2002 Football Playoffs

Scoring summaries and game stories courtesy of The Hartford Courant, Bristol Press, Connecticut Post, Danbury News-Times, Manchester Journal Inquirer, Middletown Press, New London Day, New Haven Register, Norwich Bulletin, Stamford Advocate, Torrington Register-Citizen, Waterbury Republican-American.

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[Final Playoff Point Rankings]

CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

1Q G - Kevin Longo 5 run (Zach Ostrowski kick)
2Q W - Tom DeMorro 10 pass from Derek Amato (Amato kick)
3Q W - DeMorro 27 pass from Amato (run failed)
4Q G - Longo 43 pass from Jim Cabrera (kick failed)
4Q W - Phil Banks 50 run (Amato kick)

MVPs: Tom DeMorro (West Haven), Kevin Longo (Greenwich)

Phil Banks scored on a 50-yard run with 38 seconds to play to give West Haven a 20-13 win in the Class LL championship game Saturday at Kennedy Stadium in Bridgeport.

Banks scored on a 4th-and-1 play when it looked as though the game was destined for overtime.

Tom DeMorro scored two touchdown on receptions from quarterback Derek Amato for West Haven (12-0). DeMorro caught passes of 27 and 10 yards. Greenwich got a 30-yard touchdown pass from Jim Cabrera to Kevin Longo to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Longo opened the scoring in the first quarter on a 5-yard run.

Greenwich ended the season 11-1-1. Banks led all carriers with 87 yards on 13 carries as West Haven finished the season 12-0.

2Q - W - Keith Washington 6 run (Luis Miguel Romero kick)
2Q - R - Peter Morelli 73 yard pass from Mike Short (Dean DeNovio kick)
2Q - R - Ryan Cazalet 10 pass from Short (DeNovio kick)
4Q - W - John Manning 23 pass from Will Brown (kick failed)

MVPs: John Manning (Windsor), Ryan Cazalet (Ridgefield)

WEST HAVEN - Ridgefield became the only one of the four #4 seeds who reached the finals to win a championship by defeating #2 Windsor 14-13 at Ken Strong Stadium Sunday.

The Tigers (11-2) fell behind the Warriors (10-3) on Keith Washington's 6-yard TD run in the second quarter, but answered back with a pair of 2nd quarter scoring passes by Mike Short - a 73-yarder to Peter Morelli and a 10-yard strike to Ryan Cazalet with 7 seconds left before the half which proved to be the game winner.

Windsor closed the gap to 14-13 with 3:34 left in the game on a 23-yard pass from Will Brown to John Manning, but Luis Miguel-Romero's point after attempt to tie was no good.

The title was the second in two trips to the finals for Ridgefield, which won the L title in 1983. Windsor was making its first appearance in the finals.

1Q ST - Jimmy Hughes 79 run (Andrew Kempler kick)
1Q SE - Joe Deptula 1 run (Graig Vicidimino kick)
2Q ST - Hughes 1 run (Kempler kick)
2Q SE - Chris Hebert 21 run (Vicidimino kick)
2Q ST - Hughes 60 pass from Rob Krauss (Kempler kick)
3Q ST - Matt Samela 45 pass from Krauss (Kempler kick)
4Q ST - Brian Valerio 5 run (Kempler kick)

MVPs: Jimmy Hughes (Staples), Joe Deptula (Seymour)

BRIDGEPORT - The Staples' offense rolled from the start and the defense arrived in the second half as Staples-Westport defeated in a 35-14 victory over Seymour 35-14 at Kennedy Stadium. It is the first state title in 10 years for Staples.

Jimmy Hughes was Staples' greatest weapon. He carried 12 times for 197 yards - 190 in the first half - and had two touchdowns. He also caught a 60-yard touchdown TD pass from Rob Krauss.

"They did what was needed," Seymour coach Paul Sponheimer said. "The bottom line is that Hughes kid can fly, and we gave up two home runs that really hurt us."

Sponheimer was alluding to talking about two TD touchdown passes of 60 and 45 yards, but a Hughes' 79-yard touchdown scoring run down the right sideline by Hughes on the second play of the game is what set the tone.

