As winter thaws away and spring grows we can now say with confidence that barring an unlikely Covid related disaster Connecticut will have a high school lacrosse season. With the unique situation of having skipped an entire season and changes to recruiting that now result in many talented younger players delaying college commitments, reliable information to accurately predict this upcoming season is more sparse then ever before. Unknowns aside, the season will go on and anything to kick this board out of hibernation is good for me so let's begin.
Abridged Pre season Top Ten (*6)
1. Darien - Best goalie in the state returning and a familiar crop of last names like Matheis, Minicus, Evanchick & Pokorny litter the roster. As is the case with most years many vacancies from graduation will have to be filled but Darien always has a lot of depth and should be able to replace any lost pieces from the last 2 years. They have a solid group with commitments to Georgetown, Brown, Villanova, Air Force (x2), Princeton, Loyola, Hobart, Richmond, Army, and a couple solid D3 programs. Glad to see Brunswick on the schedule again, two of the nations top programs in such close proximity should be playing each other every season, hope to see this game continue into the future. There are question marks but until someone can consistently beat Darien they are placed in the #1 spot almost by default.
2. Ridgefield - In 2019 Ridgefield had a surprising number of Freshman not only seeing varsity playing time, but also being some of the most impactful players on the field. A very talented class of '22 will lead the way for this team. Ryan Colsey (UVA), Kai Prohaszka (UNC), CJ Lauretani (Lafayette), along with a large crop of other juniors who will likely give college commitments sometime in the near future will form the backbone of this team for the next 2 seasons. My only concern is a lack of noticeable talent in this years senior class. When looking at their Inside Lacrosse Roster: https://www.insidelacrosse.com/recruiti ... hool/17265
there is only one listed senior college committed player, but the Inside Lacrosse site often has some noticeable inaccuracies so that could be wrong. A talented team can still fall prey to more senior heavy teams especially in the later parts of the season when a lot of the FCIAC big dogs end up playing each other for the third or second time in a season after meeting in the regular season, conference playoffs, and state playoffs. Either way Ridgefield has a lot of talent and will be in the mix for the top spot, some seniors and unknowns stepping up and performing at a high level could be the difference between a solid season and a championship season for the Tigers this year.
3. New Canaan - Chris Canet (Penn) & Ryan Caione (Bucknell) should lead one of the best midfield units in the state. Hayden Shin will provide a solid FOGO, he may not dominate the way that NC has at the faceoff x the past couple years but will ensure that won't be a point of weakness for the rams. Harrison Appelt, Nick Stiles, and Callum Wood will likely all see time on attack and help keep NC competitive. On the defensive side of things there are still some questions about who will fill in vacated roles at goalie and for many defensive positions. NC always has a lot of good athletes to fill in defensive roles but no heir apparent between the pipes could be a concern going through the season. Like most other teams coming into this season the lack of a 2020 season means there are more question marks than usual but NC has a good feeder program and should be as competitive as always.
4. Wilton - In 2019 through a mixture of injuries and transfers Wilton struggled with offensive depth and was required to include many sophomores and a couple freshman on the offensive side of things. Sam & Jack Rosen, Will Hughes, Josh White, will give a solid senior presence on the offensive side of things. The junior class with Army commits Ben Calabrese and Grant Masterson along with Dylan Smith and Matt Giller will ensure a lack of offensive depth won't be a problem this season. I'm interested to see how the sophomore class performs for Wilton. Brothers Caleb and Charlie Rath performed well last summer for Wilton particularly in a scrimmage versus Darien when both of them scored a hat trick and assisted each other on all three of their goals. Michael Wall, Dave Sylvester, and Andre Wiest are other sophomores that should get steady varsity minutes. Sophomore FOGO Spencer Liston has played well on the summer circuit and should help prevent Wilton from suffering at the faceoff x like they have the past couple of seasons. The defensive side of things has more question marks. Left handed junior Colin Lenskold (Utah) will be the starting goalie and should a be a solid presence to ensure that position is not a weak spot. Amongst the returning long poles only Junior Jake Sommer saw significant minutes on Wiltons 2019 team, Sommer recently committed to Notre Dame and should be one of the best defensemen in the state, I expect to see him get involved on a lot of fast breaks. Other than Sommers, senior Sean Sullivan, sophomore Andre Wiest, and a couple other seniors will fill in the remaining spots for Wiltons defense. If Wiltons defensive unit can successfully incorporate some new faces an improved offense and faceoff game should lead to a successful season for the warriors.
5. Fairfield Prep - Prep was another team that lost a talented Senior class in 2019, in addition to losing their best defenseman John Fox who would have been a senior but transferred to Taft. Despite this Prep still has some talent to rely on. Mason Whitney saw a lot of time as a freshman in 2019 and should be one one the most skilled long poles in the state the next two seasons. Prep also has a talented sophomore class, midfielders Marco Firmender and Peter Grandolfo will likely be regular contributors. To be honest I don't have a ton of information about Preps team this season, but they always have a lot of talent and should be the best team in their conference again.
6. Staples - Staples steady rise over the 2010's to become a consistent competitor in the FCIAC will continue this season. A solid defensive unit will be backed up by senior Kevin Lynch (Umass), Juniors Gabriel Chinitz (Bryant), Nick Augeri, & Andrew Gebicki. Offensively Henry Dodge (UVM) will provide a good fogo and Charlie Howard, Derek Sale, Ryan Thompson will help bolster a solid offensive unit that will keep the wreckers competitive with all their FCIAC competition with maybe the exceptions of Darien and Ridgefield. New Faces will have to fill in openings at goalie and round of the rest of the roster but Staples will continue to be competitive in the FCIAC.
7-10 - Gotta be honest anything beyond the teams I mentioned above would be pure guesswork from me. The lack of available information this season has made this more difficult than usual so hopefully this board can get some contributions from those more familiar with non-FCIAC teams.
Ridgefield, NC, Staples, and Wilton should all be very competitive in FCIAC competition. A lot of games between #2-5 in the FCIAC have been decided by one or two goals in the recent past, this season should be no different. Ridgefield may separate itself from this group but we will have to see, and as always all these teams have the ability to upset Darien especially later in the season like Wilton last year but it will require an impressive performance from them.
How will Glastonbury or Simsbury be?
Will Daniel Hand, Guilford, or Cheshire be able to challenge Fairfield Prep this season?
Will New Fairfield continue to stomp their in conference opponents? Or have they graduated too much talent and will end up being the victims of a revenge tour from their neighbors eager to avenge some recent beatdowns?
Will Greenwich bounce back from a somewhat disappointing 2019 and 2018 seasons?
Connecticut 2021
Re: Connecticut 2021
Great analysis. Thanks!!
Re: Connecticut 2021
Saw Wilton play Glastonbury on Friday night the game was not as close at the 14-6 final score. The wilton defense was solid and physical, 3 of the 6 goals for Glastonbury came in the final 2 minutes. Sommer stood out for sure, he's a beast. Goalie play was really strong as well. The offense looked pretty good but was definitely sloppy - in fact, both teams were sloppy with the ball which is to be expected in the first game of the year. Not sure if this will be a down year for Glastonbury but they didn't look very good - they had some really nice pieces (their SSDM is outstanding) but they look like a team that's rebuilding. Anyway, this should be a fun season in the FCIAC - lots of talent and lots of strong teams. Staples beating NC out of the gate was definitely interesting. I feel like Staples has been a team on the rise for the last few years losing a bunch of 1 goal games but being right there until the end. Interested to see if they can break through.
Re: Connecticut 2021
Staples - 7 New Canaan - 3
I was surprised to see the Staples vs NC scoreline, not a huge upset by any means but I was surprised by NC's lack of offense. From the Gametime CT article it sounds like Staples had a lot of success on Faceoffs and had outstanding goalie play with 14 saves and only 3 allowed goals for an 82% save percentage. It will be interesting to see which new faces that not many were aware of going into the season emerge as impact players early in the season like Staples goalie here.
