Sean, (I can't even call you SPB anymore - haha), are you ok? Maybe you need to sit the next few plays out.

The Bullard-Havens comment. Cmon. I understand the analogy, but I know you were taught that using unfunny hyperbole is not good writing, leave that to Rick Reilly.

If you want to exalt Greenwich after a loss, I guess you have the power to do so.

Look for me at the Ansonia playoff games. I will be standing next to the guy who is bundled up and hurling expletives at you the entire game. Right Vince?

SEAN THIS ISNT THE FIRST TIME THE MEDIA HAS BEEN SWAYED VS.ANSONIA-I REMEMBER YEARS BACK WHEN ANSONIA WAS RANKED #1 BEAT A GOOD FCIAC TEAM (STAMFORD CATHOLIC) IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AND WAS OVERTAKEN BY TRUMBULL IN THE FINAL POLL YOUR SWITCH IS NO SURPRISE.YOUR RIGHT NO ONE HAS BEATEN GREENWICH IN STATE THIS YEAR------BUT NOONE HAS BEATEN ANSONIA THE LAST TWO YEARS.

Are you serious? What was the point of them going to Florida then, just because they went down there and got beat you vote them number one. Last time i checked Ansonia has not been beaten in CT either. Ansonia doesnt have the money to go down there Greenwich does. This is the stupidest move I've ever seen. If this happens in the register to Ansonia AGAIN for the second time in the last 5 years CT football people should be ashamed of themselves. Yet we can go out of state to play but we cant go out of conference? What is that about. You Greenwich people are pathetic

outrageous if this happens again for the second time in five years to Ansonia, '03, CT football should be ashamed. So big deal they go down to FL and get beat whats the point of that. Good for them, so they have the money to do that not like Ansonia does. Why do they have to go to FL, are they that scared of Ansonia they cant ask the CIAC to have a game with Ansonia. Give me a break all you money filthy monsters. This is assanine.

but ansonia hasn't played anyone in 15years

Heh heh heh. Keep those rotten tomatoes comin'.

Staples has shut Greenwich out 2 years in a row,they have not scored in 10 qtrs vs. Staples... There is a reason GHS changed their offense this year,it had nothing to do w/Naples or Ansonia...Lets see if the change has paid off,or will Staples shut them down again?...btw, Staples is still in the mix for the #1 spot,Mr.Cochran is looming for Ansonia,and we all know Southington is a paper tiger...

That Trumbull team was also the like 15th in the nation. You get jumped in the standings because you dont prove yourself as the best team. I can't stand to hear that Greenwich only went down to FL because they have the money. Any team, especially Ansonia, with it's fan base, could get the money to travel. I'm sure Greenwich did not go to FL to avoid Ansonia because Ansonia won't play anyone unless they know they it will pad their record in the worst league in the state. The NVL knows better and doesn't want to see their only good team get whooped by a team from another league. Your league would be a joke from then on. Fact is, Greenwich is number 1 because they would win head to head. They played the best game this Naples powerhouse has had all year and Ansonia struggled against a solid team.

I don't even like Greenwich, but I can't stand to hear this whining from the Ansonia and NVl supporters. You guys talk a big game because you know you'll never have to back it up against a power conference team. You like to get everyone else all riled up then hide behind your enrollement and league rules and other teams money when push comes to shove. Either play the best teams or accept that you would lose to them. Last time you played an FCIAC team was in like 1980 against a school that no longer exists. Congrats on that Stamford Catholic win 20 years ago guys. No FCIAC teams are making the S play-offs anytime soon and an out of conference game will never happen. Be humble to be even in this discussion as better than Greenwich until you challenge yourselves. I will say that Ansonia is the best NVL team Have fun winning the NVL against a team that gives up 60 points one game and 500 yards to one kid. Ansonia mine as well be the only team in that league. You can't be the best team in the state even if you win out with the easiest schedule in the state. And stop whining because as of now you still are number 1 in the state polls

Sean, Jerry and John
Did you all share the same crack pipe???
First of all Ansonia did win the game against a solid Seymour team...I know AT did not rack up his season avg of 350 yards and 13 plus yards per carry but give me a break ... He alone amassed more offensive yards (270 - 6 plus per carry ) then Greenwich did total offensive yards...
This is without the aid of the biggest o-lineman who was suspended for the game..
I did watch the Greenwich team get DOMINATED by the Naples team... They could have saved alot of money and came to Nolan Field for the same experience ....
I tired of hearing they don't play anyone... they already beat 3 off your so called teams from your ELITE (lol) division this year (Shelton, West Haven and ND).... So Greenwich why dont you put your pride on the line and instead of 12oo south come 30 miles north to Ansonia and come and get some...
Also remember Ansonia is what a school of about 250 male total student population.... Greenwich has that in one grade... Also what is the $$$ factor spent on the program... obviously alot to money roll the trip to FLA...

Sean... I know you work for a FFLD county based newspaper hopefully you did not sell your opinion out to that....

John you're the man!

they beat those teams in scrimages, if they beat those three teams in actual games then that would be saying something. not to mention the fact that west haven is 3 and 6 nd has like 5 wins and the shelton game wasnt even a full game with varsity sides. Every time somebody tries to say that ansonia doesnt play anyone, the two retorts are the nvl wont let them and they do in scrimmages. Scrimages dont mean garbage and if they wanna play some decent competition get out of the NVL or at worse threaten to and make the NVL make some changes. Also in regards to the money thing, greenwich raised all of their money mainly through car washes and the like. Your telling me that if Ansonia had the oppourtunity to play a national powerhouse team, their football crazy town wouldn't donate money, but then again they arent allowed out of confrence so we will never know.