A 60-yard pass from Krauss to Hughes less than two minutes after Seymour had tied the score gave a Staples a 21-14 halftime lead.

On its first possession of the second half, Seymour turned the ball over on downs and Staples took a 28-14 lead six plays later when Krauss threw 45 yards to Nick Corona.

2Q NC - Ernest Greywacz 5 run (Scott Wexler kick)
3Q NC - Chris Hoffman 7 run (Wexler kick)
4Q NC - Eric Zaccarelli 6 run (Wexler kick)

MVPs: Chris Hoffman (New Canaan), Luis Vasquez (Ledyard)

WEST HAVEN - Chris Hofmann ran for 171 yards and a touchdown, while the defense countered with its second postseason shutout in five days to lead the top-seeded New Cannan to its second consecutive CIAC Class M state football championship with a 21-0 victory over No. 3 Ledyard before 1,000 at West Haven High School's Ken Strong Stadium.

For the Rams (12-1-1), its their fourth state title in school history. Ledyard (9-2) was hoping for its fourth, but turned the ball over four times and couldn't sustain any drives against a New Canaan defense that only allowed 112 yards of total offense. New Canaan held Ledyard to seven pass completions for 60 yards and to only 52 yards on 31 carries.

A pass interception by Jon Drenckhahn - one of three against Ledyard's Steve Martic - led to the game's first touchdown midway through the second quarter. After three Hofmann runs gained eight yards to the Ledyard 21, John Marinelli went for three and a first down. Three plays later, Eric Zaccarelli kept the drive alive with a 2-yard gain on a fourth-and-2 from the Ledyard 10. On a third-and-goal from the 6, Ernie Greywacz cut left and slipped two tackles inside to open the scoring. The first of three successful kicks by Scott Wexler gave New Canaan a 7-0 lead with 2:10 left in the half.

The Rams had a pair of possessions end without any points in the third quarter, but would double its lead after starting on its own 37 with 5:27 left. Hofmann ran four consecutive times for a total of 25 yards before a 23-yard pass completion from Mike Covino to Jeff Kinberg gained 23 to the Ledyard 15. Hofmann ran for a yard on the next play and a personal foul call for a late Ledyard hit gave New Canaan a first-and-goal from the 7. It only took one more play as Hofmann eluded Ledyard's Nick Startz at the line of scrimmage, cut back to his left and scored standing up as the Rams went ahead, 14-0, with 2:33 left in the third quarter.

2Q H - David Fleming 67 run (Maurice Edwards kick)
2Q H - Fleming 21 run (Edwards kick)
2Q H - Safety,punt attempt snapped out of end zone
3Q M - Will Huntington 52 run (run failed)
3Q H - Corey Sullivan 32 run (Edwards kick)
4Q H - Edwards 1 run (kick failed)

MVPs: David Fleming (Hillhouse), Will Huntington (Montville)

WEST HAVEN - David Fleming ran for two first-half touchdowns (67 and 21 yards), Maurice Edwards scored nine points on a one-yard TD run and three point-after conversions and Corey Sullivan added a 32-yard touchdown scamper as #3 Hillhouse topped #4 Montville 29-6 Sunday for the Class SS title.

Down 16-0 at the half, Montville scored its only points on a third quarter 52-yard run by Will Huntington.

Hillhouse finished the season 11-2 while winning its second title (the Academics were MM champs in 1985). Montville fell to 0-3 in finals.

1Q A - Ryan Thomas 3 run (Tomasz Popiolek kick)
2Q A - Kenny Tinney 3 run (Popiolek kick)
2Q A - Darnell Cooks 12 run (Popiolek kick)
3Q A - Tinney 36 interception return (Tinney run)
3Q A - Johnny Tedder 22 run (Thomas run)
3Q N - Mark Bohanner 14 pass from Evan Bowen (Randy Gress pass from Bowen)
4Q N - Sean Young 40 run (run failed)
4Q A - Thomas 21 run (Popiolek kick)

MVPs: Kenny Tinney (Ansonia), Chris McClowry (Notre Dame-Fairfield)

WEST HAVEN - It was obvious from the opening drive Saturday that the Ansonia football team was on its way to its first state championship since 1995.

Team MVP Kenney Tinney busted off a 41-yard run before Ryan Thomas scored from three yards out. The rest of the CIAC Class S final went pretty much the same as the second-seeded Chargers capped off an unbeaten season with a 44-14 rout of Notre Dame-Fairfield before 2,000 at West Haven High School's Ken Strong Stadium.

Ansonia (13-0) had no problems with the fourth-seeded Lancers (10-3). The Chargers rolled up 450 yards of offense, all but 56 on the ground.

"This was our goal," Tinney said. "We wanted to beat Seymour for the NVL title and came here to win Class S. We did what we had to do." What got Ansonia to the final was a triple-option offense that was only instituted full-time for this season. With the explosive Tinney (21 carries, 123 yards) taking the snaps, Notre Dame simply had no idea where to turn or who to tackle.

Ansonia just quickly after a 19-yard punt by Randy Gress gave the Chargers the ball at their 49. Tinney completed a 39-yard pass to Nigel Ingram before Ryan Thomas (28 carries, 183 yards) gained nine on two plays. Tinney then went up the middle for the final three yards as the Chargers extended their lead to 14-0 with 3:48 left in the half. Notre Dame's next possession ended when quarterback Evan Bowen fumbled away the ball out of the shotgun formation, giving Ansonia possession at the Lancers' 42 with 3:03 to go in the second quarter.

Ansonia took advantage of the opportunity, using seven consecutive runs that was capped by a 12-yard scoring rush by Darnell Cooks (seven carries, 62 yards) as the Chargers went ahead 21-0 just 41 seconds before the break.

SEMIFINALS

Class LL

WH - Derek Amato 26 FG.
NFA - Zach Niland 36 pass from J.J. Justice (run failed).
WH - Maurice Little 4 run (Amato kick).
NFA - Justice 5 run (pass failed).
WH - Phil Banks 1 run (Levi Jordan pass from Amato).
NFA - Will Bashelor 51 run (Chris Bohara kick).
WH - Tom DeMorro 33 pass from Amato (Amato run).
WH - Banks 1 run (Amato kick).
NFA - Niland 70 pass from Justice (Bohara kick).
WH - Little 40 run (kick failed).
WH - DeMorro 8 run (Amato pass from DeMorro).

West Haven scored on nine of its 12 possessions in the game on the way to a 47-26 win over Norwich Free Academy at Strong Field Tuesday night.

Phil Banks and Maurice Little both scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and Tom DeMorro rushed for one score and caught a touchdown pass for the Blue Devils.

West Haven, the Class LL's top seed, improved to 11-0 on the season and will face Greenwich in the final at Kennedy Stadium at Bridgeport on Saturday at 2 p.m.

NFA finished the season at 11-1. The Wildcats got a pair of touchdown passes from J.J. Justice, who also ran for another.

First quarter
G - Charles Kolb 4 run (Zachary Ostrowski kick)
NB - Mike McLeod 8 run (Mike Garcarz kick)
G - Tielor Robinson 1 run (Ostrowski kick)
Second Quarter
G - Kevin Longo 43 run (kick blocked)
NB - Julian Cartie 80 kickoff return (Garcarz kick)
Third quarter
G - Jim Cabrera 2 run (run failed)
G - Robinson 1 run (Ostrowski kick)
Fourth Quarter
G - Robinson 64 run (Ostrowski kick)
NB - Elfren Quiles 4 pass from Andru Maisto

Rich Albonizio never did get those state-mandated game films from the New Britain High School coaching staff.

Turns out, his team didn't need them.

In one dominating 48-minute performance, Greenwich got its revenge, took its place in history and sent shock waves up and down the state with a 40-21 rout of New Britain last night in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class LL semifinals at frigid Boyle Stadium.

The Cardinals, the No. 2 seed, continued their unbeaten season and advanced to the Class LL final for an unprecedented fourth straight time. The script couldn't have played out any better for Greenwich either as it avenged a 26-9 loss to New Britain in last year's state championship. It was also the Golden Hurricanes' first loss in 16 games, bringing to and end the state's second longest winning streak.

