The CIAC quarterfinals are set for Tuesday. So let’s take a look at three things to watch.

• Breaking down the CIAC tournament (includes brackets and schedule)

First here’s the schedule:

CIAC quarterfinals

Games scheduled for 5 p.m.

Class L

No. 9 New Milford at No. 1 Ridgefield
No. 12 Fairfield Prep at No. 4 Amity Regional
No. 7 Simsbury at No. 2 Newtown
No. 6 Glastonbury at No. 3

Class M

No. 8 New Canaan at No. 1 New Fairfield
No. 5 Guilford at No. 4 Wilton
No. 7 Conard at No. 2 East Lyme
No. 11 Fairfield-Ludlowe at No. 3 Darien

Class S

No. 9 Weston at No. 1 Granby
No. 5 Ledyard at No. 4 Morgan-Clinton
No. 7 Somers at No. 2 Joel Barlow
No. 6 Immaculate-Danbury at No. 3 St. Joe’s

Three things to watch

• New Canaan vs. New Fairfield (Class M)

New Canaan boasts eight state lacrosse titles and a varsity program which predates Nixon’s resignation. New Fairfield burst into the limelight in 2008, largely on the basis of stat-stuffing longpole CJ Costabile.

That tomorrow’s Ram-Rebel matchup figures to be the highlight of the Class M quarterfinal draw, then, is a testament to Marty Morgan’s coaching prowess.

But the Rebels will have to dig deep for the victory. New Canaan rarely loses these sorts of games, and New Fairfield (19-1) has yet to face a team of the Rams’ caliber. To spring the upset, Morgan’s bunch will need to lean on an energetic home crowd and Nicky Costabile’s strong goaltending. On the other end, Tufts-bound attackman Andrew Fiamengo must create opportunities against Rams’ lockdown defenseman Kevin Campbell.

Look for New Fairfield to keep things interesting. But the Rams – who sport legitimate weapons in Joe Costigan, Cody Newton and Alex Garrison – should gut this one out.

• Wilton attackman Pete McMahon

Earlier this month, Joe Lombardi reported on Nick Trizano’s record-breaking exploits at Iona Prep. Here in Connecticut, a similar story is unfolding.

Wilton attackman Pete McMahon – who will play for Mike Pressler at Bryant next year – is currently tied with Georgetown great Andy Flick on the Warriors’ all-time scoring list. Both have 302 points. Should McMahon tally a goal (or, as he is more wont to do, dish out an assist) at Fujitani Field tomorrow, he will cement his status as the career No. 1 scorer at Connecticut’s most storied program.

McMahon’s (likely) achievement will overshadow another important milestone: with a victory over Guilford, the Warriors’ seniors will position themselves to play in their first CIAC final four. For Coach John Wiseman, who has been tasked with rescucitating the onetime state powerhouse, both should come as welcome developments.

• Class L predictions

A humdrum first round in much of Connecticut was overshadowed by a wild opening weekend in Class L, which witnessed overtime, upsets and no-holds-barred scoring. And with the surprise exits of Greenwich and Brien McMahon, just one FCIAC representative – Ridgefield, the tournament favorite – remains.

Game previews

The stage is now set for a quartet of intriguing quarterfinal matchups, previewed below:

Ridgefield vs. New Milford: The Green Wave have firepower (6-foot-4 midfielder Phil Dobson, attackman Drew Haig and junior Brandon Kuring), but Ridgefield also knows a thing or two about putting the ball in the back of the net. Look for a high scoring affair at Tiger Hollow, with Roy Colsey’s troops prevailing. Ridgefield, 16-8.

Amity Regional vs. Fairfield Prep: The Amity Regional Spartans have run hot and cold this season, rendering them difficult to forecast. Towson-bound defenseman Bill Choiniere will likely limit Chase Bailey’s (Bucknell) scoring opportunities, but Prep has the depth and experience to move on. Prep, 13-10.

Newtown vs. Simsbury: The Nighthawks survived and advanced, but Simsbury (a young team led by Salisbury-bound middie Paul Gallagher) should be the end of the road.  Coach Dan Corcoran has quietly built a powerhouse in the Hartford suburbs. Simsbury, 11-7.

Xavier vs. Glastonbury: Glastonbury is one of the state’s hottest teams (CCC championship loss to Simsbury aside), and the Tomahawks buried Greenwich early on Saturday. Xavier will meet a similar fate. Glastonbury, 9-4.

Reach Conor at conor@laxlessons.com.

Posted In: Fairfield lacrosse

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14 Responses to “What to watch for at the CIAC quarterfinals”

  1. WarriorNation says:

    I had no idea about Pete McMahon closing in on the record. Many thanks for passing along the info.

    Joe, great job bringing Conor aboard. He really knows his stuff and presents info in an unbiased and interesting way just as you do.

  2. Conor says:

    Thanks, Warrior.

    McMahon is a phenomenal attackman whose accomplishments have been largely obscured by the incessant “program collapse” chatter. Those Wiltonians I’ve spoken to could not be happier to see him on the cusp of history – most feel that he’s been a great team player through trying times.

    For more detail on the subject, John Nash has an interesting piece in the Wilton Villager:

    http://wiltonvillager.com/story/470442

    And while it’s too soon to tell, there’s a chance that the record may not last long. Sophomore Mike Francia is a two year starter who has done his fair share of scoring – he had 9 goals (!) and 2 assists in Wilton’s first round game.

  3. franklyscarlett says:

    Hey conor:

    How about scooping that other lax board and getting the All-FCIAC names out. Should have been voted on by now.

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  7. Syracuse says:

    Ridgefield in bit of a battle, leads 6-3 at the half.

  8. Conor says:

    Two finals out of Class L:

    Simsbury 11, Newtown 7
    Fairfield Prep 9, Amity Regional 8

  9. Ridgeman says:

    Ridgefield up 10-3 in third

  10. Ridgeman says:

    Ridgefield 13-5

  11. Syracuse says:

    Final: Ridgefield 13-5

  12. Conor says:

    New Fairfield upends New Canaan, 10-2, in a shocker. I’ll try to have more color on this in tomorrow’s semifinal preview. A huge win for the Rebels program and a tough loss for Alex Whitten and the Rams.

  13. franklyscarlett says:

    Syracuse the game was never really in doubt. New Milford tried to sit on the ball like everyone seems to want to do but Ridgefield nullified Dobson and it was just a matter of time. The two best midfielders on the field today were Walsh and Baker. It wasn’t close. Colsey was pulling starters by mid third quarter.

  14. syracuse says:

    Thanks franklyscarlett

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