I love the Valley

[History Geek]

Pop Shortell was a bigger than life, kind hearted soul w/ an incredible family but he was Mr. Ansonia missing only one Ansonia High game in 500+ games..

Pops Shortell was a legend. Full stop.

 

[History Geek]

Pop Shortell was a bigger than life, kind hearted soul w/ an incredible family but he was Mr. Ansonia missing only one Ansonia High game in 500+ games..

Pops Shortell was a legend. Full stop.

I've even forgiven him for giving Ansonia an extra yard or two when he worked the sticks when we played them on the opening day of my junior year. Not that Ansonia needed it -- they smoked us 26-0.

 

[fireford]

Great 1987 article in the NY Times about the Ansonia/Derby rivalry:

In 2 Mill Towns, a Football Game Is Everything (Published 1987)

www.nytimes.com

 

[History Geek]

I've even forgiven him for giving Ansonia an extra yard or two when he worked the sticks when we played them on the opening day of my junior year. Not that Ansonia needed it -- they smoked us 26-0.

Amity had pulled off the big upset two years prior in the state playoffs. We had a good team in the fall of 80 (tied for the Housy championship with the Ed Esson-led Seymour team), but the whole town of Ansonia was bent on revenge after we slowed down Sandy Osecski enough, rode the stout backsides of the Lena brothers, and stopped their winning streak in the 78 LL championship game. No way we were winning that game in September 1980, even if we were better. Which we were not.

 

[Redding Husky]

One of the best high school rivalries anywhere is just across the state line from Greenwich in Westchester County. The Rye-Harrison rivalry is one of the biggest in New York. Years ago, the two towns hated each other. Maybe they still do.

It was a little like the Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry where the people of the two states actually hated each other. Those rivalries went far beyond football.

 

[Bubba1957]

The two QBs in my class ('81) at Trinity were both from the Valley, as were a large number of the players at Trinity. The best player in my four years there was an undersized WR from Ansonia named McNamara (I think Pat) who given his lack of size and speed had an abiliity to catch a contested ball that I've never seen before or since. At any level. Remember how under P Geremy Davis caught everything thrown at him? While he was bigger, stronger and faster, he wasn't in McNamara's league at getting the ball. I believe he passed away young. The two QBs I knew were Paul Romano from Ansonia, who coverted to CB and Gary "Mario" Palmer from Naugutuck. Both were both good guys and nice guys, even to non-football players who ended up becoming business lawyers.

McNamara broke made a big catch against my team in college to beat us in a close one. I forget who the QB was, but I remember him stepping up in the pocket to avoid a sack from yours truly on that play. As a previous business associate of Romano, I can attest to him being a good guy.

 

[Bubba1957]

Conferences of bygone years were intense. When Vinnie Clements played for Southington, the Blue Knights were in the old Central Valley Conference. Some of the teams included the Knights, Plainville, Rockville, & the old Pulaski High in New Britain. I think that Glastonbury was also in that conference. Back then Southington's Thanksgiving game was against Plainville, which at the time as the oldest high school rivalry in New England. All of the conference matchups were brawls & Pulaski won a couple of State Polls as the Number one team in the State when they were in the midst on their epic win streak that broke the previous State record held by...Southington.

Played in the old CVC and saw clements play a few times. Would have had a nice NFL career if not for an injury. Came to giants as part of the Fran Tarkington trade and was given Alex Webster’s 29.
CVC also included Windsor, Windsor Locks and Bloomfield. We were one of the smaller schools known for punching above our weight.

 

[UCFBfan]

All the people I ever met out of the Valley were like mutants of some kind.
My theory is the toxic Mad and Naugatuck Rivers, from upstream heavy industry Waterbury, altered their DNA and turned them into that.

That said I always got along just fine with them as I am Plainville born and not in a position to cast judgement.
Whenener we've ever combined forces crazy things seemed to happen which I always enjoy.

Being from Plainville and criticizing the water as toxic is kinda the pot calling the kettle black. Plainville water is awful.