"We left no doubt," Greenwich senior co-captain Joe Blechner said. "Everyone heard so much about them and how they like to run up the score, but we played smashmouth football and took it to them for four quarters. This is a huge win for our program, maybe our biggest yet."

Class L

A - Safety, Vin Lazzaro sacked Michael Short, ball went out of end zone
R - Ryan Cazalet 5 pass from Short (pass failed)
A - Lazzaro 21 run (Collin Sheppard kick)
R - Matthew Pambianchi 1 pass from Short (DeNovio kick)
A - John Scanlon 2 pass from Norman Roth (kick failed)
R - DeNovio 35 FG

Dean DeNovio kicked a 35-yard field goal with two minutes, 46 seconds to play to give the Tigers the win at Sim Field in Woodbridge.

Ridgefield (10-2), the fourth seed, trailed by two when a punt by Amity's Norman Roth went only a yard, giving the Tigers the ball back at the Spartans 28-yard line with three minutes, 41 seconds to play.

The Tigers only went nine yards, leading to DeNovio's field goal.

Michael Short was 11-of-19 for 128 yards and two touchdowns for Ridgefield and Patrick Biehl added two sacks.

Vin Lazzaro had 10 carries for 44 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown, for the top-seeded Spartans (10-2). He also sacked Short in the end zone for force a safety.

Roth threw a 2-yard touchdown to John Scanlon and had an interception.

First quarter
W--Jason Ryans 61 pass from Will Brown (kick failed)
W--Ryans 51 pass from Brown (Brown run)
Third quarter
EOS--Tim Amyot 2 run (Greg Amyot kick)
Fourth quarter
W--Keith Washington 44 run (Luis Miguel-Romero kick)
W--Andrew Howlett 45 pass from Brown (kick failed)

Second-seeded Windsor scored on its first two and last two possessions to defeated third-seeded E.O. Smith 27-7 in a Class L semifinal at Windsor High School.

Freshman quarterback Will Brown, starting only his eighth game, threw three touchdown passes, two to Jason Ryans in the opening four minutes, to send the Warriors (10-2) into Saturday's Class L final against Ridgefield.

On Brown's first touchdown pass - a 61-yarder on the third play of the game - he hit Ryans in full stride at the E.O. Smith 30, and the lanky speedster ran untouched to the end zone.

When Josh Joseph intercepted an E.O. Smith pass five plays later at the Windsor 49, Brown needed only one pass to find Ryans again. Alone in the right flat, Ryans cut back to the middle after the catch and, with a burst of speed, outran everybody again.

Freshman Keith Washington scored first with a 44-yard burst to give Windsor a 21-7 lead with 4:38 left.

E.O. Smith finishes 10-2.

Class MM

First quarter
P - Pat Kantor 2 run (Tim Keegan kick), 9:55
P - Ken Fraser 65 run (Keegan kick), 7:49
S - Matt Butcaris 25 pass from Joe Deptula (Graig Vicdimino kick), 0:45
Second quarter
S - Matt Turski 3 run (Vicdimino kick), 4:32
S - Deptula 24 run (Vicdimino kick), 1:14
P - Keegan 32 field goal, 0:07

SOUTHBURY - Listed at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, Seymour High senior quarterback Joe Deptula can do it all. Pound for pound, inch for inch, he's as effective as any football player in the state. Undaunted by frigid conditions and an early 14-0 deficit, Deptula and the Wildcats clawed their way back to defeat Pomperaug 21-17 in the Class MM state semifinals Tuesday night.

Deptula, who threw for one touchdown and ran for another, accounted for nearly 300 total yards.

The outcome ended an 11-game winning streak and an historic season for the top-rated Panthers (11-2), who captured their first league title and established a school record for victories.

It also marked the third time in four years that Pomperaug bowed out of the playoffs in the first round.

The fourth-rated Wildcats (10-2), who lost last year's Class M final to New Canaan, advanced to Saturday's title game against Staples, which eliminated Masuk.

Deptula, who frustrated New Fairfield in last year's 40-22 semifinal playoff win, gave Pomperaug fits. He completed 10-of-19 passes for 165 yards, and carried the ball 16 times for 134 yards.