Did anyone see this game in person and get a better feel for how things worked on offense for NC? 3 goals scored is never a good sign regardless of the competition, its even worse when one player accounted for all 3 goals in Chris Canet. Was the Staples goalie just standing on his head? Or were many shots coming in from distance or tight angles due to a good defensive performance?
Article: https://www.gametimect.com/key-saves-po ... ew-canaan/
Wilton - 14 Glastonbury - 6
Wilton definitely looked good against Glastonbury, offense looked a lot better and there was a very good diversity of scoring with just about everyone being able to win their 1v1 matchups except against #7 for Glastonbury who was a lone bright spot for them. Wilton dominated time of possession due to a solid performance from their FOGO winning all but 3 face-offs and Glastonbury having quite a few turnovers when pressured on offense. Wilton shot very poorly for most of the first half but was able to get it together near the end of the half and through the second half. Wiltons defense looked solid but did have a couple mental mistakes and I'm not 100% sure that Colin Lenskold was in net for Wilton, their goalies body language was very different from what I have seen of Lenskold and #27 was in net and that is listed as sophomore Evan Blankenship on Wiltons MaxPreps roster. Maybe Lenskold is injured or is it out with something Covid related, hopefully we will get more info soon. Hard to gauge what this means for either team going forward since we have such a small sample size but things won't get easier for G'Bury playing Darien next. Wilton going to Brunswick on Thursday will be a good measuring stick for them. Brunswick is obviously favored but if Wilton can stay competitive that is a good sign.
Wilton vs. Glastonbury Youtube Broadcast Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRPhSTU ... ghSchoolTV
It will be interesting to see how the pecking order of FOGO's develops in the FCIAC. We've only seen a few games and most have already been heavily impacted by dominant face-off men. Teams without specialized FOGO's are beginning to really suffer since the time of possession advantage gained from dominating face-offs is nearly impossible to overcome unless you win every other area of the game. Most top teams have at-least one guy who has done well in summer ball, but its always tough to predict how individuals will match up with each other across different grades and different styles. Even though its been this way for quite some time its still seems strange to see such a niche position take over a game and so heavily affect outcomes.
On a side note. As someone no longer in the northeast I'm very happy to see more schools creating their own broadcasting channels on Youtube and live casting basically all home games. Darien has had one for some time now but Wilton & New Canaan both recently added their own.
Wilton's Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk4wOI ... lojYcst-fA
New Canaan's - https://www.youtube.com/user/NCTV78
Darien's - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGFNLQ ... PNdtdFXYkQ
Not sure if there are others but would appreciate any links that people have.
I was surprised to see the Staples vs NC scoreline, not a huge upset by any means but I was surprised by NC's lack of offense. From the Gametime CT article it sounds like Staples had a lot of success on Faceoffs and had outstanding goalie play with 14 saves and only 3 allowed goals for an 82% save percentage. It will be interesting to see which new faces that not many were aware of going into the season emerge as impact players early in the season like Staples goalie here.
Did anyone see this game in person and get a better feel for how things worked on offense for NC? 3 goals scored is never a good sign regardless of the competition, its even worse when one player accounted for all 3 goals in Chris Canet. Was the Staples goalie just standing on his head? Or were many shots coming in from distance or tight angles due to a good defensive performance?
Article: https://www.gametimect.com/key-saves-po ... ew-canaan/
Wilton - 14 Glastonbury - 6
Wilton definitely looked good against Glastonbury, offense looked a lot better and there was a very good diversity of scoring with just about everyone being able to win their 1v1 matchups except against #7 for Glastonbury who was a lone bright spot for them. Wilton dominated time of possession due to a solid performance from their FOGO winning all but 3 face-offs and Glastonbury having quite a few turnovers when pressured on offense. Wilton shot very poorly for most of the first half but was able to get it together near the end of the half and through the second half. Wiltons defense looked solid but did have a couple mental mistakes and I'm not 100% sure that Colin Lenskold was in net for Wilton, their goalies body language was very different from what I have seen of Lenskold and #27 was in net and that is listed as sophomore Evan Blankenship on Wiltons MaxPreps roster. Maybe Lenskold is injured or is it out with something Covid related, hopefully we will get more info soon. Hard to gauge what this means for either team going forward since we have such a small sample size but things won't get easier for G'Bury playing Darien next. Wilton going to Brunswick on Thursday will be a good measuring stick for them. Brunswick is obviously favored but if Wilton can stay competitive that is a good sign.
Wilton vs. Glastonbury Youtube Broadcast Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRPhSTU ... ghSchoolTV
It will be interesting to see how the pecking order of FOGO's develops in the FCIAC. We've only seen a few games and most have already been heavily impacted by dominant face-off men. Teams without specialized FOGO's are beginning to really suffer since the time of possession advantage gained from dominating face-offs is nearly impossible to overcome unless you win every other area of the game. Most top teams have at-least one guy who has done well in summer ball, but its always tough to predict how individuals will match up with each other across different grades and different styles. Even though its been this way for quite some time its still seems strange to see such a niche position take over a game and so heavily affect outcomes.
On a side note. As someone no longer in the northeast I'm very happy to see more schools creating their own broadcasting channels on Youtube and live casting basically all home games. Darien has had one for some time now but Wilton & New Canaan both recently added their own.
Wilton's Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk4wOI ... lojYcst-fA
New Canaan's - https://www.youtube.com/user/NCTV78
Darien's - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGFNLQ ... PNdtdFXYkQ
Not sure if there are others but would appreciate any links that people have.
Re: Connecticut 2021
NC vs. Fairfield Ludlow Youtube stream - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e-G8KE ... nel=NCTV78
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random observer
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Re: Connecticut 2021
The thing holding New Canaan back offensively recently has been the lack of a true dynamic dodger or x-attackman since Kraus and Meichner graduated. They've had a bunch of great midfielders (O'Connells, Swindell, Smith, Canet, Caione, etc.), and some quality finishers (Griffiths, Burt), but not a guy that you felt confident could consistently matchup against an elite defender and draw a slide. This year's squad has three very good senior attack men, but I still wonder if they are missing that alpha initiator. Wood and Stiles' best attributes are their off-ball and finishing skills. Appelt seems to be the best dodger and he played well against Ludlowe; can he do it against top tier FCIAC competition to take pressure off the middies? They do also have a sophomore attacker who could ultimately be that missing piece.
My early thoughts for the FCIAC after the early salvo of games is that Darien is going to be tough to beat (again). Great attack unit and good depth elsewhere, an elite goalie, and from what I'm hearing they might actually be pretty good at the face-off X this year. My best guess is that Ridgefield and Staples are next up. Both have extremely talented junior classes; Ridgefield has more star power, but less senior leadership. Staples has a little more depth, a proven defensive track record, and a great FOGO. Right now I'd slot Wilton in below those two; they are also getting great contributions from their younger classes, but like NC I have questions about their ability to attack from behind (Calabrese is a great player, but he's at his best playing off of another dodger as a wing shooter). NC drops in at fifth for now, but that could change in a hurry. They probably have the deepest senior class after Darien, but they look a little out of sync so far. Just as intriguing to me is the next pack battling for those final 3 playoff spots. Can Greenwich reel itself back into that top pack? Warde has been improving for a while and was going to be pretty good in 2020 -- I expect that trend to continue this year. Ludlowe acquitted itself well at NC yesterday. St. Joseph's is always in the hunt for the playoffs, and I think Trumbull has a pretty good attack unit this year.
Disappointed we won't be getting out of state matchups this year, but thankful that we'll see some more matchups between the FCIAC and other CT teams such as Glastonbury. And of course, the matchups with Brunswick, although be careful what you wish for. This might be their best team and they've come out of the gates hot; hoping for competitive games for all but weary of a couple of shorelines similar to the last two Wick/NC matchups (no shame in that should it come to pass: Brunswick has blitzed some really good teams these past few years: a 16-5 drubbing fo Taft in 2019 comes to mind).
