough to play FCS football for an average team. I thought I heard CCSU was looking at him.

 

[kris1]

I think he's good enough to play FCS football for an average team. I thought I heard CCSU was looking at him.

That would be an ideal spot for him to land. Coach Rossamondo does a great job recruit those types of kids and it's paid off for that program.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Exit 4]

Who schedules these games at 10 am; Randy Edsall?

 

[JMick]

It would have been so stupid to play that game in Shelton. Should be a very good crowd.

 

[huskymedic]

Who schedules these games at 10 am; Randy Edsall?

It would have been so stupid to play that game in Shelton. Should be a very good crowd.

It was suppose to be two games in Shelton (10 & 2) and two in New Britain (10 & 2). West Haven is unavailable due to site construction eliminating tons of parking. Of course everyone wants it closer to their fan base.

The whole thing is a circus - should be 4 games - one location (CCSU for example).

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Makes sense, as Stamford is right in between Greenwich and New Canaan. The one game that won't even be close to being neutral is the M game between Berlin and St. Joe's it Shelton. Finn, which is too small for a title game, is all of a 5 minute drive to St. Joe's and quiet a few Shelton families send their kids to St. Joe's. Veteran's stadium in New Britain is also a little off for a game between Hand and Maloney as its a lot closer for Meriden fans to see their team demolished. If available, I would have put those two games at either Hamden HS or SCSU as both are decent size.

Has the CASCIAC considered going back to 1 site for the title games, like the Rent or Yale Bowl? Back in the 1990's, the title games we all at either West Haven HS or SCSU. I know the Fairfield Country teams do not like having the games at CCSU because they are too far away for their fans (in Connecticut terms). Outside of Connecticut, its common to do so as Massachusetts plays theirs at Gillette, New York at the Carrier Dome and New Jersey at Met Life.

 

[huskymedic]

CIAC moves Class LL football final to Boyle Stadium, Class M moved to 2 p.m.

 

[JMick]

It was suppose to be two games in Shelton (10 & 2) and two in New Britain (10 & 2). West Haven is unavailable due to site construction eliminating tons of parking. Of course everyone wants it closer to their fan base.

The whole thing is a circus - should be 4 games - one location (CCSU for example).

I did not like it when they were all at one site. Way too early and late for games in what ends up being the middle of December sometimes. I don't get why they don't play at Municipal in Waterbury anymore. There was never an issue with parking, plenty of stands, great field. Relatively central location, easy access right off the highway.

 

[huskymedic]

Has the CASCIAC considered going back to 1 site for the title games, like the Rent or Yale Bowl?

Yale has expressed interest once the new turf field is installed. Nice experience for the kids but rough optics of 5k in a 61k capacity stadium.

 

[JMick]

Yale has expressed interest once the turf field is installed. Nice experience for the kids but rough optics of 5k in a 61k capacity stadium.

The rent was a disaster for this reason. You just don't get the same atmosphere.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Yale has expressed interest once the new turf field is installed. Nice experience for the kids but rough optics of 5k in a 61k capacity stadium.

Tue; but, the kids love it and it hasn't stopped the folks in Mass and Jersey from doing it. I can't find solid numbers; but, I have been told that the typical attendance for title games at Gillette and MetLife is between 2K and 3K with higher numbers for schools that have some combination of lager student body, history/following (in Jersey, that's the Catholics and schools such as Wayne Hills), and close proximity to the stadium (Rutherford HS in NJ is just 3 miles from MetLife). The local press did say that the total attendance for all 13 sectional finals in Jersey was just 22K this year and bad weather was faulted.

Of course, the average attendance at AT&T in Dallas for Texas high school title games I have been told is north of 40K. Just as crazy, the Minnesota state boys high school championships typically draw 20K to the XCel Center in St. Paul.

 

[huskymedic]

GameTime CT game capsules:

Class LL: Greenwich vs. New Canaan
Class L: Hand vs. Maloney
Class M: St. Joseph vs. Berlin
Class S: Bloomfield vs. Haddam-Killingworth

 

[uconnbill]

The rent was a disaster for this reason. You just don't get the same atmosphere.

If you ask players, they loved playing at The Rent because it was a true college stadium which most would never play in again. I know Tim Boyle, loved it and thought it was an awesome experience for all involved.