Also Sean who paid for your jaunt down to the game ???

John...
To set your off based opinion straight ... the Shelton v Ansonia game was technically a scrimmage due to the teams playing prior to the season, but for all purposes it was a game...
The reason it was not "two halves of varsity sides" as you put it , it was because Ansonia's varsity played Sheltons varsity and shut them out in the first half so that was it they did not play the full second half with varsity squads... enough said there

Also are you implying because the West Haven vs Ansonia game was "only a scrimmage" that West Haven did not try to win.. that they did not play??? Also this is two straight years Ansonia rolled over the 3 teams mentioned....

Im not saying that the west haven ansonia game was not a game. Im just saying that west haven is in a down year and several of the NVL teams such as woodland, seymour and ansonia, holy cross too could beat them this year. Im saying that their scrimmage schedule was not as difficult as in years past and should certainly not be factored into the rankings. If your going by scrimmages than prep should be a top three team because they dominated Staples in the last scrimmage before the season. Im not saying that prep is a top three team, but going by your scrimmage logic they are.

Any league where a 1AA running back runs for 400 yds a game is a joke, Stratford has 2 1A backs ,but when they play a real conference foe they get tackled...NVL= non-violent-league?

I am an Ansonia fan and I too find it disturbing when people hide behind the enrollment. We cannot expect to have it both ways. We cannot jump up and say we are the best in the state, but then turn around and defend ourselves from critics by saying we have a tiny enrollment and we are a small town.

This is certainly true, Ansonia is a small town with a Class S size. But this has nothing to do with the quality of the footbal team. A team should be judged on its own merit, not on its enrollment. The idea that Class S schools cannot be #1 is wrong.

As for the Ansonia schedule, this is another broad generalization. Ansonia plays in the NVL which has three teams in the top 20 every year, And in the playoffs, they will play New London who is an excellent team.

As Herm Edwards would say, "You play to win the game." Ansonia beat a top ten team last week. They didn't pass the ball much because they didn't need to pass the ball to win. Greenwich got beat soundly by a FL team. Bowley probably did this just to generate controversy, because there is no other way to justify it.

SPB, at the very beginning of this post, you mention that Greenwich was down only two scores with 7 min to play in the game. (as if this is a great accomplishment in the first place)

But if you want to play that game, it works both ways.

Ansonia was up 20-6 with 8 min to play before Seymour scored on a broken play.

The Ansonia fans are inconsistent. Accusing Greenwich of not playing them? Did Ansonia try to schedule this game? Because many of you have said the NVL will not allow teams to play out of conference.
I'm no Greenwich fan, but if I were a poll voter (which I am not), I would have a hard time voting Ansonia number one in the state based on their performance against the one halfway decent team in their league.
Until you play a regular season game against a top team from a stronger league, people will always doubt Ansonia. Tired of hearing the argument against the Chargers? Petition the NVL to play outside the league.
Re: out of state games. You don't need to fly to Florida. There are a number of top teams in NY and MA that would be willing to play you. They are just a bus ride away. Greenwich for years would play Brockton, St. John's Prep, etc.
But have fun with that 11th game vs. Sacred Heart next year. That will really shut up the doubters.

John, I love you, you crazy bastard

Just wondering: How'd Greenwich do against Brockton and SJP? Those schools have ridiculous talent.

BEFORE ANSONIA ENTERED THE NVL THEY PLAYED A INDEPENDENT SCHEDULE THAT INCLUDED WEST HAVEN SHELTON ND HILLHOUSE NEW BRITAIN AND WHOEVER ELSE WAS AVAILABLE.THEY RAN FROM NOBODY.WHEN LEAGUES WERE FORMED AND THE SCC REJECTED THEM BECAUSE THEY SUPPOSEDLY DIDNT HAVE ENUFF VARSITY SPORTS TO PARTICIPATE. SO THEYRE NEXT OPTION WAS THE NVL IN WHICH THEY WERE A CHARTER MEMBER ANYWAY.THEYRE WERE NO INDEPENDENT TEAMS LEFT.TALK ABOUT NON -VIOLENT?YOU CAN TAKE BRIDGEPORT,FAIRFIELD AND NORWALK AND THERE ISNT SIX WINS IN A FIFTY MILE RADIUS -GIMME A BREAK-AND UR RIGHT SCRIMMAGES ARE JUST THAT BUT I DONT SEE ANYONE KNOCKING THEYRE DOOR DOWN TO SCHEDULE ONE WITH THEM.

lsu is number1 they have 1 loss and play in the best confrence in collee football. hawaii is undefeated and plays teams like san jose st. seems funny but sounds like greenwich is lsu and tiny ansonia are hawaii.

thats two different johns commenting by the way.

Dear Ansonia fans..... stop crying at the fact that Sean thinks your not as good as Greenwich.
Greenwich would beat your team....I dont even think it would be a close game. But the part that gets me mad is why you question Greenwich playing a team from Florida? Ansonia makes no effort to schedule challenging teams. Find out what would happen if you played Fairfield Prep's or shelton's schedule..... for starters you wouldnt be undefeated, and you Alex Thomas would have the same stats as schultz or Nolan. I give you credit for dominating the NLV but.... how much credit do you deserve...?