My early thoughts for the FCIAC after the early salvo of games is that Darien is going to be tough to beat (again). Great attack unit and good depth elsewhere, an elite goalie, and from what I'm hearing they might actually be pretty good at the face-off X this year. My best guess is that Ridgefield and Staples are next up. Both have extremely talented junior classes; Ridgefield has more star power, but less senior leadership. Staples has a little more depth, a proven defensive track record, and a great FOGO. Right now I'd slot Wilton in below those two; they are also getting great contributions from their younger classes, but like NC I have questions about their ability to attack from behind (Calabrese is a great player, but he's at his best playing off of another dodger as a wing shooter). NC drops in at fifth for now, but that could change in a hurry. They probably have the deepest senior class after Darien, but they look a little out of sync so far. Just as intriguing to me is the next pack battling for those final 3 playoff spots. Can Greenwich reel itself back into that top pack? Warde has been improving for a while and was going to be pretty good in 2020 -- I expect that trend to continue this year. Ludlowe acquitted itself well at NC yesterday. St. Joseph's is always in the hunt for the playoffs, and I think Trumbull has a pretty good attack unit this year.
Disappointed we won't be getting out of state matchups this year, but thankful that we'll see some more matchups between the FCIAC and other CT teams such as Glastonbury. And of course, the matchups with Brunswick, although be careful what you wish for. This might be their best team and they've come out of the gates hot; hoping for competitive games for all but weary of a couple of shorelines similar to the last two Wick/NC matchups (no shame in that should it come to pass: Brunswick has blitzed some really good teams these past few years: a 16-5 drubbing fo Taft in 2019 comes to mind).
Re: Connecticut 2021
Glastonbury at Darien today at 1:30pm
Staples at Cheshire tomorrow at 4pm
NC off this weekend
Ridgefield hosts Prep at 7pm
Ridgefield has a nice come from behind win over NC yesterday - https://therudenreport.com/strong-secon ... ew-canaan/
We should get some more clarity on the FCIAC after this weekend.
Staples at Cheshire tomorrow at 4pm
NC off this weekend
Ridgefield hosts Prep at 7pm
Ridgefield has a nice come from behind win over NC yesterday - https://therudenreport.com/strong-secon ... ew-canaan/
We should get some more clarity on the FCIAC after this weekend.
Re: Connecticut 2021
Interesting mix of games these first few weeks.
New Canaan - Shaky start thus far. The Staples game looks like it made the Rams face-off situation look worse off than it really is, Staples will most likely have an advantage on face-offs against all FCIAC competition this year unless someone can find a a longpole to mitigate the damage. Lack of offensive depth looks to be a concern going forward. Others have made note of it, but midfield driven offenses are typically less productive then attack driven offenses. They are seemingly still looking for their identity with some lineup changes happening in the first couple games mixed in with some injuries. They should improve as the season goes on but I would put them in the 5th spot in state rankings at the moment. Their matchup with Wilton on Wednesday should be a good game. I think whichever team wins more face-offs will come out on top. Wilton 10-8
Wilton - Had a very strange game versus Daniel Hand over the weekend. They dominated the first half but in the late third quarter and into the fourth quarter seemed to have an unending stream of penalties that kept them man down and sometimes two men down for what seemed like 60% of the quarter. Some of the penalties made sense but there were a couple flags I had no idea what the penalty was for, perhaps something that happened out of frame from the broadcast like a quick offsides infraction. But the penalties gave Hand some momentum and turned what would have likely been a 10-3 or 11-3 scoreline into a 10-8 final score. They've had good offensive depth thus far without any one individual doing too much heavy lifting. This is good but I do wonder if they will have a star able to consistently create offense, particularly against Ridgefield and Dariens defense. Their FOGO has done well against CIAC teams winning most of the clamps vs. Hand but did at times struggle to handle defensive pressure. Face-offs will likely play a huge role in their game against NC. Defensively they've been good, Goalie Colin Lenskold played very well vs. Hand and had a solid performance vs. Brunswick. I like how they match up against NC, Jake Sommer will matchup with Chris Canet and should have success there. I'm curious to see if they will double pole the midfield and use a longpole on Ryan Caione instead of a SSDM. Should be a good game though and will give us a better idea of the pecking order in the FCIAC this year. 10-8 Wilton.
Darien - Haven't had any competitive matchups yet so they are the biggest mystery among the top teams. We will learn a lot more this afternoon once they play Ridgefield. Interested to see how face-offs work out in that game. Ridgefield has struggled with them so far but has done very well when Kai Prohaszka was taking them, I wonder if they will begin to put a pole on face-offs by default against better fogos as we go through the season. But I have to favor Darien in this matchup, just so much depth at all position groups, and I think they will wear down the Tigers and escape with a slim margin or victory. 12-10 Darien.
Fairfield Prep - An incredibly young team this year, lost count of the number of underclassmen playing for them in their game vs NC. They have talent but will likely occupy the 6th spot in the state rankings behind the top 5 in the FCIAC. Will stay competitive in most of their games vs. FCIAC competition (except Darien & Ridge) but I would consider it an upset if they beat any top FCIAC teams this season. They will improve as the year goes on and they get their youthful mistakes out of their systems. If they do beat a top FCIAC team I imagine it will happen in the state playoffs or late in the regular season. Should role through their league as usual, with Cheshire being the only team that seems to be a threat thus far. Likely a rebuilding year but their youth will help them in the next 2-3 season where they will be one of the better teams in the state if they can avoid losing kids to transfers to different schools.
Staples - They performed above expectations against NC, but we do have an admittedly small sample size to draw on this far into the season. Their FOGO dominated against NC and will most likely be the best in FCIAC this year, giving them a possession advantage against CT competition. I like how they match up against Ridgefield and Darien. Most D-1 committed FOGO's can handle pressure from longpoles with ease and a dominating face-off performance mixed with a very deliberate game of long drawn out possessions could open the door for an upset against Darien and especially Ridgefield. I think their success or failure in breaking into the top of the FCIAC will be determined by their offensive production. Their defense, goalie, and FOGO played great against NC, but 7 goals isn't a super impressive output especially when you dominate time of possession. We will know a lot more once they play Darien and Wilton.
Ridgefield - Had a somewhat shaky performance vs NC but once they figured out face-offs they rolled to a win overcoming a 3 goal halftime deficit. Obviously putting a pole on face-offs is not ideal but that will likely be the situation for this team against top competition, if they can contest faceoffs and win around 40% they should be okay. The only team that this could be a concern against would be Staples. Other than that area they have as much talent and depth as anyone other than Darien. Interested to see how Ryan Colsey matches up with Dariens top defenseman, if they can win the their matchups of opposing stars then Ridgefield has a good change for an upset. I think Darien wins todays game by a thin margin with an interesting rematch looming for these teams in the conference and state playoffs. 12-10 Darien
New Canaan - Shaky start thus far. The Staples game looks like it made the Rams face-off situation look worse off than it really is, Staples will most likely have an advantage on face-offs against all FCIAC competition this year unless someone can find a a longpole to mitigate the damage. Lack of offensive depth looks to be a concern going forward. Others have made note of it, but midfield driven offenses are typically less productive then attack driven offenses. They are seemingly still looking for their identity with some lineup changes happening in the first couple games mixed in with some injuries. They should improve as the season goes on but I would put them in the 5th spot in state rankings at the moment. Their matchup with Wilton on Wednesday should be a good game. I think whichever team wins more face-offs will come out on top. Wilton 10-8
Wilton - Had a very strange game versus Daniel Hand over the weekend. They dominated the first half but in the late third quarter and into the fourth quarter seemed to have an unending stream of penalties that kept them man down and sometimes two men down for what seemed like 60% of the quarter. Some of the penalties made sense but there were a couple flags I had no idea what the penalty was for, perhaps something that happened out of frame from the broadcast like a quick offsides infraction. But the penalties gave Hand some momentum and turned what would have likely been a 10-3 or 11-3 scoreline into a 10-8 final score. They've had good offensive depth thus far without any one individual doing too much heavy lifting. This is good but I do wonder if they will have a star able to consistently create offense, particularly against Ridgefield and Dariens defense. Their FOGO has done well against CIAC teams winning most of the clamps vs. Hand but did at times struggle to handle defensive pressure. Face-offs will likely play a huge role in their game against NC. Defensively they've been good, Goalie Colin Lenskold played very well vs. Hand and had a solid performance vs. Brunswick. I like how they match up against NC, Jake Sommer will matchup with Chris Canet and should have success there. I'm curious to see if they will double pole the midfield and use a longpole on Ryan Caione instead of a SSDM. Should be a good game though and will give us a better idea of the pecking order in the FCIAC this year. 10-8 Wilton.
