FCIAC Football Blog

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.

St. Joseph athletic director took a huge gamble and ordered a bunch of t-shirts to honor the CIAC Class SS champion Cadets… before today’s game was played. Good thing he didn’t have to bury them out behind Dalling Field, or toss them in a dumpster: The Cadets (or Hogs) claimed that championship today with a 14-3 win over Montville.

The assistant coaches, and Olayos, beat the team buses back to St. Joseph. And as we waited for the rest of the team to return, they shared stories about how the weather and wind at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven was a huge factor in the game. Montville’s points, for example, came on a 47-yard field goal that had 10 yards to spare.

But the field goal didn’t bother St. Joseph, which got a pair of touchdowns from Tyler Matakevich to clinch the title.

“When they kicked that field goal, they were going nuts,” Matakevich said. “We just went into halftime thinking it was 0-0. It really didn’t faze us that much.”

Matakevich and his teammates were greeted in the gym by a loud crowd of family and students as they returned to St. Joseph.

“Words can’t express how great I feel right now,” Matakevich said. “The whole team did an excellent job, including the coaching staff, getting us ready for this game.”

Joe Della Vecchia, the quarterback and head coach’s son, was also speechless.

“We didn’t play too well in the first half and couldn’t finish our drives,” Della Vecchia said. “Second half we came out fired up, and when we scored our first touchdown, I knew we were going to win.”

Now the father and son share a bond that very few do. They both won state championships as players at St. Joseph.

“When I was a player, I will never forget that feeling of winning a state championship,” Coach Della Vecchia said. “This is better because I got to share it with my son. It’s nerve-racking a lot of times because I call the plays and put him in a position where he can make the plays or not make them. He’s just an awesome football player. I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks I’ve seen in a long time. I know he’s my son, but he had a great year for us.”

The quarterback threw for more than 2,500 yards this season, and 28 touchdowns vs. just six interceptions. But with the wind and a wet ball major factors, it was Matakevich’s day.

“We got Tyler to give the ball to, he gives us a great one-two punch,” Della Vecchia said. “And I can’t say enough about our offensive line and the work they did today. They were bigger than us but we were not going to be denied that opportunity.”

So when did St. Joseph appear to have a chance at winning the CIAC Class SS championship? The Della Vecchias have different answers.

Young Joe didn’t see it coming until the season began.

“Coming into this season I don’t think anyone thought we would be where we are right now,” the quarterback said. “Probably in the first game we all started believing in each other, started believing we were a really good team.”

The coach became a believer in the team in the preseason.

“I thought we had a good shot to end up here at the end of the season,” Coach Della Vecchia said. “I felt that between Darien and New Canaan and Greenwich and Trumbull, if we could win two of those games, that would get our foot in the door.”

There was a day just two summers ago, when St. Joseph head coach Joe Della Vecchia thought his life was over. At the age of 43, he had suffered a near-fatal heart attack. Della Vecchia watched what he ate, exercised regularly, but heart conditions were a part of his make-up, with his father dying at an early age from a heart attack.

Two seasons ago, his assistant coaches calmed him down when he screamed at referees. Now they let him go, as they know it’s a part of who Della Vecchia is.

“That’s part of my personality, that’s who I am, and I can’t change that,” said Della Vecchia, who is very soft spoken off the field.

The heart attack has not caused Della Vecchia to lose his will to win. Matter of fact, he said Wednesday at the CIAC media luncheon that he appreciates winning even more.

“I’m still as competitive, probably even more competitive because I understand how precious time is,” Della Vecchia said. “We have a saying at school, ‘Win Every Day,’ and I’ve been using that ever since I’ve been a coach. That’s what I want to do is compete every day, do the best we can do and come out on top.”

Della Vecchia and his St. Joseph team will play Montville at 2 p.m. today at Ken Strong Stadium for the CIAC Class SS title.

Will the FCIAC go 3-for-3 in state championship games this season? I wouldn’t be too certain. Here’s how I think tommorow’s games will go down though.

Class MM:
East Lyme vs. New Canaan, 2 p.m., at Bunnell High School (Stratford)
New Canaan’s offense has been a shell of itself since it ventured into Kennedy Stadium in Week 9 and lost 42-7 to the Hilltoppers. Talking with Turner Baty on Wednesday at the CIAC media luncheon, he said the weather had a lot to do with that Central loss. It’s going to be similar condition tomorrow at Bunnell.

Linebacker Cole Duncan said the New Canaan defense has been on the field a lot more than usual (about 70% of the time, he said), as teams are learning to control the ball to keep the Rams passing attack off the field.

East Lyme has a very good rushing attack, with two running backs surpassing 800 yards on the season. If the Vikings wanted to, they could have Jordan McCoy and Kevin Miao carry the ball all game and wear the Rams down.

East Lyme has a very good pass defense, with 17 interceptions and 20 passes defended. On top of that, East Lyme has 19 sacks and 20 fumble recoveries. The Vikings have given up just 64 points this season, including four shutouts, and game up a safety to Bacon Academy to close out another contest.

The Rams need to establish the run if they want to win a fourth straight CIAC Class MM title, and I don’t see it happening. New Canaan had shown the ability to run the ball earlier this season, but St. Paul Co-op shut Peter Park and Tim Robustelli down on Tuesday.

Two seasons ago, I was the only media member who thought New Canaan could beat Daniel Hand. Unless New Canaan finds a way to loosen up and have some fun on the field tomorrow, East Lyme will go home with the victory.

Class SS:
St. Joseph vs. Montville, 2 p.m., Ken Strong Stadium, West Haven
Montville head coach Tanner Grove knows how good Tyler Matakevich and Joe Della Vecchia are, and how strong St. Joseph is, and thinks they match up well on both sides of the ball with the Cadets.

Like the New Canaan-East Lyme game, St. Joseph’s defense will have its hands full with Montville’s run-oriented offense.

Montville runs a thunder and lightning type of offense, with a pair of junior running backs in Skyler McNair and Tyler Girard-Floyd. McNair is fast and shifty, and Girard-Floyd can pound the ball.

No doubt the father-son Della Vecchias will be looking for something to exploit in the Montville defense, as they did in its 56-7 win over Holy Cross on Tuesday. And Montville showed it can be vulnerable to the pass, losing to New London 28-26 earlier this season.

I think St. Joseph has a major deal of confidence on its side, and has been brilliant even in its losses to New Canaan and Greenwich this season. St. Joseph has waited 19 years for a shot at a state championship, and I think the Cadets (or Hogs) will rise to the occasion.

Class LL:
Cheshire at Staples, 7 p.m., Ken Strong Stadium, West Haven
(Listen Live on WWPTFM.com or 90.3 FM in the Westport area, starting with pregame at 6:30 p.m.)
When Cheshire head coach Mark Ecke told the CIAC media luncheon attendees that everything he learned about coaching defense, he learned from Staples head coach Marce Petroccio, everyone knew it would be a great game. Okay, maybe people knew before that, but now we know this will be a chess match for both schools.

Greg Palmer has rushed for more than 1,200 yards for Cheshire, and Dan Sweeney is at 909. If the Rob Gau, Jake Santora and Connor Bohling defense can shut down the run, then Kelly and Brendan Rankowitz should feast on Cheshire’s vulnerable pass offense.

Staples is the top team in the state for a reason. Each week, the Wreckers find a new may to win. If Matt Kelly can’t get the job done running the ball, Ryan Burke picks up the slack. If the offense can’t move the ball, the defense wins the game. And they have all picked up Keith Gelman, who inherited the quarterback job after a season-ending injury to Brandon Pacilio.

The Wreckers are a selfless group, and seem to be the team of destiny in 2009. They took Petroccio’s offseason message of playing as one unit to heart, and will ride that to victory tomorrow.

Staples running back Ryan Burke has been named Fairfield County Player of the Week for the seventh week of the high school football season.

Against Ludlowe, Burke carried the ball for 163 yards on 16 carries, and had second half touchdown runs of 45, 65 and 23 yards to lead Staples to a 38-0 win.

Nominees for the Week 7 Fairfield County Player of the Week award included:

• Turner Baty, quarterback, New Canaan (21-33-0-6TDs, 383 yards, plus 57 rushing yards)
• Matt Hajducky, linebacker, Trumbull (12 total tackles, 5 for loss, forced fumble, interception in 21-6 win over Danbury)
• Taquan Bradshaw, Harding
• Joe Della Vecchia, quarterback, St. Joseph (13-20-0-2TDs 280 yards and 2 rushing TDs)
• Brian O’Neill: (8-10-0-4TDs 208 yards and a rushing touchdown)
• Austin Dowdle, New Canaan
• Tom McNamara, Warde (held St. Joseph to 75 rushing yards)

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.