Lets end all the bickering and have one state champion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Go Shelton!!!

I see ray is having trouble with the cap locks key again. Ray its 2007 get out of the past. Greenwich is better until the Gaels beat them. And the way I heard it the Ansonia Coaches nixed the move to the SCC and also talked Seymour into joining them in the NVL.

Stop about the SCC. Stop talking about the schedule FP plays and the schedule that Shelton plays. Please stop pretending that the teams they play are good now just because they were good at times in the past.

The entire Div II is awful. There is not one good team in the entire Div II. Hillhouse really kept that momentum going after their state title huh? And Branford proved that their dream season of a few years back was not just a fluke huh?

As for Div I, Hand is a good team. Shelton is a good team. And I guess you would put FP in there, almost by default. After that, it is just as weak as every other league in the state.

Chesire? Notre Dame? Why do we keep pretending that these are still elite programs? This is not 1993 or 1994 anymore guys. These teams are not good anymore. They were once powerful. They no longer are, they are mediocre. They can look good one week and bad the next.

Amity? Xavier? Hamden? Huge schools, some incrdible success in past years. But now, mediocre teams who scare nobody.

Each league has 2 or 3 good teams, and the rest are not contenders on the league level or the state level. We all know this, but nobody wants to admit it. The SCC is filled with teams with proud histories. But ghosts of the past don't play the games, current players do.

Hey SPB...got to give you props for the call on this. Ansonia has played nobody and will continue to play nobody forever.

Not a fan of Greenwich but I have to give them credit for playing the toughest schedule they could...can't say the same for a certain NVL team that has maybe one meaningful contest a season.

If Ansonia wants to be taken seriously then they need play some serious competition and not the rollover schedule that their league dictates.

Greenwich will hammer Staples this year. I'm not a fan of either team, but I've seen them both play plenty this year and Staples at 8-0 is an illusion. Their sheer size on the line covers up the fact that their skill players are good but not great. As for Ansonia fans telling people how well they did in certain preseason scrimmages, that line of argument just doesn't bear comment. I mean, scrimmages?

BRENDAN-------------PREP STINKS AND SO DOES GREENWICH

Staples not that good? Are you out of your mind BHP? You can't go undefeated if you aren't a legitimate team. Staples smashed Ridgefield and Darien, two very respectable teams in the FCIAC. Any they held New Canaan to 7 points, a team that has been putting up over 25 points every game this season. Their defense has also let up a league low 53 points. Last I checked, teams who have let up less than 7 points a game aren't an illusion. Why don't you make the trip down to Westport on Thanksgiving so you can see how much an "illusion" Staples actually is.

yeah prep stinks along with the scc. every game is tough week in and week out in the scc. you can exclude hamden, lyman hall, along with some other washups....but hand, shelton, prep, law, xavier, notre dame, even cheshire...are you kidding me. ansonia has the easiest schedule around. and by the way ray, prep still has a chance at the playoffs....yeah they stink alright

Hey i remember in 2005 when Central beat ansonia in a scrimage if u wanna talk about scrimmages

Why all of the talk about a win over Stamford Catholic in 1983? What about the two years (1996 and '97) when Darien beat up the Chargers in the semis? Ansonia would have to play the game of the year to stay within two TD's of Staples, Central and Ridgefield, not to mention Greenwich.

Ray and Rob.....get your head checked....especially Ray. Ray, to say that Greenwich stinks just goes to show how ignorant you are when arguing your case of Ansonia being the best. As for Rob, (who actually backs up his argument), I think you put down teams like Cheshire, ND, Xaiver and Amity because they have mediocre records....well heres why...BECAUSE THEY PLAY THE HARDEST TEAMS IN THE STATE. How do you not get this? You can say that leagues are represented by their best teams, but when you best teams have 4 to 5 games against no-body teams then how can you judge them?

Tom, your history is correct, so you must know something about CT HS football.

But your comments on Central and Ridgefield ruin your credibility.

I understand the argument that says Greenwich is better than Ansonia because I have been hearing it in some form for over 25 years.

But to suggest that 16 out of 20 sports writers in CT are voting Ansonia as the best team in the state even though they are two TDs worse than an average FCIAC team does not even make sense.

Lets all try to use logical arguments when we are insulting each other and bashing teams made up of teenagers. (haha - this blog is way out of control, but fun)

central--ridgefield? lol

pleazzzz... to all you dreamers lets set this year straight...
For the most part of what all you ansonia haters and Greenwich lovers are saying - Ansonia does not play anyone????
who are these great ??? teams Greenwich played this year and beat????
lets review ... ok that was easy the only good team with a decent record is Central - which is 7-1 and they beat them by a score of 21-12
Boy that score sounds familiar... of that's because the score is almost identical to the score of the Ansonia - Seymour game which the score was 20-12
Other then that Greenwich played only three teams with winning records, two which both are 6-3 Trumbull who they beat 45-10 and Wilton.. the other games they won against McMahon who is 5-4 and the other four teams they played all have losing records

I think George = John and for that you, George, are the mac, I mean man.

For all u NVL guys and FCIAC bashers please read this: you guys love to sit around and say we played and defeated all these good teams in scrimmages....well didn't your 3rd best team in the NVL Holy Cross scrimmage Stamford High's Black Knights back in early September?? Your HC coach raved about SHS speed and athletes and had kind words for this DB if I remember correctly and said he locked people down. Well folks, SHS has ONE WIN this year !!. Enough said about the valley.