Darien - Haven't had any competitive matchups yet so they are the biggest mystery among the top teams. We will learn a lot more this afternoon once they play Ridgefield. Interested to see how face-offs work out in that game. Ridgefield has struggled with them so far but has done very well when Kai Prohaszka was taking them, I wonder if they will begin to put a pole on face-offs by default against better fogos as we go through the season. But I have to favor Darien in this matchup, just so much depth at all position groups, and I think they will wear down the Tigers and escape with a slim margin or victory. 12-10 Darien.
Fairfield Prep - An incredibly young team this year, lost count of the number of underclassmen playing for them in their game vs NC. They have talent but will likely occupy the 6th spot in the state rankings behind the top 5 in the FCIAC. Will stay competitive in most of their games vs. FCIAC competition (except Darien & Ridge) but I would consider it an upset if they beat any top FCIAC teams this season. They will improve as the year goes on and they get their youthful mistakes out of their systems. If they do beat a top FCIAC team I imagine it will happen in the state playoffs or late in the regular season. Should role through their league as usual, with Cheshire being the only team that seems to be a threat thus far. Likely a rebuilding year but their youth will help them in the next 2-3 season where they will be one of the better teams in the state if they can avoid losing kids to transfers to different schools.
Staples - They performed above expectations against NC, but we do have an admittedly small sample size to draw on this far into the season. Their FOGO dominated against NC and will most likely be the best in FCIAC this year, giving them a possession advantage against CT competition. I like how they match up against Ridgefield and Darien. Most D-1 committed FOGO's can handle pressure from longpoles with ease and a dominating face-off performance mixed with a very deliberate game of long drawn out possessions could open the door for an upset against Darien and especially Ridgefield. I think their success or failure in breaking into the top of the FCIAC will be determined by their offensive production. Their defense, goalie, and FOGO played great against NC, but 7 goals isn't a super impressive output especially when you dominate time of possession. We will know a lot more once they play Darien and Wilton.
Ridgefield - Had a somewhat shaky performance vs NC but once they figured out face-offs they rolled to a win overcoming a 3 goal halftime deficit. Obviously putting a pole on face-offs is not ideal but that will likely be the situation for this team against top competition, if they can contest faceoffs and win around 40% they should be okay. The only team that this could be a concern against would be Staples. Other than that area they have as much talent and depth as anyone other than Darien. Interested to see how Ryan Colsey matches up with Dariens top defenseman, if they can win the their matchups of opposing stars then Ridgefield has a good change for an upset. I think Darien wins todays game by a thin margin with an interesting rematch looming for these teams in the conference and state playoffs. 12-10 Darien
Re: Connecticut 2021
Great analysis fritz, big thanks for posting it.
Re: Connecticut 2021
Link for Wilton vs. New Canaan game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ZoYtT ... ghSchoolTV
Re: Connecticut 2021
6-4 New Canaan. Pretty sloppy game but I suspect that might describe much of this season. Both D’s played well but neither O looked too threatening as a unit. They put up a decent number vs Ridgefield in a loss but 3 vs Staples and 6 today (albeit in a win) is not going to cut it.
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random observer
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Re: Connecticut 2021
NC's defense has been decent so far, but the offense has been hard to watch. There's very little cohesion; Plan A, B, and C seems to be to have Canet or Caione dodge from up top while everyone stands around watching to see if they'll make a play or can one from 15 yards out. I don't believe any of today's goals were assisted, and I think only one goal was assisted against Ridgefield. That can't continue if they are to be a threat this year. They have the most senior heavy lineup in the league, and the talent is there, but there's a lot of work to be done.
Darien seems to be in a league of their own. They dispatched Ridgefield with ease yesterday, and their offensive qb didn't even play. Staples looks to be the other main challenger, and maybe if Dodge can dominate their great FOGO the way he did NC's they can make it a game. But short of someone severely out possessing them, I'm not sure I see Darien losing a game in conference. The game to circle is Brunswick, which should be a great one. Face-offs will be key in this one as well; I think if their FOGO can get close to even against the Brunswick duo Darien has a decent shot, but if Wick dominates possessions like they did in 2019 it will be tough to keep pace unless Demopolous severely outperforms his counterpart.
Outside of the FCIAC, Glastonbury looks to be pretty down this year, but Cheshire has had a strong start and Hand was competitive in their split against Ludlowe and Wilton. New Fairfield looks like the class of the smaller divisions again.
On a more general note, the state should be pretty strong next year. CT produced a ton of talent in the class of 2021, which is reflected in the recruiting rankings; unfortunately the lion's share of those players were snatched up by NEW-1 (imagine NC with the Ricciardelli brothers, Trumbull with Schutz, Greenwich with Johnson, Dowling, and all those Brunswick kids). The class of 2022 isn't quite as strong, but the publics managed to retain a larger share of the player pool this time. Ridgefield has almost no seniors on the roster let alone seeing the field. Staples is extremely junior heavy. Wilton has a handful of seniors starting, but their best players are juniors and sophomores. Fairfield Prep had 7 of their 8 goals against NC scored by freshman and sophomores. Darien has a great senior class, but their juniors are equally strong and their leading goal scorer is a freshman. The only team that looks to be in a position to be weaker next year is NC -- although they often surprise and over perform just when you think they are in rebuild mode.
Darien seems to be in a league of their own. They dispatched Ridgefield with ease yesterday, and their offensive qb didn't even play. Staples looks to be the other main challenger, and maybe if Dodge can dominate their great FOGO the way he did NC's they can make it a game. But short of someone severely out possessing them, I'm not sure I see Darien losing a game in conference. The game to circle is Brunswick, which should be a great one. Face-offs will be key in this one as well; I think if their FOGO can get close to even against the Brunswick duo Darien has a decent shot, but if Wick dominates possessions like they did in 2019 it will be tough to keep pace unless Demopolous severely outperforms his counterpart.
Outside of the FCIAC, Glastonbury looks to be pretty down this year, but Cheshire has had a strong start and Hand was competitive in their split against Ludlowe and Wilton. New Fairfield looks like the class of the smaller divisions again.
On a more general note, the state should be pretty strong next year. CT produced a ton of talent in the class of 2021, which is reflected in the recruiting rankings; unfortunately the lion's share of those players were snatched up by NEW-1 (imagine NC with the Ricciardelli brothers, Trumbull with Schutz, Greenwich with Johnson, Dowling, and all those Brunswick kids). The class of 2022 isn't quite as strong, but the publics managed to retain a larger share of the player pool this time. Ridgefield has almost no seniors on the roster let alone seeing the field. Staples is extremely junior heavy. Wilton has a handful of seniors starting, but their best players are juniors and sophomores. Fairfield Prep had 7 of their 8 goals against NC scored by freshman and sophomores. Darien has a great senior class, but their juniors are equally strong and their leading goal scorer is a freshman. The only team that looks to be in a position to be weaker next year is NC -- although they often surprise and over perform just when you think they are in rebuild mode.
Re: Connecticut 2021
Great stuff Random, always appreciate your CT takes
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Typical Lax Dad
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Re: Connecticut 2021
“You lucky I ain’t read wretched yet!”
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SlingtheRock7
- Posts: 24
- Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2021 11:13 am
Re: Connecticut 2021
Just thought I’d share my thoughts and give power rankings for the FCIAC teams so far this season. Unfortunately don’t watch too many teams outside of the conference so I can’t comment on them. This ranking is just my opinion! Feel like 1-4 are pretty accurate, 5-6, and 7-9 are all very debatable.
1. Darien- Head and shoulders above every other team in the FCIAC thus far. They’ve got a complete team that has even overcome absences from key players in some big games. Offensively they can initiate from anywhere on the field. Minicus and Matheis are great from behind the cage/on low wings while Moore is a major problem for teams in the midfield. You almost can’t even slide to some of these guys due to how quickly they can move/skip the ball. They were dominant on both sides of the ball on Saturday as they completely dismantled New Canaan and had a comfortable win over Ridgefield earlier. Defense looks solid so far and goalie play from Demopolus will continue to be elite. The only potential chink in their armor I can see is face-offs. Hasn’t been an issue so far but teams with elite face-off play (Staples/Brunswick) could potentially exploit this and out possess them. Didn’t get the chance to watch the game against Staples tonight but the 10-7 win points to their ability to overcome great FOGO’s. Overall, my bet is that their only L will come against Brunswick this season. Staples will be their biggest FCIAC threat but they just proved that they’re the clear favorites.
2. Staples- I’ve been incredibly impressed by Staples so far. They started out with a dominant win over New Canaan 7-3. The score doesn’t show just how lopsided this game was. They completely controlled possessions from the face-off X and overall just out-toughed New Canaan. Canet got NC’s 3 goals but REALLY had to work for them. Staples followed that up with solid wins over Greenwich and Cheshire. The strength of this team is obvious, Henry Dodge. The UVM commit has been dominant in face-offs all year long. They compliment Dodge with a big, physical and talented team anchored on the defensive end. They have the face-off play and a good enough defense to at least slow down the Blue Wave, will the offense be able to keep up? Doubtful, but they’ve got a puncher's chance in a potential future matchup.
3. Ridgefield- Haven’t seen a ton of Ridgefield this year. Only game I’ve watched from them was against St. Joe’s so I’m strictly going off of that, info from this forum, and score comparisons (I know, not perfect). Ridgefield clearly has some impact players on both ends of the field that are complemented by solid role players. They do have 1 glaring issue when going up against top-tier teams: Face-offs. Colsey can flat out score the ball and they’ve got some dangerous pieces around him, but against better teams, they’ve really got to get value each possession. This wasn’t an issue against St. Joe’s, who they handled comfortably 20-6 and won face-offs against. New Canaan and clearly Darien were different stories. Throwing a pole, typically Prohaszka (UNC commit), up at the X can help to try and minimize the issue but isn’t a complete solution for more dominant FOGOs and teams. This showed in the game against Warde this past Tuesday night. 8-7 at the half until they really started poling faceoffs and balancing possessions. Good wins over New Canaan and Wilton get them to this spot. Below Staples due to the comparison of New Canaan performances and Darien performances.
4. New Canaan- Tough start to the season thus far for NC but they’ve also had a pretty grueling schedule. Game against Staples was rough to watch as they were physically out-matched and out-possessed in face-offs. In agreement with other posters’ stance on their offense. They are completely dependent on Canet and Caione to get goals. Canet’s 3 against Staples were predominately all ISO dodges as he kamikaze’d to the net. He did get 3, but also had a number of turnovers. Their 13-9 W against Ludlowe wasn’t very impressive either, which I was in attendance for. They won, but this was a 2 goal game up to the 4th. Ludlowe was clearly fatigued and had a low bench (seemed to only have 4 poles and 2 D-mids that got ran into the ground that day), their inability to clear killed them and NC took advantage. A close loss to Ridgefield (a game they could’ve potentially won) and then wins over Prep and Wilton seemed to signal that things were going in the right direction but the dismantling against Darien was a step back. Shin (Trinity commit) has been competitive at the face-off X. Bottom line though is that they need more attack production. Wood (Tufts) and Apelt (Williams) need to step up and really challenge close-defenseman if NC wants to compete with Darien this year. Defense looks respectable enough but NC will need a bit more diversity on offense as teams lock in on stopping their midfield duo.
5. Wilton- Haven’t seen any of Wilton this year so I’m going off of other posts and scores. I know they’ve got a strong defense and have performed well in out-of-conference games against Hand/Glastonbury. All of their losses have come against very strong competition. Their game against Staples this Saturday should give better insight regarding if they deserve 5 or 6 in relation to Greenwich. Giving them the slight edge just due to their SOS so far.
6. Greenwich- Will be honest: I haven’t watched/heard much of Greenwich either. Brutal start to the year for them, as they got hit with a 2-week Covid quarantine before playing a game. They were greeted on their return to play by a strong/battle-tested Staples team that already played 2 games. They followed that up with a loss to Prep but just got their first win against a terrible Westhill team. Should know more about them after their game against Ridgefield this weekend. A toss-up between them and Wilton for the 5 spot at the moment.
7. Ludlowe- 7, 8, and 9 will see a lot of fluctuation in the coming week and a half. Giving Ludlowe the very slight nod here over 8 and 9 at the moment based off of St. Joe’s Ridgefield score. Got the chance to watch Ludlowe vs. NC and I was honestly very impressed. This team will go as far as their FOGO Klyver (Dickinson commit) will take them. If he’s competitive at the X, they’ve got a chance against everyone outside of Darien and probably Staples. Ludlowe was without a number of poles and a starting D-mid against NC, and I imagine this was the case for Hand at the start of the season (Still not a great loss there though). With some fresher legs, I think the NC game stays a 1 or 2 goal game, at points in the 3rd/4th NC was subbing out 2nd midfielders mid-O-possessions for Canet/Caione to run against exhausted personnel. This was 5-3 at the half and 8-5 going into the 4th so very respectable performance. Offense has some legitimate threats but nothing overly elite, their defense looks solid enough to keep up with the better O-units. Ludlowe has West Haven and St Joe’s in the next 4 days so should have more info on just how competitive they are after winning their past 4 games against sub-par competition. They took care of Trumbull tonight 13-7. Game was 8-7 at the half thanks to a ton of Ludlowe penalties and man-down goals, Trumbull had maybe 1 6v6 goal. Ludlowe dominated the 2nd half and showed how good they are. Don’t see them ever getting above this spot though.
8. St. Joe’s- Another team that was unfortunately hit with a Covid 2 week quarantine. Before that they were 2-1 with a bad 20-6 L to Ridgefield and a closer than expected 10-5 W over Danbury. Ridgefield was just too much offensively and St. Joe’s couldn’t keep up, especially while not controlling face-offs. Preston Kral (Stony Brook) is a very good player in the midfield and can consistently beat his man. Their offensive unit in general did look strong against Ridgefield despite what the score indicates. Good goalie play kept a few more would-be goals off the board. They added their first impressive win to their resume by beating Warde 11-8 earlier tonight, which gets them slotted in here. Monday’s game against Ludlowe will give some clarity as to how 7,8 and 9 should be seeded. However, they currently get the 8 spot due to Ludlowe’s loss to New Canaan being a little more competitive than St. Joe’s vs Ridgefield.
9. Warde- Warde has one aspect of their team that stands out- A 6’5 attackman named Jack Mckenna who’s headed to Fairfield U. He is a problem, a big and physical player that can unsurprisingly shoot the ball. Warde started the season off 6-0 against extremely sub-par competition. The 16-3 win over Trumbull stands out at first, but this came as a result of good Warde and very very bad Trumbull. Warde deserves respect and will be able to hang with some of the big teams this year. Their FOGO Andrew Buck (Haverford) should keep them competitive at the X and they do have some weapons outside of Mckenna. However, I don’t think their defense will be able to hold some of the traditional powerhouses if possessions aren’t lopsided in their own favor. The Ridgefield game last night reinforces this (21-12 loss). This game was 8-7 at the half. Big change came when Ridgefield started poling face-offs, leading to a much more even split of possessions. They’ll find themselves below St Joe’s for a while but could get up to 8 in my eyes depending on how Ludlowe vs. St. Joe’s goes.
