Is it too late to look back on the 2009 high school football season? Probably, but I’m going for it.

I saw Ridgefield head coach Kevin Callahan at the FCIAC girls basketball semifinals on Wednesday, and that reminded me I never made mention of Ridgefield going 9-1 but not making the CIAC Class LL playoffs. All the focus in late fall was on Bridgeport Central not getting in after it nearly claimed its first-ever league championship.

Matter of fact, Ridgefield finished fourth in the FCIAC playoff standings behind Staples, Central and New Canaan. St. Joseph, your Class SS champion, was sixth in the FCIAC (oh, I saw Cadets/Hogs head coach Joe Della Vecchia at the game, too… now I feel like paparazzi guy with my name-dropping).

It’s a shame Ridgefield got shut out of the postseason because of one blip – albeit a huge blip – against Staples in Week 3. But the football bounces in funny ways. Ridgefield didn’t get a lot of help from its opponents: Three of its wins – Wilton, Danbury and Norwalk – came against teams with just two wins. The Tigers also beat McMahon, a 3-win team, and winless Harding.

In short, Ridgefield did what it had to do to be a postseason contender. It just didn’t get any outside help. In the 2010 playoff setup (four divisions, eight teams in each), Ridgefield is probably playing after Thanksgiving.

Ridgefield did have a 1,000 yard rusher in Drew Arcoleo, cornerback DeVaghn Millington was a two-way threat after transferring in from a New York school, Thomas Jordan was a force on both lines (and is recovering this winter from shoulder surgery), and the offense gelled once Griffin McCarty took over at quarterback.

The Tigers will lose its running backs to graduation, but I expect them to be hungry in 2010 after being left at the altar.

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New Canaan quarterback Turner Baty is the Fairfield County Player of the Week for Week 6.

Against previously undefeated St. Joseph, Baty completed 22 of 35 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Rams to a 35-25 win.

Other Week 6 nominees included:

• Ryan Leddy, Wilton: 35 carries for 207 yards and a touchdown.
• Silas Redd, King: 9 carries for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns.
• Christon Gill, Central, 10 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown, plus a forced fumble.
• Alex Delaney, Warde: 8 carries for 63 yards, 1 reception for 10 yards, 1 touchdown, 15 tackles.
• Cody Newton, 8 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown.
• Drew Arcoleo, Ridgefield, 20 carries for 190 yards and 4 touchdowns.
• Matt Reyes-Guerra-Dunn, Wilton, 2 touchdown receptions.

Candidates for the Fairfield County Player of the Week award are nominated either direct from their coaches, by media recommendations or by fans of the FCIAC Football Blog on Facebook.

The Fairfield County Player of the Week Award is sponsored by BlueStreak Sports Training and supported by the FCIAC Football Blog.

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Now in the years I’ve been covering high school football, Ridgefield has never been a team that has lingered on the field even after a win at Lancaster Field at Tiger Hollow. But the coaching staff had a meeting on the 20 yard line for about 10 to 15 minutes after the Tigers defeated Fairfield Ludlowe 21-6 yesterday.

Kevin Callahan and his staff were not happy. Ridgefield let Ludlowe stay in the game. Ridgefield turned the ball over four times to a team that is not supposed to be as superior. And I’m sure the Ridgefield players can admit they played a sloppy game, one week after dominating Stamford.

Now the Ridgefield defensive line is for real. I have not looked at stats, but Ludlowe could not gain any yardage on the ground. A few times, Mike Sheehan ran it on a quarterback keeper for positive yardage. Tom Jordan is not only big, but he has some great technique. And as Callahan said, the National Champs (Florida) doesn’t just offer anyone a scholarship.

And Ludlowe head coach Matt McCloskey did a great job of play calling in the second half, which allowed Sheehan to find receivers like Nick Rossomando for a touchdown and Devin Brault for a few big gains.

Ridgefield is also going to cause some headaches with its Wildcat formations. Not only is starting quarterback Ryan Curnal taking snaps, but running back Drew Arcoleo is in the shotgun formation, as is senior transfer DeVaghn Millington, who was a starting quarterback in an option offense in upstate New York last season and is a Division I recruit as a cornerback.

And the bottom line is, a win is a win. Better for Ridgefield to have been sloppy in victory that to have been sloppy and lose.

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So do we have an FCIAC Champion yet? A New England Prep School champ? No, but we do still have a lot of questions that need answering after one week of the regular season.

What’s Khairi Fortt’s status? We’re going to have to wait and see. Even if Fortt can play a week after suffering an undetermined knee injury, his presence at linebacker isn’t going to help Stamford’s offense, which gained just 8 yards against a stubborn Alex Howard-led Ridgefield defense before the JV players entered the game, when they play Greenwich this week.

Changing of the SWC Guard? New Milford defeated Brookfield on opening night. Newtown had no problem with Bunnell… and Newtown is a very young bunch. Masuk and Pomperaug are looking like the teams to beat. Seems like old times, if you consider earlier this decade to be old times.

Willie Ouelette or Turner Baty? I heard a lot of good things about Baty from people that attended the game. He just needs to get to know his receivers a little better, and to take some zip off the short passes. But for now Ouelette is the starter in New Canaan.

