Facts, Figures And Info You Need About The Connecticut Football Finals

CONNECTICUT — A dozen finalists have been determined for this weekend's CIAC state championship football games at two Division I college stadiums in Connecticut. Three contests each will be played at Rentschler Field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, and Arute Field at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain.

The Class MM and Class SS title matchups will take place Friday night, one at each venue, with the remaining four games being played Saturday.

Digital tickets must be purchased in advance, and may be obtained here; tickets will not be sold at the gates. An electronic copy of the game programs will soon be available for download here.

Here are some interesting facts about the teams involved in the championship contests.

• This is the 25th time the CIAC layoffs have been conducted in a 6-division format (1981-1994, 2002-2009 and 2022-present). For the second straight year, and just the second time overall, all 12 finalists have previously won state titles. Under the previous 4-division alignment, that situation arose four times: 2001, 2010, 2011 and 2013.
• None of the six finals match the top two seeds in the bracket. There are a pair of No. 1 seeds and three No. 2 seeds remaining.
• Three teams enter the finales with undefeated records: Windsor (Class MM), Brookfield (M) and Killingly (SS).
• New Canaan seeks its third straight Class L crown, while Bloomfield looks to repeat as Class S champions.
• In a rivalry dating back to the Calvin Coolidge administration in 1928, Darien and New Canaan will meet on the gridiron for the historic 100th time, in a rematch of last year's Class L final. The FCIAC rivals are squaring off in the finals for the fifth time, with New Canaan emerging on top in each of the first four encounters. Ansonia and Bloomfield are hooking it up for the eighth time, with the Chargers currently holding a 4-3 advantage.

• Unlike most years, each of the 12 finalists has won at least one state championship in the past, with West Haven enduring the longest drought at 22 years since its Class LL victory in 2002. Ironically, Windsor, the top-ranked team in the state in both the media and coaches' polls, is the only finalist with just one state title to its credit, that coming in 2014.
• Four schools have reached double figures in previous titles: Ansonia (21), St. Joseph (15), New Canaan (14) and Bloomfield (10). In fact, the two contestants in the Class S title game. Ansonia and Bloomfield, have combined for a staggering 31 state championships. Greenwich has nine state crowns, and is looking to join the double figure group.
• In the first two rounds of the playoffs, Killingly leads the way with 117 points scored and a point differential of 96, while the stingy defenses of Greenwich and West Haven have allowed just six and seven points, respectively. Windsor has yet to allow a postseason point, following up its unprecedented first-round forfeit victory over Northwest United with a 50-0 thrashing of Newington in the Class MM semifinals.
• The West Haven Blue Devils will attempt to win the Class LL title at the home of the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils.

Here is complete information about each title game, including championship histories and links to team rosters and season records.

CLASS LL
Saturday, 6:30 p.m., Arute Field

No. 3 Greenwich Cardinals vs. No. 5 West Haven Blue Devils

Regular season: GRE 8-2; WH 8-2
The road to the finals:

• GRE: d. New Britain 27-6; d. Staples 14-0
• WH: d. Glastonbury 6-0; d. Fairfield Prep 42-7

Title game record: GRE 9-8; WH 4-2
Last state championship: GRE 2022; WH 2002
Rosters

CLASS L
Saturday, 3 p.m., Arute Field

No. 2 New Canaan Rams vs. No. 4 Darien Blue Wave

Regular season: NC 9-1; DAR 8-2
The road to the finals:

• NC: d. Maloney 41-7; d. Newtown 35-20
• DAR: d. Fairfield Ludlowe 55-13; d. Notre Dame-West Haven 35-21

Title game record: NC 14-5; DAR 8-10
Last state championship: NC 2023; DAR 2021
Rosters

CLASS MM
Friday, 6:30 p.m., Arute Field

No. 1 Windsor Warriors vs. No. 6 Masuk Panthers

Regular season: WIN 10-0; MAS 7-3
The road to the finals:

• WIN: d. Northwest United 1-0 (forfeit); d. Newington 50-0
• MAS: d. Torrington 41-0; d. Bunnell 41-13

Title game record: WIN 1-4; MAS 3-7
Last state championship: WIN 2014; MAS 2010
Rosters

CLASS M
Saturday, 1:30 p.m., Rentschler Field

No. 2 Brookfield Bobcats vs. No. 4 St. Joseph Cadets

Regular season: BRO 10-0; STJ 7-3
The road to the finals:

• BRO: d. Jonathan Law 48-13; d. Berlin 28-0
• STJ: d. Watertown 42-7; d. Daniel Hand 17-10

Title game record: BRO 4-4; STJ 15-3
Last state championship: BRO 2015; STJ 2019
Rosters

CLASS SS
Friday, 6:30 p.m., Rentschler Field

No. 1 Killingly Redmen vs. No. 3 Sheehan Titans

Regular season: KIL 10-0; SHE 8-2
The road to the finals:

• KIL: d. Ellington 75-14; d. Waterford 42-7
• SHE: d. Granby/Canton 20-6; d. Windham 49-13

Title game record: KIL 4-3; SHE 2-0
Last state championship: KIL 2021; SHE 2019
Rosters

CLASS S
Saturday, 10:30 a.m., Rentschler Field

No. 2 Ansonia Chargers vs. No. 5 Bloomfield Warhawks

Regular season: ANS9-1; BLO 7-3
The road to the finals:

• ANS: d. Valley Regional/Old Lyme 48-22; d. Woodland Regional 30-23
• BLO: d. East Catholic 22-21; d. WCA 28-23

Title game record: ANS 21-11; BLO 10-8
Last state championship: ANS 2022; BLO 2023
Rosters