10. Trumbull- I think the drop from 9 to 10 is steep. Trumbull was dominated in face-offs against Warde and then got shelled on defense. This will be the recurring problem for this team, which was seen again tonight vs Ludlowe. They do have some offensive threats that can score the ball if given the opportunity. Unfortunately, they’re abysmal at face-offs and their defense won’t be able to keep up with any competent offensive unit. I think they’ve got a significant edge on the other 5 FCIAC teams below them though so look for them to stay here at 10 all year long while Ludlowe, Warde and St. Joe’s slug it out for the honor of being handled by the 1/2 seeds come FCIAC tournament time.
1. Darien- Head and shoulders above every other team in the FCIAC thus far. They’ve got a complete team that has even overcome absences from key players in some big games. Offensively they can initiate from anywhere on the field. Minicus and Matheis are great from behind the cage/on low wings while Moore is a major problem for teams in the midfield. You almost can’t even slide to some of these guys due to how quickly they can move/skip the ball. They were dominant on both sides of the ball on Saturday as they completely dismantled New Canaan and had a comfortable win over Ridgefield earlier. Defense looks solid so far and goalie play from Demopolus will continue to be elite. The only potential chink in their armor I can see is face-offs. Hasn’t been an issue so far but teams with elite face-off play (Staples/Brunswick) could potentially exploit this and out possess them. Didn’t get the chance to watch the game against Staples tonight but the 10-7 win points to their ability to overcome great FOGO’s. Overall, my bet is that their only L will come against Brunswick this season. Staples will be their biggest FCIAC threat but they just proved that they’re the clear favorites.
2. Staples- I’ve been incredibly impressed by Staples so far. They started out with a dominant win over New Canaan 7-3. The score doesn’t show just how lopsided this game was. They completely controlled possessions from the face-off X and overall just out-toughed New Canaan. Canet got NC’s 3 goals but REALLY had to work for them. Staples followed that up with solid wins over Greenwich and Cheshire. The strength of this team is obvious, Henry Dodge. The UVM commit has been dominant in face-offs all year long. They compliment Dodge with a big, physical and talented team anchored on the defensive end. They have the face-off play and a good enough defense to at least slow down the Blue Wave, will the offense be able to keep up? Doubtful, but they’ve got a puncher's chance in a potential future matchup.
3. Ridgefield- Haven’t seen a ton of Ridgefield this year. Only game I’ve watched from them was against St. Joe’s so I’m strictly going off of that, info from this forum, and score comparisons (I know, not perfect). Ridgefield clearly has some impact players on both ends of the field that are complemented by solid role players. They do have 1 glaring issue when going up against top-tier teams: Face-offs. Colsey can flat out score the ball and they’ve got some dangerous pieces around him, but against better teams, they’ve really got to get value each possession. This wasn’t an issue against St. Joe’s, who they handled comfortably 20-6 and won face-offs against. New Canaan and clearly Darien were different stories. Throwing a pole, typically Prohaszka (UNC commit), up at the X can help to try and minimize the issue but isn’t a complete solution for more dominant FOGOs and teams. This showed in the game against Warde this past Tuesday night. 8-7 at the half until they really started poling faceoffs and balancing possessions. Good wins over New Canaan and Wilton get them to this spot. Below Staples due to the comparison of New Canaan performances and Darien performances.
4. New Canaan- Tough start to the season thus far for NC but they’ve also had a pretty grueling schedule. Game against Staples was rough to watch as they were physically out-matched and out-possessed in face-offs. In agreement with other posters’ stance on their offense. They are completely dependent on Canet and Caione to get goals. Canet’s 3 against Staples were predominately all ISO dodges as he kamikaze’d to the net. He did get 3, but also had a number of turnovers. Their 13-9 W against Ludlowe wasn’t very impressive either, which I was in attendance for. They won, but this was a 2 goal game up to the 4th. Ludlowe was clearly fatigued and had a low bench (seemed to only have 4 poles and 2 D-mids that got ran into the ground that day), their inability to clear killed them and NC took advantage. A close loss to Ridgefield (a game they could’ve potentially won) and then wins over Prep and Wilton seemed to signal that things were going in the right direction but the dismantling against Darien was a step back. Shin (Trinity commit) has been competitive at the face-off X. Bottom line though is that they need more attack production. Wood (Tufts) and Apelt (Williams) need to step up and really challenge close-defenseman if NC wants to compete with Darien this year. Defense looks respectable enough but NC will need a bit more diversity on offense as teams lock in on stopping their midfield duo.
5. Wilton- Haven’t seen any of Wilton this year so I’m going off of other posts and scores. I know they’ve got a strong defense and have performed well in out-of-conference games against Hand/Glastonbury. All of their losses have come against very strong competition. Their game against Staples this Saturday should give better insight regarding if they deserve 5 or 6 in relation to Greenwich. Giving them the slight edge just due to their SOS so far.
6. Greenwich- Will be honest: I haven’t watched/heard much of Greenwich either. Brutal start to the year for them, as they got hit with a 2-week Covid quarantine before playing a game. They were greeted on their return to play by a strong/battle-tested Staples team that already played 2 games. They followed that up with a loss to Prep but just got their first win against a terrible Westhill team. Should know more about them after their game against Ridgefield this weekend. A toss-up between them and Wilton for the 5 spot at the moment.
7. Ludlowe- 7, 8, and 9 will see a lot of fluctuation in the coming week and a half. Giving Ludlowe the very slight nod here over 8 and 9 at the moment based off of St. Joe’s Ridgefield score. Got the chance to watch Ludlowe vs. NC and I was honestly very impressed. This team will go as far as their FOGO Klyver (Dickinson commit) will take them. If he’s competitive at the X, they’ve got a chance against everyone outside of Darien and probably Staples. Ludlowe was without a number of poles and a starting D-mid against NC, and I imagine this was the case for Hand at the start of the season (Still not a great loss there though). With some fresher legs, I think the NC game stays a 1 or 2 goal game, at points in the 3rd/4th NC was subbing out 2nd midfielders mid-O-possessions for Canet/Caione to run against exhausted personnel. This was 5-3 at the half and 8-5 going into the 4th so very respectable performance. Offense has some legitimate threats but nothing overly elite, their defense looks solid enough to keep up with the better O-units. Ludlowe has West Haven and St Joe’s in the next 4 days so should have more info on just how competitive they are after winning their past 4 games against sub-par competition. They took care of Trumbull tonight 13-7. Game was 8-7 at the half thanks to a ton of Ludlowe penalties and man-down goals, Trumbull had maybe 1 6v6 goal. Ludlowe dominated the 2nd half and showed how good they are. Don’t see them ever getting above this spot though.
8. St. Joe’s- Another team that was unfortunately hit with a Covid 2 week quarantine. Before that they were 2-1 with a bad 20-6 L to Ridgefield and a closer than expected 10-5 W over Danbury. Ridgefield was just too much offensively and St. Joe’s couldn’t keep up, especially while not controlling face-offs. Preston Kral (Stony Brook) is a very good player in the midfield and can consistently beat his man. Their offensive unit in general did look strong against Ridgefield despite what the score indicates. Good goalie play kept a few more would-be goals off the board. They added their first impressive win to their resume by beating Warde 11-8 earlier tonight, which gets them slotted in here. Monday’s game against Ludlowe will give some clarity as to how 7,8 and 9 should be seeded. However, they currently get the 8 spot due to Ludlowe’s loss to New Canaan being a little more competitive than St. Joe’s vs Ridgefield.