Who’s booming those kicks? Staples senior Santiago Cuartas and Ridgefield senior Sean Cobelli both banged 40+ yard field goals in their teams’ wins. New Canaan junior Brianna Valente booted an extra point for the Rams, and may be the first girl to have scored in an FCIAC game.

Bassick bad again? I don’t think so. Some New Canaan coaches were praising the Lions, adding that the team just needs a little more cohesiveness on the lines. Looking at Bassick’s schedule, which doesn’t get easy this week with a game at Central, I think they have a very good chance (on paper) of finishing at least .500 this year.

Will anyone slow down King? Silas Redd put up some gaudy first-week numbers. 262 yards rushing on 10 carries. I get to see them this week against Hamden Hall. I’m sure it’s going to be another huge game.

Warde for real? Already asked that one here. Let’s see. The Mustangs play Wilcox Tech in Week 2 (not exactly world-beaters). Week 3 is Bassick. What was once a game people laughed at me for annually attending could be one of the best games this season.

Which Norwalk team will experience more growing pains? I’d have to say McMahon. Damien Vega is a sophomore staring at center, and he showed he could be a good QB in this league. But Norwalk has senior leadership in Andrew Krasnavage. Though Krasnavage has handed the ball off most of his two seasons as a starter, he’ll be a calming presence in the huddle.

Just how good is Ridgefield? Let’s see. Junior lineman Thomas Jordan has offers from Florida and Boston College, and he just started his junior year. The defense gave up 8 yards to Stamford. Highly touted quarterback-cornerback transfer DeVaghn Millington will only play defense. Drew Arcoleo is one of the fastest backs we’ve seen in a while. I think this could be Ridgefield’s year.

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By Tim Parry

Last night I did something subconsciously while writing the Ridgefield-Staples game story up for The Advocate.I did not include the successive words “Matt White.”

Sure, Matt White started at quarterback as he has for the past two seasons. But for what may have been the first time since 2006, Matt White was not the story for Ridgefield.

And no matter how you slice it, that could be a good thing for Ridgefield. And that’s not a knock against Matt White. It’s a complement to the team.

All too many times, it’s appeared Ridgefield has relied on White to get the job done. Whether it’s with some athletic move or form of magic, his teammates have always seemed tentative to get the job done themselves.

You don’t believe me? Look at White’s coming out party two years ago at New Canaan, when he guided the Tigers to its first win in that town in ages. Or last season at McMahon, when White took matters into his own hands to lead a fourth-quarter comeback.

After jumping out to a 16-0 lead just four minutes into the game, White’s teammates allowed him to just be an emotional leader, and a manager of the game.

So why is this a good thing? It helps develop a program. It lets the league know there’s no I in team, It let the FCIAC know that Drew Arcoleo is a game-breaker, and Charlie Gravitte can chase the quarterback down. Or that when Ridgefield wants to kill the clock, it can rely on Michael McKnight to hold on to the ball. Or that Jimmy O’Dea has gone from being one of the best kickers into the league to a threat on both sides of the ball.

It means Ridgefield is more than a one-dimensional team. And that White as a spiritual leader can keep his team fired up for four quarters.

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By Tim Parry

If there’s anything Ridgefield head coach hates, it’s orange jerseys. But a few hours before his team kicked off to Staples last night, he had a box of them for his team.

Now Callahan said his team was focused on Staples this week, but just maybe the new threads gave Ridgefield the final bit of motivation it needed to beat Staples for the first time in his coaching career.

Ridgefield didn’t just defeat the Wreckers. Ridgefield dominated the Wreckers 37-6.

“We walk into the equipment room two hours before the game and Coach Callahan pulls out a surprise,” Ridgefield quarterback Matt White said. “And we figure we better get a win with these new jerseys.”

Heck, Ridgefield stormed out of the gate. Ridgefield got a safety, and then a 65-yard touchdown on the ensuing free kick by Drew Arcoleo. Arcoleo then scored on a 40-yard touchdown run on Ridgefield’s first offensive play, giving the Tigers a 16-0 lead just four minutes into the game.

“You can’t spot a team like that a 16-0 lead like that four minutes into the game,” Staples head coach Marce Petroccio said. “You have to give Ridgefield all the credit in the world, but we just made every mistake you can possibly make on both sides of the ball.”

White, for the record, completed just three of nine passes for 31 yards. But with Ridgefield getting the big lead and Arcoleo getting off to the strong start, White said he was fine with keeping the ball on the ground.

“He’s getting the job done, you’ve got to keep feeding him,” White said.

Arcoleo finished with 69 yards on 12 carries, and fullback Michael McKnight had 105 on 13.

The Ridgefield defense did most of the damage. They forced five Staples turnovers, including two fumbles that were recovered by Jimmy O’Dea.

Now it wasn’t all Ridgefield in this one. Brandon Pacilio hit Brendan Rankowitz on a 47-yard bomb. And Pacilio was able to find wide-open receivers downfield. Midway through the second quarter, Staples could have pulled within a touchdown, but a wide-open Matt Kelly couldn’t hang on to a Pacilio pass in the end zone.

Rankowitz finished with five catched for 93 yards.

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