S - Jimmy Hughes, 1 run (Andrew Kempler kick)
S - Rob Krauss, 18 run (Kempler kick)
S - Jesse Becker, 10 run (kick failed)
S - Hughes, 24 run (Kempler kick)
M - Joe Longley, 19 pass from Anthony Wargo (Matt Schulman kick)
S - Krauss, 19 run (Kempler kick)
S - Kempton Coady, 20 run (Kempler kick)
M - Keenen Delaney, 1 run (Kempler kick)

Team Statistics M - S
First downs 14 - 21
Rushing 41-160 - 46-426
Passing yards 71 - 0
Total yards 231 - 426
Passing 6-12-1 - 0-1-0
Fumbles lost 0 - 0
Penalties 1-10 - 5-50
Punts 4-35.8 - 2-29.5

No, 2 Staples, behind a flawless option attack, pounded No. 8 Masuk 41-14 before close to 1,500 in a CIAC Class MM semifinal.

"This is the greatest atmosphere we've ever played in," Staples senior quarterback Rob Krauss said. "I definitely think the lights had something to do with it. We wanted this more than anything."

The Wreckers knew they would be busy Saturday after Tuesday's first quarter, Staples scored on four of its first five possessions, taking a 27-0 lead at halftime on an overwhelmed Masuk defense. The trio of fullback Jesse Becker, Krauss and tailback Jimmy Hughes inflicted the damage.

Becker had 74 yards on 14 carries straight up the middle, while Hughes added 94 yards on 14 carries. And Krauss scampered 182 yards on just 11 carries and cut through the Masuk defense at will. The backfield combined for six touchdowns, three from Krauss, and 350 yards.

Class M

NC - Mike Covino, 11 run (Scott Wexler kick).
NC - Ernie Greywacz, 48 from Covino (Wexler kick).
NC - Chris Hofmann, 6 run (Wexler kick).
NC - Greywacz, 9 from Covino (Wexler kick).
NC - Hofmann, 7 run (Wexler kick).

Team statistics
W - NC
First downs 6 - 8
Rushing 35-22 - 37-171
Passing 0-8-2 - 3-6-0
Passing yards 0 - 66
Fumbles lost 2 - 1
Penalties 6-30 - 6-55
Punts 6-31 - 4-37

NEW CANAAN - The bond between the New Canaan High School football team has always been a solid one, but if ever there was a time where the defensive unit was going to come down on the offense, it was last night. The top-seeded Rams were unrelenting in holding No. 4 Weaver to minus-4 yards in the first half of their CIAC Class M semifinal game at Dunning Field. Still, the defending state champions led by just 7-0 because of their own inconsistency. They had just 63 yards and scored only because of a Weaver fumble deep in its territory.

"It was frustrating," said Bruno Dorismond, New Canaan's All-State lineman. "We couldn't get it in. But we weren't worried."

The Rams have been a second-half team all season, and last night was no different as they erupted for 28 points after the intermission for an easy 35-0 win.

"All year it has been like this," said New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli, whose team will face No. 3 Ledyard, a 19-8 winner over Berlin in last night's other Class M semifinal, for the title Saturday at 2 p.m. at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven.

It will be the Rams' seventh state final in Marinelli's 22 seasons. They have won three times.

B - Dan Putnam 69 run, Matt Powell conversion run (6:04 1st)
L - Nick Startz 1 run, pass failed (6:30, 3rd)
L - Bob Clark 59 pass to Matt Fauquet, pass failed (:20, 3rd)
L - D.J. Berry 35 fumble run, J.P. McVey kick (:07, 4th)

NEW BRITAIN -- Ledyard ended Berlin's longest winning streak in the state at 20 with a 19-8 Class M victory Tuesday night at Arute Field in New Britain.

The third-seeded Colonels will meet top seed New Canaan, a 35-0 semifinal winner over Weaver, for the title Saturday (2 p.m.) at West Haven High School.

