Fairfield Prep junior attachman Brendan Rotanz.
(Photo by Jim Stout/MaxPreps.com)
Championship Week is here.
And you know what that means? It’s time for you to go on record with who you think will win. We’ll start now with Connecticut and come back with separate threads for Nassau and Suffolk and Section 1.
Connecticut state tournament schedule:
CIAC tournament: Division L pairings
CIAC tournament: Division M pairings
CIAC tournament: Division S pairings
Four straight days of title-game showdowns start tomorrow in the Southern Connecticut Conference as top-seeded Fairfield Prep faces No. 3 Cheshire at 5 p.m. at Branford High School.
Tuesday features the much-awaited Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic showdown between top-seeded Ridgefield and four-time state champion Darien.
Ridgefield, which survived a scare from New Canaan yesterday in the semis (rallying from three goals down with three minutes left in regulation to win in OT), battled back to beat Darien 8-7 in the teams’ regular-season meeting.
Earlier on Tuesday, the South-West Conference will be contested between New Fairfield and New Milford.
Here’s the schedule of finals. Now, let’s hear what you think.
SCC
Fairfield Prep 10, Cheshire 6
FCIAC
Tuesday at Brien McMahon at High School, 7:30 p.m.
No. 1 Ridgefield vs. No. 2 Darien
SWC
Tuesday at Pomperaug High School, 5 p.m.
No. 1 New Fairfield vs. No. 2 Newtown
Reach Joe Lombardi at joe@laxlessons.com.
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Posted In: Fairfield lacrosse, SCC lacrosse, SWC lacrosse
Any injury updates for the FCIAC finals? Saw Caputo pull up with what looked like a re-aggravation of the hamstring injury and Scott came up limping from a ground ball mele late in the fourth quarter, he tried to stay in the game, but left the field a short time later. Will these two be able to play? This is one game there should be no excuses with the outcome.
Anxious to here more coverage of the FCIACs .
Colin Scott, Ridgefield (bruised thigh) QUESTIONABLE.
Darien 10, Field 8
FP 13, Chesh 6
Darien 11, Ridge 8
NF 12, NT 6
FP 15, Cheshire 5
Darien 9, RF 8
New F 14, New M 7
Darien 12
Ridge 8
Good luck Tuesday night Roy Boy. We’re behind you 100 percent …
Ridgefield 9,
Darien 7
Ridgefield 10, Darien 7
Joe,
Didn’t Newtown beat New Milford in the SWC semis? Aren’t they playing in the championship?
LI Lax –
Right you are. Newtown defeated New Milford 15-14 in the semis and plays New Fairfield in the final.
I agree with the wave. Ridgefield is a one hit wonder and will lose to Darien you can mark it down now Darien by 5. Ridefield next year not even 500
Wow. What a difference in a few weeks makes. I don’t think remember many, if any, Darien picks when the Blue Wave played Ridgefield during the regular season.
I’m interested to hear Syracuse weigh in on this. He went with Ridgefield by seven in the regular-season game.
Stay tuned.
Unfortunately for Ridgefield, it seems like they peaked early. The offensive juggernaut that scored at will now seems tight (like standing in front of a downhill 3 foot putt). For the last month they have been playing sloppy (bad ground balls / difficult time clearing). While Darien, NC and Greenwich can enlist waves of strong backups, Ridgefield’s lack of depth is really showing now. Bottem line – Darien strong fundemental play is too much for the Tigers (even for the guy (Matt White) who wears the “S” on his jersey.
Darien 11
Ridgefield 8
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC […]
This will be a great test of colsey’s coaching. Needs to find a way to clear the ball with a shaky defense. No excuses after the new canaan wake up call. I think he is up to the task. Ridge 9, darien 7.
I’d like to reassure Joe that I did pick Darien the first time around, and am glad to do so again. That said, it would seem by most objective-thinking people that the FCIACs are a toss-up and the result will be determined by a very small margin, just as the regular season match-up was. I am also pleased to welcome toto, old growth and all others to the previously spacious Darien bandwagon.