Did I miss something or is this 2007? Who cares who beat who in the past. This Ansonia team is as good as any team in the state IN 2007. Please stop comparing apples to oranges. And to make a statement that they would not be within two scores of those teams is just stupid. You obviously haven't seen Ansonia in person. If that's the case please don't post on the subject until you do. Ansonia doesn't have the depth of those schools, but the are as big if not bigger upfront, as athletic, and from what I have seen more physical. If Greg Pratt(the kid from Naples) ripped through the Greenwich defense, I don't think it's unfair to think Thomas wouldn't. Ansonia's line is bigger than Naples and just as athletic. See both teams play in person, then post your objective opinion.

In the past 5 years, 5 State Championship Games, 3 State Championships. In 2007, undefeated and quietly taking one game at a time. Keep thinking that Staples is an illusion! The reality hurts!

Why don't we all stop arguing a petition for a Greenwich-Ansonia game next year...or some time in the future

Easy Guys! Both teams are very good and should be in the mix for #1. I think Greenwich/Staples/Central would all beat Ansonia. They are big but would be outmatched with size and speed against these teams ( I have watched all and am not fans of them). Ridgefiled/New Canaan would also give them a good game as well !

John5,
OK. Let's not get too crazy, either. Just because I say Greenwich is No. 1, I'm still on the fence about both teams.

Outside of Staples, which I think could match up well up front against Ansonia, I don't see ANY other FCIAC team being able to touch Ansonia this year.

Just so we're clear, I think the FCIAC people way overrate their conference. I've seen 80 percent of the FCIAC--especially all the top teams--and I would take Ansonia to win every one.

Staples would have trouble because, although its just as strong and well coached, it's not nearly as fast. But it would be a good game for certain. Though I would take Ansonia.

I think Greenwich is the only team (obviously) where I'd have my doubts about a sure Ansonia victory. I think Ansonia could beat Greenwich, the same way I'd think Greenwich could beat Ansonia.

While I'm on the topic, I think Ansonia is better than any team in the SCC right now.

SPB
Since you dragged the SCC into this Ansonia debate, here is my list of SCC team that would give the mighty Chargers a game and at least one of them would pull the upset. Shelton- at full strength (forget that scrimmage) Hand- a great defense against the run with speed. Prep- they have Nolan, Cheshire- at full strength at home. (they will beat Southington) Law- size and strength with good defense.

Prep, right now, would not beat Ansonia. Maybe they'd have a shot full-strength but not now.

Cheshire no way. Every year people say they're going to beat Southington. Every year, it's a loss. No way on Law, either. They're good. They're not nearly at that level.

So that's three down. Shelton, perhaps. But you can be assured that Ansonia is not getting manhandled by Shelton's line for Schultz to run roughshod over them.

That leaves Hand which is just riding good karma at this point. I say no. I think Ansonia is all-around better. But you never know in that matchup the way the Tigers are playing.

So, there you go. Shelton maybe. Hand maybe just because they're playing so well. But at the end I say no, no, no, no, and no.

This is coming from someone who grew up in the SCC so...

Sean, I know that you have never been a big SCC fan, and i can accept that. I'm not saying that one particular SCC team could beat Ansonia (even though an upset could happen to anybody), but i think that if Ansonia played an SCC schedule, featureing teams like Hand Shelton Prep Law Xaiver Amity Cheshire West Haven or even NDWH..... then they would be more run down with injuries and would have a greater chance of slipping up than playing a schedule featuring Wolcott, Waturbury, and Crosby. So who knows?? maybye in the SCC Ansonia would be 7-3....but as for now to their credit, theyre 10-0 and #1 in the state

Greenwich limiting A. Thomas to under 150-200yds/game? Not happening.

Who said I wasn't an SCC fan? It's the best conference in the state. I covered it exclusively for five years and especially think their league makeup is the model for all others.

It is truly competitive and exciting league. No chumps at all, and certainly you'll almost never see a matchup you can call a slam dunk unlike the SWC, the NVL and, to some extent, the FCIAC.

If every other league modeled their football leagues like the SCC, Connecticut football would be a better place.

So, well, there yo go.

i would take any team in the fciac over east haven. an sccteam

Sean/Ray
Please don't forget Hand tried to schedule Ansonia next year and the NVL will not let them play out of league.Shelton also tried to get Naugy and Seymour to play them.My point is its time for the NVL to put up or shut up.If you want respect play teams outside the league.If we look only to scrimmages Shelton beat Seymour this year 42-12.

Ansonia is the best team in the state--without question. The scary thing about RB Alex Thomas is that he's probably played HALF a season due to their dominance. If he were able to play even THREE quarters during most of their games, he would have set records that would NEVER be touched....

jp, oh come on does that include Harding and Bassick? a year ago EH was decent. bassick and harding awful

the 11th game that is being scheduled next year is a good idea. it will help solve agruments like this over who is the best team in the state. unfortunately the NLV is just adding on their final opponent in their conference.......W E A K

Greenwich QB out?

i live in east haven. they maybe the worst in the state.