9. Warde- Warde has one aspect of their team that stands out- A 6’5 attackman named Jack Mckenna who’s headed to Fairfield U. He is a problem, a big and physical player that can unsurprisingly shoot the ball. Warde started the season off 6-0 against extremely sub-par competition. The 16-3 win over Trumbull stands out at first, but this came as a result of good Warde and very very bad Trumbull. Warde deserves respect and will be able to hang with some of the big teams this year. Their FOGO Andrew Buck (Haverford) should keep them competitive at the X and they do have some weapons outside of Mckenna. However, I don’t think their defense will be able to hold some of the traditional powerhouses if possessions aren’t lopsided in their own favor. The Ridgefield game last night reinforces this (21-12 loss). This game was 8-7 at the half. Big change came when Ridgefield started poling face-offs, leading to a much more even split of possessions. They’ll find themselves below St Joe’s for a while but could get up to 8 in my eyes depending on how Ludlowe vs. St. Joe’s goes.
10. Trumbull- I think the drop from 9 to 10 is steep. Trumbull was dominated in face-offs against Warde and then got shelled on defense. This will be the recurring problem for this team, which was seen again tonight vs Ludlowe. They do have some offensive threats that can score the ball if given the opportunity. Unfortunately, they’re abysmal at face-offs and their defense won’t be able to keep up with any competent offensive unit. I think they’ve got a significant edge on the other 5 FCIAC teams below them though so look for them to stay here at 10 all year long while Ludlowe, Warde and St. Joe’s slug it out for the honor of being handled by the 1/2 seeds come FCIAC tournament time.
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random observer
- Posts: 544
- Joined: Sun Mar 03, 2019 10:31 am
Re: Connecticut 2021
Great stuff Slingtherock. I think you've got the order right in the FCIAC right now. Staples impressed me today, and they've been playing without their two best middies (Best and Sale) since the NC game. They were also without a few other guys like Beck and Sequenzia against Greenwich. They are a pretty complete team and I wish they were one of the teams playing Brunswick this year as I'd love to see how they'd match up against them with Dodge at the X. Kosakowski has been pretty brilliant in goal and is a clear #2 in the FCIAC imo, and he's a lot closer to Demopolous than anyone would have expected coming into the season. They've got really strong junior and sophomore classes and they have great depth of scoring. The midfield in particular is really strong.
Darien is a cut above everyone, and they've been playing without probably their best offensive player in Matheis since the McMahon game. Really hoping he's back for the Brunswick game on Saturday, but in the absence of any news to the contrary, it seems likely that he won't be available. Still, what separates the Darien program is that the offense is more about the team than it is individual talent; they've thrown a freshman in there and they haven't skipped a beat. Brunswick has an incredible array of talent, and should be favored -- but if they play like they did against Lawrenceville and Haverford, I like Darien in this game (lost in all of Darien's many records these past few years is the fact that they haven't lost a home game since 2013. And if you take out that team, which was the worst Darien team in 30 years, then you have to go back to 2009 to find a home loss). Cummiskey might be the key; Dodge definitely got the better of him, but it wasn't a complete drubbing the way it has been many times in the past when Darien goes up against an elite FOGO. If they can replicate that and get to 30-40% against Brunswick's FOGOs, that will alleviate a ton of pressure.
Ridgefield is very good and in the mix, but I think their lack of senior leadership is hard to ignore. This is going to be a scary team next year, as they really only lose two players who see any time whatsoever. Really like that starting six on offense, but they don't have the depth of Darien and Staples.
New Canaan is a team I still feel could make a run because they have a lot of seniors. But the offense looks very discombobulated. They don't have a lot of dodgers, so they're going to need to really get the ball movement and off-ball cutting to click. I think the guy who could really elevate the attack is the sophomore Augustine, who was injured at the start of the season but was back for the Darien game. He seemed like the best option to draw slides from the wing and behind the cage.
Wilton is solid, but like NC I don't think they have many guys who can consistently draw slides from any part of the field. Masterson is a really impressive middle, Calabrese is a great shooter, and the Rath brothers provide some different looks for defenses with their wing dodges. But against the top FCIAC defenses I don't think that will be enough.
As for the next 5, I'd have Greenwich next by default. Hard to gauge them so far but they were competitive against a depleted Staples team and a Fairfield Prep team that would slot somewhere amongst NC/Wilton. Warde I would have had breathing down their necks given their hot start and the first half vs. Ridgefield, but then St. Joe's beat them. Ludlowe has looked solid as well. I think it comes down to these 4 for the final 3 FCIAC playoff spots. Trumbull is the best of the rest, but like Slingtherock said, there's a gap between the others and them.
One other team that deserves special mention is Cheshire. They will be a real threat in the state playoffs to teams not named Darien. They had a close call against Shelton, but it's since been revealed they had a ton of players out with COVID protocol. They had all those guys back against Staples, but without any practice time in between, and they tested the Wreckers for 4 quarters.
Darien is a cut above everyone, and they've been playing without probably their best offensive player in Matheis since the McMahon game. Really hoping he's back for the Brunswick game on Saturday, but in the absence of any news to the contrary, it seems likely that he won't be available. Still, what separates the Darien program is that the offense is more about the team than it is individual talent; they've thrown a freshman in there and they haven't skipped a beat. Brunswick has an incredible array of talent, and should be favored -- but if they play like they did against Lawrenceville and Haverford, I like Darien in this game (lost in all of Darien's many records these past few years is the fact that they haven't lost a home game since 2013. And if you take out that team, which was the worst Darien team in 30 years, then you have to go back to 2009 to find a home loss). Cummiskey might be the key; Dodge definitely got the better of him, but it wasn't a complete drubbing the way it has been many times in the past when Darien goes up against an elite FOGO. If they can replicate that and get to 30-40% against Brunswick's FOGOs, that will alleviate a ton of pressure.
Ridgefield is very good and in the mix, but I think their lack of senior leadership is hard to ignore. This is going to be a scary team next year, as they really only lose two players who see any time whatsoever. Really like that starting six on offense, but they don't have the depth of Darien and Staples.
New Canaan is a team I still feel could make a run because they have a lot of seniors. But the offense looks very discombobulated. They don't have a lot of dodgers, so they're going to need to really get the ball movement and off-ball cutting to click. I think the guy who could really elevate the attack is the sophomore Augustine, who was injured at the start of the season but was back for the Darien game. He seemed like the best option to draw slides from the wing and behind the cage.
Wilton is solid, but like NC I don't think they have many guys who can consistently draw slides from any part of the field. Masterson is a really impressive middle, Calabrese is a great shooter, and the Rath brothers provide some different looks for defenses with their wing dodges. But against the top FCIAC defenses I don't think that will be enough.
As for the next 5, I'd have Greenwich next by default. Hard to gauge them so far but they were competitive against a depleted Staples team and a Fairfield Prep team that would slot somewhere amongst NC/Wilton. Warde I would have had breathing down their necks given their hot start and the first half vs. Ridgefield, but then St. Joe's beat them. Ludlowe has looked solid as well. I think it comes down to these 4 for the final 3 FCIAC playoff spots. Trumbull is the best of the rest, but like Slingtherock said, there's a gap between the others and them.
One other team that deserves special mention is Cheshire. They will be a real threat in the state playoffs to teams not named Darien. They had a close call against Shelton, but it's since been revealed they had a ton of players out with COVID protocol. They had all those guys back against Staples, but without any practice time in between, and they tested the Wreckers for 4 quarters.
Re: Connecticut 2021
Good to see some activity coming back to this board.
One thing that is beginning to become more clear is that COVID related absences are going to have an enormous impact on this season. Already from a couple games multiple players out in conjunction has already had a big impact. Someone mentioned above that Staples was missing their 2 best middies against Darien, who knows the impact that could have had for a game that was competitive throughout. Hopefully this matchup comes up again in the state and conference playoffs with both teams at full strength.