No. 2 Berlin (11-1) opened the scoring with 6:04 remaining in the first quarter when halfback Dan Putnam ran 69 yards around left end for a touchdown. The points made Berlin only the third team this year to score against Ledyard's first-team defense. The others were Norwich Free Academy in a 34-0 loss and New London in a 33-6 victory. Matt Powell's run put Berlin ahead 8-0. The Redcoats led by that score at halftime.

But Ledyard was immense on defense in the second half. Putnam, who had 88 yards in the first half, had just seven in the last half. Angelo Ortiz' 77-yard counter run to the Berlin 1 began Ledyard's comeback. Nick Startz' TD run midway through the third quarter brought Ledyard to within 8-6.

Ortiz, a junior running back, was a workhorse in the last half, rushing 11 times for 110. He finished with 150 on 25 total carries. The deciding play of the game began with quarterback Steve Martic threw a lateral to wide receiver Bob Clark on the right. He then connected with halfback Matt Fauquet all alone at the Berlin 30. The Redcoats primary offensive weapon, the run, was limited to 177 yards - but just 40 in the second half. Linebacker Luiz Vasquez and his mates pursued well.

The final touchdown was scored on a defensive back D.J. Berry's 35-yard fumble run off a scramble in front of the Berlin bench with just 7 seconds to go ended Berlin's dream.

Thus, the Redcoats remain without a victory in its CIAC postseason history (0-4 in finals and 0-2 in semifinals).

Class SS

First quarter
M--Safety (Bloomfield QB tackled in end zone)
M--Will Huntington 15 run (Huntington kick)
Second quarter
B--J.J. Wilson 4 run (run failed)
M--Huntington 21 pass from Isaias Sostre (kick failed)
B--Andrew Wilson 66 pass from J.J. Wilson (Andrae Smith pass from J.J.
Wilson)
B--Franquan Yearwood 11 pass from J.J. Wilson (Glen Llewellyn kick)
Fourth quarter
M--Cliff Bourne 13 pass from Huntington (Huntington kick)
B--Smith 40 pass from J.J. Wilson (run failed)
M--J.J. Biro 9 pass from Huntington (pass failed)

BLOOMFIELD -- Back-up quarterback Will Huntington passed for a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 9-yard pass to J.J. Biro on third-and-goal with 38.3 seconds remaining to cap fourth-seeded Montville's 28-27 victory over top-seeded Bloomfield in a Class SS semifinal.

Bloomfield (9-2) was aiming to tie Cheshire's record of six consecutive titles from 1992-97.

Montville will play Hillhouse-New Haven Saturday at Southern Connecticut State University.

Huntington, who entered the game early in the fourth quarter when starter Isaias Sostre was knocked out of the lineup, completed Montville's touchdown drive with a 13-yard pass to Cliff Bourne with 7:21 remaining. Huntington kicked the extra point and Montville had erased a 21-15 halftime deficit.

Bloomfield struck right back with quarterback J.J. Wilson directing a three-play, 52-yard drive capped by a 40-yard pass to Andrae Smith with 6:03 left.

Huntington and Montville provided their own two-minute drill taking over at their 25. Eight plays and two big Bloomfield penalties later, Huntington hit Biro in the end zone for the game winner.

Huntington rushed 12 times for 90 yards, had four catches for 46 yards and completed 5 of 11 passes for 57 yards. Before leaving the game, Sostre had completed 12 of 22 passes for 156 yards and one touchdown.

Wilson completed 7 of 15 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for a TD.

H - Maurice Edwards 8 run (David Fleming run)
S - Justin Clachrie 5 pass from Colin Clancy (run failed)
H - D.J. McAualy 82 kickoff return (pass failed)
H - Fleming 34 run (run failed)
H - Edwards 33 run (run failed)
H - Fleming 26 run (Edwards kick)
S - Maurice McClellan 1 run (Blake Jensen kick)
H - Montez Walton 62 run (Edwards kick)

Stonington - Hillhouse scored three touchdowns within a span of 2 minutes, 39 seconds late in the second quarter, en route to a 40-13 win over Stonington Tuesday night in the Class SS semifinals.

David Fleming ran for a game-high 137 yards and two touchdowns for the Academics, who capitalized on six Stonington turnovers.