SPB,
Please research on why the NVL will not let their teams out of conference for next year.Coach A.T is right,if the NVL wants respect from the state, next year would have been the perfect time to get it.Ansonia playing Sacred Heart in week one will not get voters respect when Hand is going to play Cochran and New London.I am an NVL fan and I am disturbed by this.Please advise.Thanks

there is no way that the scc is better than the fciac. first, last year's state playoffs...greenwich 34, prep 0 and staples dominated west haven as well..
This season, if greenwich, staples, central, new canaan, wilton, trumbull etc. were pitted against the scc's equivalently ranked team, the fciac would win nearly all of those games. its not even a comparison as to which league is better, and this isnt to say scc isnt a good league, they are 10 times better than the nvl for that matter

Coach AT - PLEASE get your facts straight before you claim accurate scrimmage scores. I was at the Seymour-Shelton scrimmage and it was an evenly matched game. Btw, I was also at the Ansonia-Shelton scrimmage which was 14-0 AHS at halftime when the starters were pulled (per the request of the SHS staff who had West Haven on tap the following weekend).

Last, to all of you who are so sure about yourselves: PLEASE temper your opinions with the knowledge that if you don't make a conscious effort to be objective, you will continue to see and hear only what you believe/what supports your biases and diminish any information to the contrary.

What's most frustrating (and pathetic) is that the levels of dogmatism/close-mindedness seem just as prevalent among the educated elite as they are among the blue collar masses.

Why all the talk about playing Greenwich?? Staples is better than them and have shut them out the last two years!! Staples is smaller but is better coached in that battle!

Also, Ansonia would not beat Central. They are the strongest ( weightlifting champs), the fastest team and are hitting their stride (disciplined) late in the season. Would be a fun game to watch! I think this would force Ansonia to throw which could be interesting seeing I have seen them only call 4 plays all year (Iso, Counter, Toss, Trap). If this is taken away how effective will the coaching be to get others involved???

theres no 1 worste than Harding at this point sorry JP...but like i said b4 Central beat ANsonia in '05 when they had AKeem Wright Arguebly better than AT....much faster...after they beat them the ansonia coach took there 2004 state tiltle rings...not sayin the scrimage ment anything but obviously to the coach it did

HS Football Fan - how did you get time, while completing your doctoral thesis, to post to this blog? Us working class stiffs are just trying to rub elbows with high society - so let us have some fun without chastising us. You might check the Ansonia/Shelton scrimmage half time score - I thought it was 7-0- Ansonia. I, also, was there. I could be wrong, but I thought that the only score was the AT breakaway, late in the 2nd quarter. The scrimmage was very closely played and Shelton looked pretty good (but not better than Ansonia).

Although I am not an Ansonia fan - I do respect them. If they are not being allowed to schedule better competition for their 11th game next year - that is a travesty and should be taken into poll consideration. Is it true that Sacred Heart will be their 11th game. If so, this is disappointing news.

As for any line being physically stronger than Ansonia - that's hard to believe. I need corroboration, from the Ansonia faithful, that Central indeed won a weightlifting competition that Ansonia (with all starters) competed in.

I have no problem with having fun in a blog, Ralph. (Btw, you are wrong about the Shelton-Ansonia score - AT's breakaway run led to the second touchdown, not first. And I'm a lot more a regular guy than you'd ever believe, you'll have to trust me that there's been no doctoral thesis, lol :) What's most frustrating to me is when people spread inaccurate information and seem to actually believe themselves.

Coach AT for example gives a totally inaccurate score above and also conveniently forgot to mention the Hand-Woodland scrimmage which was very tight and very entertaining.

And this Coach Ty (what is it with the "coaches"?) just wrote as ignorant a post as they come..first of all Ansonia didn't even win a title/ring in 2004...second, this phantom B.Central win over Ansonia never happened...the year he's talking about, 2005, the scrimmage was at B.Central - Alex Thomas and the rest of the sophomore laden team were pulled in the 3rd quarter after dominating; in FACT, they dominated B.Central every year they scrimmaged, including post-Cadelina.

I live in Berlin and I am a fan who attends a game somewhere in the state each weekend, beginning with scrimmages, and moving on to Shelton-West Haven, Ansonia-Seymour, Staples-New Canaan, Weaver-Bloomfield, etc. I truly love the sport. And in my opinion, this year's Ansonia team is as good as any I've seen since the Bloomfield dynasty.

What people who have only seen the Seymour film don't understand (surprisingly SPB seems to be one of them) is that AHS' 300 lb. center was suspended and their starting fullback only played defense due to a shoulder injury. If they play there is NO team in the state that they don't wear down - they are that strong and athletic (and their technique has also improved immensely since Butch Marazzi took over the OLine.)

I agree that the fciac and the scc are stronger than the nvl year in and year out. But the top teams in the nvl the last few years are markedly better than their past versions. For example, Holy Cross last year was loaded with stud talent, unlike the Crusaders who were dominated 48-3 by Curtis Eller and Stratford years ago.

And anyone who is basing their opinions on Darien's success over Ansonia in the 90's semifinals is sadly mistaken if they think that Ansonia team even remotely resembles the 06-07, 07-08 version.

After seeing Greenwich, Staples, Hand, Prep, I honestly believe (without even a doubt) that Ansonia is the far superior team THIS year. Unfortunately, it's not going to be proven out on the field.

yea hsfootballfan.....im sorry that we cant post blogs with a wide variety of vocabulary...or as you would say, a plethora of vocabulary

James - I can see you're making an fciac over scc point above but you do realize that same Staples team lost 28-26 to Bunnell after Bunnell was just beaten 40-8 by Stratford, right? Does that mean the swc is stronger than than the fciac?

Sorry, Brandon, I'll tone down the vocab - didn't mean to intimidate anyone??

I actually use that wording when speaking about why racism and other ignorant thinking has persisted for centuries. It's very applicable to many of the posts I've read here. The bottom line: most people don't realize they place emphasis on information that supports their views and dimiss evidence to the contrary.

I'm just as guilty as anyone and that is why I make a conscious effort to be objective. Just saying more people should make this effort.

Ansonia is fielding the pop warner team that went to Orlando for the national championship .Last year as mostly high school juniors, Ansonia beat Holy Cross who beat Stratford who beat Bunnel who beat Staples who beat Grenwich.If anyone wants to knock Ansonia it is probably out of frustration and jealousy.As far as sean it is obvious he works for a "FCIAC" news paper and must face a lot of pressure day in and day out,I feel sorry for him.

Jens, You guys have to stop quoting that silly domino approach. It sounds good, but has no relevance to how Greenwich would play against Ansonia. First of all - that was last year, not this year. If your simple logic were true - Ansonia would beat Greenwich by 100 points in a championship game. That would not happen. Match-ups make games and the domino theory is just plain low level rationalization.

I agree with you on one thing, the FCIAC crowd (generally speaking) does not like to share center stage with anyone, especially with an outsider. Their failure to recognize Ansonia as a great team is all about ego. Don't let it bother you - keep winning championships and all will be well.

"And this Coach Ty (what is it with the "coaches"?) just wrote as ignorant a post as they come..first of all Ansonia didn't even win a title/ring in 2004...second, this phantom B.Central win over Ansonia never happened...the year he's talking about, 2005, the scrimmage was at B.Central - Alex Thomas and the rest of the sophomore laden team were pulled in the 3rd quarter after dominating; in FACT, they dominated B.Central every year they scrimmaged, including post-Cadelina."

1st of all the scrimage took place in 2004.it was the Central 2004/2005 season team...sorry if u misunderstood "SMART GUY"...AT was actually only a freshman at the time....they had just won the states in 2003....thats was the TEAM with Akeem Wright...who has actually put Central on the map...Have u respected them Before that??? And after Central "POUNDED" Ansonia and yes I mean "POUNDED" the state 'ship rings were takin from them....."how do u let a team like this beat u give me ur rings, give me ur rings" oh yeah i was there.....Enjoying my little cousin (Wright and Brown which are better than Thomas, Wright had 260 yrds on 6 carries and could also play defense)so smart guy why dont u go back to the rock which crawled from and do ur research....

thank you

How is this for research Coach Ty? New Britain 59, Bridgeport Central 7. Does that score ring a bell? 2004 semi-finals, 59 points was the fourth most points scored in a semi-final game, in state playoff history. It's called getting POUNDED when everyone is watching. How many appearances did Central have in the playoffs before this year? Better yet, how many state titles have they won or even played for? That 2004 Ansonia team returned one starter on both sides of the ball, and they made it to the playoffs with smoke and mirrors. They were not a very good Ansonia team. So you can pound your chest on that scrimmage. When it counted, in your one playoff appearance until '07, that great Central team of '04 became a part of CT football history, just not a good part. Listen, Central has a very good coaching staff and has made great strides over the last few years, enjoy that but be humble. They haven't won anything and even when they do (possibly this year), they have a long way to go to be talked about in the same breath as Ansonia football.

Akeem Wright vs. Alex Thomas, I'll give you a pass on that one, because you can't be serious.

Here is a special trivia question for the FCIAC faithful who claim there conference is the state's best. How many times combined has the FCIAC's "powerhouses" (Central, Greenwich, New Canaan, and Staples) been ranked the #1 in the final poll? (Here's a hint: the answer is in the question.)

Let's do the math (no calculator is necessary):

Bridgeport Central - never (and has never cracked the final Top 10 poll)
"Almighty" Greenwich - never (This is not a misprint. Sad, but true.)
New Canaan - never
Staples- once (in 1975)

That gives the best of the FCIAC a grand total of.....ONE! In fact, the last FCIAC team to finish the season ranked #1 was Darien (1992). For the record, Ansonia has three ('83, '89, '06).

The number one ranking at the end of the season is nothing more than the opinion of a select bunch of sports writers and or coaches. They are swayed by lopsided scores and lofty stats and sometimes smoke and mirrors. The winner of class LL deserves to be the best team in the state reguardless of the vote unless of course Cromwell wins Class S

Kris 1, you and I both know that if Akeem Wright would've gotten nearly as many carries as Alex Thomas gets a game he would've owned every RB record there was or is...

hey "smart guy"-
WOW...1st off....lmao....big dogg..thats probably "the" funniest thing in the world...like i said "since we are talking baout scrimages central beat ansonia.." scrimages meens nothing and yes u r correct about the central not being ranked in the top 10 or being blown out by a powerhouse New britain...which shouldve been a better game if akeem wright was healthy....ansonia is not that good...Ask kenny Tinney(an ansonia great) how he was blown out by the Bridgeport Raiders in '99...(#2 in the Nation which akeem wright was second string RB D1 in which they beat Ansonia 34-0 for the confrence 'ship) though it was only Pop warner bridgeport has had 4 teams compete for a national championship in 10 years...compared to ansonia 1(alex thomas's team , #4 in the country for D2)Also bpt has had over 10 Confrenece championship and about 6 states in the last 10 years.....compared to ansonias 1, 0r 2.......now ask urself this question...Where does Bpt talented teams go to... unlike New britain and greenwhich and staples ansonia and ( ican go on would u like me 2) where there is only 1 highschool for the Pop warner or Youth teams to feed (team chemistry is always good) but here in bpt u have guys go to Bunnell ( mike and mark easley, mike crumpton jr , jon hill moved to stratford after soph or jr years in highschool) or stratford high (ox mccoy, shawn young chad newton lives or were living in bpt while in highschool) Notre Dame ffld ( nick Pelligrino, Tommy king lives in bpt) Central (keith carlos etc.) Trumbull( jay youngblood, Brandon Blank, eric richardson all live in bpt) St. joes (levi jackson) Harding ( byron jackson , mikey porche Etc.) Bullard havens (devane campbell, corderal williams)..Hydes (dy'onn Crudup and Willie Harriett)..Ansonia's (tristain Roberts, brother played for central remeber Jermaine??? mom recently move to ansonia after marrage) not to mention the techs,and fairfield prep.... wow do those name sound familiar i bet they do i beleive at 1 point they have been the focus point of SPB stories...wow now lets put that talent against any Ansonia team combined or any1 in the state...Honeselty big Dogg can u see ur mighty school being able to even put up a legit fight... i kno wouldve , shouldve could ve...but has not happend yet....even though i hate using the word "excuse" but ansonia has it good only 1 highschool but i honestly Doubt after this year they'll have anything like what they have 2day....ansonia's pop warner has fell off so where is the talent going to come from???AT was the Last...now bro dont discount the talent in bpt its soo much greater than whats up in ansonia...and this is a basketball city...(dont let me get started) Ansonia is does have a great program but like i said any team would be nice if kids played with each other from 7-18.....thats y these schools are Power houses they dont have the challenges that the bpt schools have(also central does even have a 1/4 of whats comin from the popwarner fields here in bpt and there still a power house...so what do u think bout that

Now were going back to Pop Warner days. Who is in charge of recruiting at Central? They should be fired asap.

Who is this Coach Ty and where do you get your info? Mark and Mike Easley are not from Bpt. Been in Stfd school system since kindergarten and played Pop warner in Stfd since mighty mites. I know for a fact the same can be said for J. Hill.
But you do make some legitimate points about the talent being spread around bpt and surrounding towns.

mike and mark easley step father head coached a peewee team 4 a year in bpt....j.hil...im not sure bout his football days prior 2 bunnell....but coach ty has a point ansonia nor any1 in ct maybe the region would mess if all kids went to 1 highschool and played football....wouldnt that be a scary thought

coach ty---ur telling us that if bridgeport puts all four high schools together they would beat teams like ansonia made up of a school boy enrollment of 250-wow thats a great deduction-but lets make the playing field- level-and combine all four valley schools-ansonia shelton seymour and derby- hows that sound

coach ty can u please blog in english language

once again someone needs to get their facts straight (bj) marcus and mike easley's stepfather coached for the bpt peewees for over 10 years (the 99 and 01 teams that went to Florida). and i will say it again j hill played with marcus in stfd. to comment on the enrollment of ansonia, 250 kids don't play in a game. if there was a combination of the schools, i'm pretty sure the best of the bunch would be chosen.

Coach Ty, Bpt. Central would struggle if every town combined their best players like you want them to do. No St. Joes, Trinity Catholic, Holy Cross or Bullard Havens. How would they handle Sloat, Easley, Harrison, Farrell, Mack and Mckoy on one combined Stratford team ? C'mon now.

No- Ray Brown i am not sayin that if u combinded all 4 schools in Bridgeport that they would beat ansonia shelton seymour and derby. no what im saying is if the talent at the Youth football fields(popwarner) in Bpt all went to 1 Highschool that no team would be able to touch them....By the way there is a League in Ct called Tri-valley Popwarner made up of Ansonia-Naugatuck-woodland- and are 0-5 in 3years against Bpt so were is the excuse there...
Guy did u read the following names up there....are u blind and thats not even half of the talent....come on now are u serious and HELL no ansonia, shelton, derby, seymour wouldbe able to compete with them it'll be an ok came but nothin crazy if it were to happend like that the score Bridgeport High 60-12 (with Kenny Tinney) Guys do ur research....How bout this Akeem Wright PLayed only 1 year of highschool football and finished the season with the most TD in this region and only played 7 or 8 games healthy...
Nick Pelligrino was Superman for Notredame
dy'onn and willie won states at Hyde i believe Beating ANsonia im not sure though..keith carlos is another good 1...Jermaine roberts still setting records in CCSU imagin Byron "the Bus" Jackson runnig behind a good o-line....imagine Terrence Mercer and trevardo williams on defense uh-oh who is that behind AT for Touchdowns ( corderal Williams (i dont care who they play)
lets not 4get 2nd string rb Dashawn "eric" Brown or 3rd strin keith carlos or 4th string ox mccoy or 5th strin shawn young...should i go on....not to go off topic i have a tape (proof - Evidence) of Kinney tinney being smacked on the 1st play by Nick Pelligrino in 1999...and since the 1st hit he tippey toed throught the whole game...(fear) they lost 36-0....Im a tell u guys again NO team In the VAlley anywhere could mess with a bridgeport squad if the talent stayed together