That being said, I know what you mean about people from the Valley being a special kind of crazy. I mean that in the most loving way possible.

 

[McLovin]

 

[Pudge]

Found out yesterday, I had more Legacy cred than I ever thought. Went to a business meeting in New Haven to discuss a building, and told the attorneys that my Father's cousin Jimmy owned the Dew Drop Inn (*my grandmother lived at the top of North Ave). Suddenly I heard (which I kinda knew) ... State wide fame for their Wings. But these guys had their eyes popping.

The other thing - NOSTICAL - my uncle Mo was General Manager of the Goodrich plant in Shelton that was blown up/arson for insurance money after Goodrich sold it to a Hedge Fund risk arbitrage play. People died/1000s lost their jobs. That was an incredible event and I was at UCONN then.

 

[businesslawyer]

McNamara broke made a big catch against my team in college to beat us in a close one. I forget who the QB was, but I remember him stepping up in the pocket to avoid a sack from yours truly on that play. As a previous business associate of Romano, I can attest to him being a good guy.

The QB on that Trinity team was Mike Foye. IIRC, he got a look in an NFL camp.

 

[spsct]

I played at Sheehan in the old Housy league. We would play Derby and Shelton and usually would get our doors kicked in. My junior year 1985, we had a really good team and went to Derby for a night game, both teams were undefeated and both teams would go on to win their class state championships. As a 17 year old kid from Wallingford, I was not prepared to see what felt like the entire Valley come out for a game. It wasn't even close and Derby went on to trounce us. The visiting locker room was on the first floor and the home team was on the second floor of an old wooden building, lets just say before the game and at half time the banging on the ceiling from 30-50 guys in cleats felt like an earthquake. Later that year we beat a really good Shelton team 6-0. It was a slugfest.

I was at Lyman Hall at the same time... Class of '87. I never played football because I trashed my knee playing pond hockey when I was 12.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Conferences of bygone years were intense. When Vinnie Clements played for Southington, the Blue Knights were in the old Central Valley Conference. Some of the teams included the Knights, Plainville, Rockville, & the old Pulaski High in New Britain. I think that Glastonbury was also in that conference. Back then Southington's Thanksgiving game was against Plainville, which at the time as the oldest high school rivalry in New England. All of the conference matchups were brawls & Pulaski won a couple of State Polls as the Number one team in the State when they were in the midst on their epic win streak that broke the previous State record held by...Southington.

One of the best games that no one saw was a 1967 scrimmage between Weaver H.S. (eventual state champs) and Pulaski H.S. (with a record of 9-1). A preseason matchup played in New Britain on Pulaski's rocky asphalt-hard practice field ended up tied 18-18. The game was a brawl, a war between two outstanding and very tough, athletic teams.

 

[Hamms30]

Found out yesterday, I had more Legacy cred than I ever thought. Went to a business meeting in New Haven to discuss a building, and told the attorneys that my Father's cousin Jimmy owned the Dew Drop Inn (*my grandmother lived at the top of North Ave). Suddenly I heard (which I kinda knew) ... State wide fame for their Wings. But these guys had their eyes popping.

The other thing - NOSTICAL - my uncle Mo was General Manager of the Goodrich plant in Shelton that was blown up/arson for insurance money after Goodrich sold it to a Hedge Fund risk arbitrage play. People died/1000s lost their jobs. That was an incredible event and I was at UCONN then.

Yup, love the wings. Grab some if I'm headed down 34 for any reason.

 

[cttxus]

in one window in a far away time ... Derby was dominant and amazing. Yes I have watched Ansonia play often. It is a different decade and different football.

Derby was tough back then. So was Shelton, Seymour and Amity. If I recall correctly, we tied Derby for the Housy League championships my junior year at Branford back in 1971.

 

[fireford]

Bummer but if you read the reasons listed in the article it's easy to understand why.

Derby, Shelton announce indefinite cancelation of their century-old Thanksgiving football game

Derby and Shelton will no longer play their annual Thanksgiving Day football game, for at...

www.nhregister.com