"We really wanted to go back home," Hillhouse coach Eric Barbarito said. "Southern Connecticut (site of the Class SS final) is right next door. We wanted to pound the ball at them and the kids did a great job."

Maurice Edwards (82 yards, two touchdowns) scored on Hillhouse's third play from scrimmage to give the Academics (10-2) an early lead. Stonington quarterback Colin Clancy hit tight end Justin Clachrie with a 5-yard scoring pass late in the first period to get the Bears (9-3) within 8-6, but Hillhouse's D.J. McAualy ran the ensuing kickoff back 82 yards for a touchdown.

Fleming (34-yard run), Edwards (33-yard run) and Fleming (26-yard run) all scored in the final 5:26 of the first half to give Hillhouse a 33-6 halftime lead.

Hillhouse recovered two kickoffs in the first half, while Stonington fumbled two others.

Clancy, who was sacked six times, finished 15-for-38 for 182 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Class S

ND – Joe Roy 2 run (Eban Bowen run)
ND – Chris McClowry 27 pass from Randy Gress (Bowen kick)
H – Chris Gay 14 run (pass failed)
ND – Gress 28 pass from Bowen (kick failed)

HAMDEN- Twenty-one first half points was all No. 4 Notre Dame-Fairfield needed to defeat No. 1 Hyde in the bitter cold at Hamden High Tuesday night in the Class S semifinal matchup.

Led by Joe Roy's 130 yards on 29 carries and Eban Bowen's 110-yards passing, the Lancers pulled off the upset and will play No. 2 Ansonia in the finals.

"That team is phenomenal," Notre Dame coach Jeff Bevino said of Hyde. "I can't believe we beat them. We played so well. You can't account for a team's heart and that's exactly what made thedifference tonight."

Roy jumped on a Hyde fumble less than 2 minutes into the game to set up an offensive run that ended in his own 2-yard touchdown with 6:54 remaining in the quarter. That series, only the second of the game for the Lancers, included four first downs as Shawn Young carried the ball three times for 37 yards. Bowen ran in the two-point conversion and the Lancers (10-2) had the early lead.

And Notre Dame showed no signs of letting up.

On fourth and 22, Bowen threw a lateral pass to Randy Gress who threw the ball 27 yards to find Chris McClowry in the end zone for the second touchdown of the game.

With 4:25 in the half, Hyde's Chris Gay ran the ball in for the 14-yard touchdown to put Hyde on the board. But a Bowen interception and 45-yard run set up another Notre Dame touchdown and it was all over.

"The reason for the loss is that ND of Fairfield came and played a lot better football then we did," said Hyde coach John Acquavita. "Mistakes are part of the game, so we won't use that as an excuse. It's too bad, it was a nice season."

A - Kenney Tinney 44 run (kick failed)
A - Tinney 70 run (run failed)
A - Tinney 80 run (run failed)
I - Brett Palmer 1 run (Palmer kick)
A - Thomas 4 run (Tomasz Popiolek kick)
A - Thomas 18 run (Popiolek kick)
A - Thomas 24 run (Popiolek kick)
Team records: A 12-0; I 9-3-1.

ANSONIA - Junior quarterback Kenney Tinney ran for three first-half touchdowns and junior fullback Ryan Thomas scored three times in the second half as second-seeded Ansonia (12-0) defeated No.3 Immaculate-Danbury 39-7 Tuesday at Nolan Field.

Tinney scored on three consecutive rushing attempts. He ran for a 44-yard touchdown in the first quarter and followed with runs of 70 and 80 on his first two carries of the second to help Ansonia to an 18-0 lead. He finished with 212 yards on 10 carries, all in the first half.

Ansonia was able to pull away by stifling the strong passing game of Immaculate (9-2-1). Senior quarterback Brett Palmer completed 13 of 32 passes for 163 yards and Ansonia made three interceptions in the second half.

Thomas had 154 yards for the game on 25 runs. He scored from 4 and 18 yards in the third quarter and from 24 in the fourth.

Immaculate scored on a six-play, 65-yard drive late in the first half. Palmer completed all three of his pass attempts for 43 yards on the drive and scored on a one-yard run to make the score 18-7 at halftime.

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