y is everyone mistakin what im sayin...what i said was that if all the talent from the youth football fields stayed 2gether that no1 would be able to stop them...yes and bpt would not struggle...if so??? then y at the youth level are they so successfull????in 2007 they had 3 out of 5 teams play for the state championship 2 made it 1 lost in overtime and there mitey mites (ages7-9) went 9-0....the names that i have mentioned were names of kids who played for Bpt popwarner and instead of going to play for central they branched off to play their careers somewhere else...Here in bpt the highschool football programs arent as stong as they should be because they dont have the confidence in the coaches here in bpt...Trent allen (must i go on) Dave Cadelina ( its hard for kids 2 wanna play for him when his current players are sayin the coach isnt a good coach to play for becausehe doesnt care about the kids or isnt tryin to help them) who knows who bassick coach is ( in which i think is a wonderful guy and wish the best of luck 2) so they go 2 bunnell or startford st. joes the 3 techs Kolbe, trinity or quit and just play basketball(bentley).....
how many kids go from ansonia middle school to a different highschool????
how many go from a greenwich middle to a diff highschooll???

Coach Ty - You are a man on a mission and I admire your persistence. Everyone hears what you are saying and I, for one, certainly commend those players that had stellar Pop Warner careers in Bpt. You are correct - there have been alot of great football players from Bridgeport.

Moving on. This blog is about high school football. High school football success is measured by tangible results - state, conference, division and town championships. Knocking Ansonia and trying to diminish their accomplishments is fruitless. Their record stands on its own and Alex Thomas' record does also. They are a great team and program. Alex Thomas is a player and person that I hope my boys will emulate. On or off the field, this kid is a class act and he will certainly be a success in life.

As for the comments about Coach Cadelina, I don't know the man, but have been around football long enough to know that every coach will have his detractors. Take a hard look at why those players are making the negative comments and ask them, specifically to provide evidence, not just feelings. Coach Cadelina is doing something right and deserves the benefit of the doubt. Better yet, ask the players - that play - what they think about him. Their answers may surprise you.

Hyde did not beat Ansonia for a state title. They played in the 2003 semi-finals, Ansonia won 67-14 and went on the to win the Class S beating Cromwell 55-0.

That same New Britain Team who pounded Bridgeport in the 2004 playoffs, was an absolute powerhouse that only knocked off Greenwich late in the championship game 39-34, a game that could have gone both ways.

AT isn't nearly as good as Meyers.

Defensively meyers has any1 in CT beat...But AT is a special kid.....i dont think meyers can see him on O

Hey Coach Ty has a point i remember when my kid played popwarner for seymour for 2years before we moved to Shelton and also played for them for 1 year and everytime they played the bridgeport raiders they would be whiped out....his last year before he played freshman football (he's a senior now) ended the season 7-1 only loss to bpt by like 30...and now he plays highschool with the same kids he played in popwarner against...if bpt kept the talent together it would be no-contest

What did the Bpt Central players say about Cadelina? Did they say it in the newspaper?

Coach Ty, Team Dad and all Bpt. Pop Warner supporters, Let's look a a major reason Bpt. and New Haven pop warner teams dominate on a regular basis. I've worked in the Bpt. area for years and noticed how old some of these kids are. 2 years ago the Ct. post had an athlete of the week mentioned (Bpt. pop warner receiver with something like 11 touchdown receptions) and he was listed as a 10th grade student at Harding. C'mon, many of their players are able to compete against kids 2 and 3 years younger because of weight limits. The playing field is leveled in high school as kids mature physically and weight room becomes a priority. Weight room has nothing to go middle school football but is a necessity to compete at the high school level. By the way, Marcus and Michael Easley played pop warner in Stratford, not Bpt. like the Crumpton kid.

Coach Ty, please relax. Kenny Tinney REALLY DID get smacked by Bpt., but he was in 7th GRADE ! He was the best and toughest Ct. player for 2 years in high school. He gained close to 40 lbs. and got faster. Didn't work out for him but he got a full ride to MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY. Akem Wright was fantastic, but recruited by who ? Cadelina's fault ? Pellegrino awesome too, but neither would last 5 minutes in a Big 10 program. Please stop talking about talented, fast little 13 year old boys. You never heard Coach Bentley cry like a baby about losing kids to St. Joes (Johnny Jones, Carey Wilson, Gaines bros.) or Kolbe (Chris Smith, Marcus Cox), etc.) Cadelina's a good coach. By the way, ND-Fairfield has 2 starters that live in Ansonia and some of those kids go to St. Joes too.

By the way Akeem wright was being recruited out in California by Cal, fresno state, colorado state, and washington......yeah kids do tend to play popwarner longer than 8th grade....in bpt...so do they in new haven....Brandon wright is a junior now...he was a freshman in 05 playin 4 the steelers....and they have 10th graders also...but my argument is against the valley teams..every bpt and new haven have a min. of 3 teams...usually jrpw, jrmid, and midg....ur right bentley never cried but u talkin bout a HUGE CITY where basketball is the major sport there are hoops on every street....where can u find a good feild where there arent needles and class for a child to fall on...i just wanted to say that if bpt were to have 1 highschool where the kids in the popwarner programs went to...the Valley schools would have no chance or any other schools

The simple shame of it all is that we don't have a state championship game. The coaches poll could easily select the competitors. This game would easily pull $15-$20. per fan and still sell out, providing both schools with a good chunk of revenue. Man,it would have been so great to see Ansonia play Cheshire when they both had such great teams just a few years back. But, the CIAC just can't figure.