Connecticut high school football state quarterfinals: Top 5 games to watch
Well, can you believe it? The 2023 regular season has now come and gone, with plenty of surprises, upsets and superb performances from the athletes. Now, we are ready to see what high school football state quarterfinals have in store for us. But to know where you’re going, we’d like to help you out a little bit.
We are back with the Top 5 list of games, with so many great matchups on the schedule once again this week as we are almost to the end of high school football in Connecticut. Check our list out and chime in via our social media handles with football games you think we may have missed.
Connecticut Football State Quarterfinals Top 5 Games to Watch (All games taking place tonight, Nov. 28th)
Fairfield Prep at Staples (Class LL): Since a season opening loss to West Haven, Staples has been on an absolute roll. The Wreckers have won nine straight games behind the stellar play of quarterback Caleb Smith, who has thrown for 1,723 yards, 20 touchdowns and rushed for 1,115 and 18 scores. Smith and company will need to stop an upset-minded Fairfield Prep team that bested West Haven 21-14 last week.
Shelton at Newtown (Class L): The Nighthawks will need to shrug off any bad vibes from a season-ending 42-20 loss to Masuk and face a talented Shelton crew tonight. Offensively for Newtown, everything starts with quarterback Jayden Cordova, who has thrown for 1,804 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. The Gaels also ended the regular season with a loss, 28-7 to Wilton, and will be looking to bounce back.
Darien at Naugatuck (Class L): Dave Sollazo’s Greyhounds take their undefeated 10-0 record into the Class L playoffs and will start against a feisty Darien squad. Naugatuck’s defense has been the story this season, with six games they’ve allowed seven or less points in. Darien will counter with an offense that’s averaging 25 points per game and the Blue Wave have solid wins against McMahon and Fairfield Prep this season.
Cheshire at Masuk (Class MM): One of the top matchups of all the opening round games is this Class MM tilt. The Panthers have won three in a row since an Oct. 27th loss to Notre Dame Catholic. Masuk is led offensively by running back Jason Champagne’s 1,173 yards and 25 touchdowns. Cheshire’s balanced offensive attack is led by quarterback Aniston Marsh (961 yards passing) and running back Jeffrey Gonzalez (915 yards rushing).
Sheehan at Windham (Class SS): The Whippets finished the regular season with a 55-6 rout of Montville and look to carry that momentum into tonight’s contest versus Sheehan. Windham’s defense will need to slow down Sheehan running back Brady Rossacci, who has rushed for 1,821 yards on 265 carries and scored 22 touchdowns this fall.
(Photo courtesy of Fairfield Prep Football Instagram)
-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveconn
