By Ray Curren
Elm City Sports Columnist

In just his second year in charge of the North Haven football program, way back in 1998, Anthony Sagnella led them to an 8-2 record, sharing the Hammonasset Division crown with Hand. It wasn’t really close to qualifying for the postseason under the old format (North Haven finished eighth in Class M, four teams made it), but it was a sign that North Haven was on the rise.

Not quite.

After winning six games in 1999 — saddled by low numbers and general apathy for football in the town — the Indians did not win more than five in the next eight campaigns, the low point being 2005 when North Haven went 0-10 (playing the same Division II schedule they play now).

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CLICK HERE FOR RAY CURREN'S SCC POWER RANKINGS

Click here for Ray Curren's column breaking down the SCC's performance in the state semifinals plus the annual awards for the SCC's finest this season.

By Ray Curren
Elm City Sports Columnist

On the day the press box at Amity was named for him Thanksgiving morning, the intent was to get Stan Gedansky to talk about himself.

Good luck with that.

If you’re reading this, you probably know Gedansky, even if you don’t know you do. He’s been the public address announcer for Amity football since 1975, about the same time he started with the school’s booster club.

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By Ray Curren
Elm City Sports Columnist

You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, and unfortunately, in the high school football world, it’s hard to get too many impressions on a team.

With 10 weeks in the season and most of the games happening at the same time (although we’ve had a couple of Saturday rain make-ups), some teams just get missed.

Or, in my case with Shelton, they have one chance.

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By Ray Curren
Elm City Sports Columnist

From the “Hindsight is always 20-20” department, we bring you the 2011 Notre Dame-West Haven football team.

Coming off a 2009 state title and a 2010 season in which they were a fairly disappointing (by their standards) 7-3, it was time to regroup. Star quarterback Sean Goldrich had graduated, as had speedsters Tirrell Young-Williams and Phil Bentley.

While we really didn’t know how tough, we knew the schedule in Division I would be brutal and that Notre Dame – while never expected to be poor by any stretch – might absorb a few losses along the way this season.

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No. 2 seed Shelton beat No. 3 Amity 1-0 Thursday night to get a chance to defend its SCC championship on Saturday. Standing in the way is No. 4 seed Cheshire, which advanced past top-seeded Sacred Heart Academy in penalty kicks in the semifinals. game time is 5 p.m. at East Haven High. This is the third matchup between the two Housy rivals with Shelton going 1-0-1.
That will be preceded by the SCC boys final at 3 p.m., pitting No. 2 Fairfield Prep against No. 4 Notre Dame-West Haven, a 1-0 winner over top-seeded Cheshire. Prep beat Guilford 3-0 on Wednesday and went 1-0-1 against ND during the regular season.

By Ray Curren
Elm City Sports Columnist

It’s never too early to look at the CIAC playoff race. Well, it can be too early, but as snow covers the ground and we head into November, the time has come to investigate who has a good shot to get in, and who might be in big trouble.

The number of playoff spots that the Southern Connecticut Conference receives on a yearly basis has been a big point of contention since the conference split into its current two-division format (Yeah, there’s officially four divisions, but can you name who is in what division? Didn’t think so. Although apparently Hand can).

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Wednesday's games are complete and now, the SCC tournament pairings are set for boys soccer for Saturday's quarterfinals. Times will be announced later today:

No. 8 Hand at No. 1 Cheshire
No. 5 Career/Hillhouse at No. 4 Notre Dame-West Haven
No. 7 Shelton at No. 2 Fairfield Prep
No. 6 Hamden at No. 3 Guilford

The semifinals are Monday at the higher seed and the final is next Wednesday at East Haven High at 5 p.m.

As first reported right here, the pairings are set for the SCC girls' soccer tournament. The schedule is below:

Quarterfinals - Saturday, October 29 @Higher Seeds
No. 8 North Haven at No. 1 Sacred Heart Academy - 11 a.m.
No. 5 Cheshire at No. 4 Guilford - 3 p.m.
No. 7 Mercy at No. 2 Shelton - 6:30 p.m.
No. 6 West Haven at No. 3 Amity - 2:30 p.m.
Semifinals - Monday, October 31 @Higher Seeds - times TBA
Championship Game - Wednesday, November 2 @East Haven HS - 7 p.m.

The boys' pairings will be finalized on Thursday.

By Ray Curren
Elm City Sports Columnist

You want me to pick Masuk or Xavier, don’t you? It has to be one or the other. You figure as the Southern Connecticut Conference guy, I’ll pick Xavier in a heartbeat.

Well, my choice might surprise you a little bit.

I don’t really care. And neither should you.

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Fairfield Prep is the only boys' soccer team in the Southern Connecticut Conference to have won a division title, clinching the SCC Quinnipiac.
Three are up for grabs Saturday. The Guilford-Hand winner claims the Hammonasset. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Surf Club in Madison.
Shelton could only manage a scoreless tie with Amity Thursday night, failing to clinch the Housatonic. That means Cheshire can earn a share of the title with a win over Shelton at home on Saturday. Shelton can still clinch with a win or tie. Game time is 11:30 a.m.
And if North Haven beats Branford tonight (6:30 in Branford) and East Haven Saturday (5:30 at North Haven), it clinches the SCC Oronoque. If it slips up, there could be a four-way tie for the division with North Haven, Branford, Wilbur Cross and Career/Hillhouse.

In girls' soccer, Sacred Heart Academy has clinched the Quinnipiac, North Haven has won the Oronoque and Guilford has won the Hammonasset.
That leaves the Housatonic and Saturday's big game between Cheshire and Shelton at Shelton at 6 p.m. Cheshire won at Amity Thursday to stay alive in its defense of the title. Saturday's winner is the division champion.

Sacred Heart Academy could be just hours away from clinching its first SCC Quinnipiac Division title in school history. The Pacers can do so by winning, or tying, Hamden, the defending champion, at home at 3:45 p.m.

North Haven wrapped up the SCC Oronoque last night. Guilord can clinch the SCC Hammonasset outright with a win or tie against Foran tonight. That leaves the SCC Housatonic with Amity, Shelton and Cheshire all still in the hunt.

By Ray Curren
Elm City Sports Columnist

March 3, 2008 started out, and nearly ended, as any other day in the Amity High School community. The hockey team was preparing for a state tournament game with Enfield, and the basketball squad was getting ready for Windsor.

But after completing a pickup basketball game at the Jewish Community Center on that Monday night, Amity football captain Sal Semmonella, along with friend Francesk Zafi were tragically killed in a one-car accident as they were getting off the Merritt Parkway.

More than three years have gone by and monuments on the Amity campus have been proposed and rejected by the school board, but Semmonella’s jersey is still proudly displayed in the Amity locker room as a reminder of a well-liked kid and another life cut too short.

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Here is the complete list:

FOOTBALL
CCC INTER
Fermi at Farmington, ppd. to Saturday, 2 p.m.
New Britain at Newington, ppd. to Saturday, 7 p.m.
Platt at Weaver, ppd. to Saturday, noon
Tolland at Bloomfield, ppd. to Saturday, 2 p.m.
Wethersfield at Bristol Central, ppd. to Saturday, 2 p.m.
CSC
Cheney Tech at Putnam/Tourtellotte/Ellis Tech, ppd. to Saturday, 1 p.m.
ECC MEDIUM
Plainfield at Windham, ppd. to Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Waterford at Bacon Academy, ppd.to Saturday, 2 p.m.
ECC interdivision
Stonington at Ledyard, ppd. to Saturday, 1 p.m.
PEQUOT SASSACUS
East Hampton/Vinal Tech at Coginchaug, ppd. to Saturday, 2 p.m.
Lewis Mills at Haddam-Killingworth, ppd. to Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
PEQUOT UNCAS
Ellington/Somers at Stafford/East Windsor, ppd. to Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
SCC DIVISION I EAST
Notre Dame-West Haven at Hand, ppd. to Saturday, 5 p.m.
SWC interdivision
Notre Dame-Fairfield at Masuk, ppd. to Saturday, 7 p.m.
BOYS’ SOCCER
CSC
Classical Magnet at Platt Tech, ppd. to Tuesday, 4 p.m.
NVL
Derby at Kennedy (West Side Middle School), ppd. to Oct. 22, 3:30 p.m.
Woodland at Seymour, ppd. to Saturday, 2 p.m.
SCC
East Haven at North Haven,ppd. to Wednesday, 5 p.m.
Career/Hillhouse at Lyman Hall, ppd. to Saturday, 2 p.m.
Fairfield Prep at Hamden, ppd. to Saturday, 1 p.m.
GIRLS’ SOCCER
SCC
Cheshire at Amity, ppd. to Thursday, 3:30 p.m.
Shelton at Sheehan, ppd. to Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
Branford vs. Wilbur Cross/Hillhouse/Career at East Haven, 6:15 p.m.
North Haven at East Haven, ppd. to Monday, 6:15 p.m.
Mercy at Hamden, ppd. to Monday, 6 p.m.
Shoreline
East Hampton at Old Saybrook, ppd., TBA
Cromwell at North Branford, ppd. to Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
SCC
Cheshire at Amity, ppd. to Monday, 3:45 p.m.
Hamden at Mercy, ppd. to Wednesday, 3:45 p.m.
Sheehan at North Haven, ppd. to Oct. 28, 3:45 p.m.
Shoreline
Morgan at Westbrook, ppd.to Thursday, 3:45 p.m.
Haddam-Killingworth at North Branford, ppd., TBA

A huge game in girls' soccer this evening as Amity travels to Finn Stadium to take on Shelton at 7:30 p.m. The two teams tied earlier this season. The game could go a long way in determining the SCC Housatonic Division champion.

To read more about unbeaten Amity click here


Also tonight, defending Quinnipiac Division winner Hamden invades West Haven, also at 7:30 p.m. West Haven won at Hamden earlier this season.

By Ray Curren
Elm City Sports Columnist

Coaches spend hours and hours trying to analyze and think through game plans, but after his team was beaten fairly soundly last Thursday night by Hand in Meriden, Cheshire coach Mark Ecke pretty much summed up the success of the Tigers’ defense succinctly and simply.

“They ran to the football and tackled well,” Ecke said. “Our kids never had a second chance.”

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First place is on the line tonight in the SCC Housatonic Division tonight as the Shelton boys' team hosts Cheshire. The winner will be the only remaining unbeaten team in the division.
The same two teams battle in girls' action today at 3:45 in Cheshire. If Cheshire, the defending champ, beats Shelton, the reigning league and Class LL state champ, then Amity will be the only unbeaten in the Housy.
In the SCC Oronoque, the Career/Hillhouse-Wilbur Cross boys game has been moved to East Haven High tonight at 6 due to poor field conditions at East Shore Park. Cross is the only unbeaten team in the division.

Then you have the best rivalry in the league - Hand vs. Guilford, part I - at 7 tonight at Guilford High. Hand is the defending division and league champion.

Head on out to a game near you...

Elm City Sports columnist Ray Curren breaks down the Xavier-Cheshire showdown and what it means for the rest of the season. Read it here.

The non-conference matchup between Guilford from the SCC and Bunnell from the SWC is today at 4 p.m. in Stratford. These are two of the better programs in the state.
The two teams won't meet again because Guilford plays in the Class LL division while Bunnell plays in Class L. The two programs have never played against one another before.

Check out the preview of today's game. Follow me on twitter @nhrjoemorelli for updates and check back here later this evening to see who won.

The Milford Board of Education has apparently decided that if you can’t beat them, you might as well try to work with them, apparently, as they’ve unveiled a slightly controversial social media policy for the new school year.

Basically, they're encouraging staff and students to use Twitter and Facebook in school, but for educational purposes.

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