Daniel Hand, a very sound team on both offense and defense, won the Class L Championship over New Canaan. The week prior, the Tigers trounced Masuk, a team that many thought was the No. 1 squad in the state at the time.
Ansonia won its 17th state title and became the first Connecticut high school football team to finish the season 14-0. Arkeel Newsome had a record-breaking season on many fronts. He set the state's single-season record for rushing yardage (3,763), breaking former Ansonia tailback Alex Thomas' mark of 3,596 yards in 2007. Newsome also holds the single-season records for touchdowns (62) and points (388, breaking Tim Washington's mark of 294).
Kyle
1) Xavier; 2) Daniel Hand; 3) Ansonia; 4) Masuk; 5) Staples; 6) New Canaan; 7) Windsor; 8) Holy Cross; 9) New London; 10) Notre Dame-West Haven; 11) North Haven; 12) Norwalk; 13) Cromwell; 14) Ledyard; 15) Newtown
Remmy
1) Xavier; 2) Daniel Hand; 3) Ansonia; 4) Staples; 5) Masuk; 6) New Canaan; 7) Windsor; 8) Holy Cross; 9) Newtown; 10) Ledyard; 11) Cromwell; 12) Norwalk; 13) New London; 14) Notre Dame-West Haven; 15) North Haven
With the domination that Xavier displayed all season over high-quality opponents, there was no way either of us could vote the Falcons anything but No. 1. The battle for No. 2 was close, but the wins that Hand earned throughout the season--and especially the blowouts of Masuk and New Canaan in the playoffs--made the final decision clear, that the Tigers had to be No. 2. The only other undefeated team in the state, Ansonia, is No. 3 for both of us. Holy Cross earns top-10 votes for both of us but has to settle for No. 8 after winning one of the weaker classes--but still, a state title is a state title.
Now, it's your turn to list your top 10! Where do Ansonia and Holy Cross fit? Here's how the four state polls shook out:
New Haven Register Final Poll
First-place votes in parentheses, followed by record, points in poll, and previous ranking.
1. Xavier (25), 13-0, 750, 1
2. Daniel Hand, 13-0, 698, 3
3. Ansonia, 14-0, 652, 4
4. Staples, 11-1, 564, 5
5. Masuk, 11-1, 530, 2
6. New Canaan, 11-2, 510, 8
7. Windsor, 11-1, 443, 6
8. Holy Cross, 12-2, 351, NR
9. New London, 9-2, 339, 7
10. Notre Dame-West Haven, 8-3, 258, 9
25. Wolcott, 8-4, 9, NR
Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance Final Poll
First-place votes in parentheses, followed by record, points in poll, and previous ranking. (Kyle and Remmy vote in this poll.)
1. Xavier (29), 13-0, 435, 1
2. Daniel Hand, 13-0, 402, 4
3. Ansonia, 14-0, 380, 3
4. Staples, 11-1, 321, 5
5. Masuk, 11-1, 317, 2
6. New Canaan, 11-2, 302, 7
7. Windsor, 11-1, 247, 6
8. Holy Cross, 12-2, 201, NR
9. New London, 9-2, 173, 8
10. Notre Dame-West Haven, 8-3, 140, 9
24. Wolcott, 8-4, 3, NR
The Day Coaches Final Poll
First-place votes in parentheses, followed by record, points in poll, and previous ranking. (Ansonia's Tom Brockett and St. Paul's Jude Kelly vote in this poll.)
1. Xavier (11), 13-0, 358, 1
2. Daniel Hand (1), 13-0, 330, 4
3. Ansonia, 14-0, 320, 3
4. Masuk, 11-1, 258, 2
5. Staples, 11-1, 256, 6
6. New Canaan, 11-2, 250, 9
7. Holy Cross, 12-2, 211, NR
8. Windsor, 11-1, 173, 6
9. New London, 9-2, 158, 8
10. Ledyard, 11-2, 134, NR
Hartford Courant Final Poll
Includes record, followed by previous ranking.
1. Xavier, 13-0, 1
2. Daniel Hand, 13-0, 5
3. Ansonia, 14-0, 3
4. Staples, 11-1, 6
5. New Canaan, 11-2, 9
6. Masuk, 11-1, 2
7. Holy Cross, 12-2, NR
8. Ledyard, 11-2, NR
9. Windsor, 11-1, 4
10. Cromwell, 10-3, NR
Finally, here are Remmy's videos of the Class S and Class M championship games:
Class S Championship: Holy Cross vs. Cromwell
Class M Championship: Ansonia vs. Ledyard