For the Wilton vs. New Canaan game I noticed that 3 attackmen for Wilton in Sam & Jack Rosen, and Dylan Smith were all out with what looked like COVID related issues since they didn't appear injured. I won't mention any names but the replacements were noticeable liabilities that accounted for a lot of unforced turnovers and a couple of wasted opportunities in the form of open shots right on the crease. Hard to imagine in a game that was so low scoring that having to go down 3 more attackmen in the depth chart didn't have a large impact especially when you take into account the number of unforced turnovers Wilton had while they had a pretty good advantage on face-offs. Also noticed from just a quick glance at the livestream of Wiltons game against Norwalk today that Jake Sommer and a couple other starters weren't playing, hopefully they are back for their game against Staples but who really knows, looks like this could affect just about everyone from game to game.
I havent heard anything about Darien, NC, or Ridgefield missing players from COVID yet, but it does seem like nearly everyone will have to deal with this at some point this season unless they are very lucky. I know that Greenwich had to cancel a couple games because of how many players tested positive. Would really hate to see teams play games during the playoffs without having some of their best players and having that affect the results. But this definitely is a variable that could throw a wildcard into many games and result in some "upsets" .
One thing that is beginning to become more clear is that COVID related absences are going to have an enormous impact on this season. Already from a couple games multiple players out in conjunction has already had a big impact. Someone mentioned above that Staples was missing their 2 best middies against Darien, who knows the impact that could have had for a game that was competitive throughout. Hopefully this matchup comes up again in the state and conference playoffs with both teams at full strength.
For the Wilton vs. New Canaan game I noticed that 3 attackmen for Wilton in Sam & Jack Rosen, and Dylan Smith were all out with what looked like COVID related issues since they didn't appear injured. I won't mention any names but the replacements were noticeable liabilities that accounted for a lot of unforced turnovers and a couple of wasted opportunities in the form of open shots right on the crease. Hard to imagine in a game that was so low scoring that having to go down 3 more attackmen in the depth chart didn't have a large impact especially when you take into account the number of unforced turnovers Wilton had while they had a pretty good advantage on face-offs. Also noticed from just a quick glance at the livestream of Wiltons game against Norwalk today that Jake Sommer and a couple other starters weren't playing, hopefully they are back for their game against Staples but who really knows, looks like this could affect just about everyone from game to game.
I havent heard anything about Darien, NC, or Ridgefield missing players from COVID yet, but it does seem like nearly everyone will have to deal with this at some point this season unless they are very lucky. I know that Greenwich had to cancel a couple games because of how many players tested positive. Would really hate to see teams play games during the playoffs without having some of their best players and having that affect the results. But this definitely is a variable that could throw a wildcard into many games and result in some "upsets" .
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random observer
- Posts: 544
- Joined: Sun Mar 03, 2019 10:31 am
Re: Connecticut 2021
Good intel on the COVID issues, which are sometimes hard to track. The Staples middie injuries are not Covid related. Not sure what happened to Best, but heard Sale hurt or maybe even tore a hamstring. Matheis for Darien is also dealing with a hamstring issue. I believe Augustine for NC was an ankle issue. According to the papers, the older Colsey is now playing through a groin injury which has him mostly playing off the crease.fritz44 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 30, 2021 6:30 pm Good to see some activity coming back to this board.
One thing that is beginning to become more clear is that COVID related absences are going to have an enormous impact on this season. Already from a couple games multiple players out in conjunction has already had a big impact. Someone mentioned above that Staples was missing their 2 best middies against Darien, who knows the impact that could have had for a game that was competitive throughout. Hopefully this matchup comes up again in the state and conference playoffs with both teams at full strength.
For the Wilton vs. New Canaan game I noticed that 3 attackmen for Wilton in Sam & Jack Rosen, and Dylan Smith were all out with what looked like COVID related issues since they didn't appear injured. I won't mention any names but the replacements were noticeable liabilities that accounted for a lot of unforced turnovers and a couple of wasted opportunities in the form of open shots right on the crease. Hard to imagine in a game that was so low scoring that having to go down 3 more attackmen in the depth chart didn't have a large impact especially when you take into account the number of unforced turnovers Wilton had while they had a pretty good advantage on face-offs. Also noticed from just a quick glance at the livestream of Wiltons game against Norwalk today that Jake Sommer and a couple other starters weren't playing, hopefully they are back for their game against Staples but who really knows, looks like this could affect just about everyone from game to game.
I havent heard anything about Darien, NC, or Ridgefield missing players from COVID yet, but it does seem like nearly everyone will have to deal with this at some point this season unless they are very lucky. I know that Greenwich had to cancel a couple games because of how many players tested positive. Would really hate to see teams play games during the playoffs without having some of their best players and having that affect the results. But this definitely is a variable that could throw a wildcard into many games and result in some "upsets" .
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random observer
- Posts: 544
- Joined: Sun Mar 03, 2019 10:31 am
Re: Connecticut 2021
Brunswick tops Darien 9-8 in OT, handing Darien their first home loss since 2013. Mackesy with the game-winner, which was Brunswick's' first and only lead in the game. Darien came out scorching and put up 4 goals in the blink of an eye, then Brunswick answered with three goals in under a minute. After that it got very cagey. Odd game in that Darien did ok on face-offs but still got dominated in possession time; Brunswick was more athletic and came up with the vast majority of the 50/50 ground balls, and Darien's offense played a very poor game with lots of unforced turnovers. Demopolous was brilliant to mitigate the sloppiness on the other end of the field.
In the first half he must have had close to a dozen saves, as Brunswick did what they'd been doing a lot of lately; settling for outside shots. In the second half, Wick played a lot more like the team that came out of the gates hot this year; they pressed aggressively all over the field and worked hard for quality shots. Much improved from what they showed against Haverford and Lawrenceville, against a stingy defense and terrific goalie.
Really disappointed by the performance by the Darien offense given the performance on the other end of the field. Brunswick's defense was buttoned up and did a great job on Minicus, and later Moore after the two early goals. The rest of the guys seemed a bit out of sorts with how to unlock the defense with those two held down; would have liked to see more pairs offense. Ball movement was not crisp (to put it lightly), and I didn't see as much moving without the ball as usual for Darien. When they did spin it, they threw a lot of balls into the turf. They're going to rue the way they tried to see out the game after going up early; this was a game that was right there for the taking and they didn't come up with a sharp performance in arguably their biggest game on the schedule. Still think it's admirable the way they were right there with a prep factory like Brunswick, playing without their offensive quarterback (Matheis); goes to show that you can't just look at the commit lists (not that Darien is lacking there) and just assume that translates into superiority on the field.
In the first half he must have had close to a dozen saves, as Brunswick did what they'd been doing a lot of lately; settling for outside shots. In the second half, Wick played a lot more like the team that came out of the gates hot this year; they pressed aggressively all over the field and worked hard for quality shots. Much improved from what they showed against Haverford and Lawrenceville, against a stingy defense and terrific goalie.
Really disappointed by the performance by the Darien offense given the performance on the other end of the field. Brunswick's defense was buttoned up and did a great job on Minicus, and later Moore after the two early goals. The rest of the guys seemed a bit out of sorts with how to unlock the defense with those two held down; would have liked to see more pairs offense. Ball movement was not crisp (to put it lightly), and I didn't see as much moving without the ball as usual for Darien. When they did spin it, they threw a lot of balls into the turf. They're going to rue the way they tried to see out the game after going up early; this was a game that was right there for the taking and they didn't come up with a sharp performance in arguably their biggest game on the schedule. Still think it's admirable the way they were right there with a prep factory like Brunswick, playing without their offensive quarterback (Matheis); goes to show that you can't just look at the commit lists (not that Darien is lacking there) and just assume that translates into superiority on the field.
Re: Connecticut 2021
To round out the scoring, Darien had 4 goals from Frosh Brady Pokorny and one from his brother Finn. Great game!