While the momentum seems to be with the Blue Wave, I think that unlike the 1st meeting that the pressure to perform will be with Darien this time around because:
– They are the defending champs
– Ridgefield has focused their entire season to get back to this point where they were one year ago today (those “Unfinished Business” shooting shirts are sweet, btw)
– At this point, Darien represents the “old guard” seeking to hold off the challenge of a program which has become successful only in the last two-three years. Were this a match-up vs. New Canaan or Wilton, that would generate much less interest generally
– They are facing a very formidable opponent with as many talented players as themselves, if not moreso. Many consider Matt White to be the consensus POY in all of Connecticut at attack, and Walsh to be the top midfielder. Their goalie, Hyatt, can certainly claim to be their unsung hero this season, without him there are no last-minute comebacks.
– Most importantly, the Tigers have already beaten Darien by rallying late in the game when things looked bleak. Considering the outcome of the NC semi-final, it’s safe to assume that no lead is safe until all 48 minutes are played. Darien has to get out fast and stay there throught the game. Winning each quarter by a single goal would be a worthy endeavor.
There’s lots of reasons to think that Darien will prevail, of course. It’s funny how close the semi-final results this year resemble last year’s, Darien handling Wilton easily and Ridgefield eeking out a one-goal victory, that time over Greenwich. So with last year’s score as a guide, I’m taking Darien 13-9 again on Tuesday night, and hoping everyone who is injured can get on the field and contribute whatever they can, as the boys always do.
I would like to see R Field win as another team taking the title other than Darien or Wilton is always good. They have the starting horses to do it.
slaxxer couldn’t agree more on the test of coaching as Roy inherited a lot there.
Darien has more guys back from injury and experience in big games.
Darien 11
RField 10
Wilton hasn’t won since ’99, but I hear ya it would be good to see another team get on the board. CIAC brackets are up btw, potential New Canaan v New Fairfield in quarters for M
BlueWhite –
The state tournament brackets were just released moments ago.
Just scroll up to the main body of this post and you will find the links for classes L, M and S.
LaxNovice –
Good analysis as always. Very thorough and interesting. I do remember your pick in the first game BTW. The rematch should be interesting.
Hey Stamford Advocate – it’s Roy COLSEY not COSLEY. He’s just one of the most famous lacrosse players in this history of the game. Can you guys believe this? What a joke. Why do newspapers even bother any more? They just embarrass themselves.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_12487220?IADID=Search-www.stamfordadvocate.com-www.stamfordadvocate.com
That’s inexcusable. It wasn’t a typo either because he refers to him as Cosley throughout the story. Bad enough some clueless reporter didn’t know better but doesn’t anyone edit their stories?
It’s sad really. The days of local newspapers getting things right, getting out there and bringing you, the players, fans and parents, the best possible coverage is long gone.
But that’s not to say it can’t be unearthed and brought back to life.
I started in that industry and got the heck out before things totally went south. Having worked at both The Advocate and The Journal News I can tell you this much: The people they have there are for the most part very dedicated to what they do. The problem is because the industry as a whole is suffering greatly the emphasis on detail and in some cases coverage of certain high school sports has gone down hill.
Back in the day, The Journal News’ local sports coverage was incredible. We’d get to so many high school football games on a Friday night and Saturday that you couldn’t go through the local sports section of the paper and not find exactly what you were looking for (and many things you either didn’t know or were surprised to find). That was the beauty of that paper during the time I was there with a local staff of 10-15 guys, four regions of coverage.
But that paper, in my opinion, made a fatal move late in the 90s. It tried to compete with the big NYC papers in pro sports coverage and got away a bit from what made it so good — local, local, local.
Then when Joe got there he did exactly that — got back to the good ole days. And he infused the web into everything, with results that couldn’t be denied.
But then the industry got completely ravaged financially and things got out of hand again. I won’t comment on the reasons for Joe’s decision to leave that paper, but it’s plainly obvious to all those who still read it that things aren’t even close to what they were. There’s no one person to blame really. It’s just a combo of the industry’s dire financial straits mixed with a lack of whomever really knowing what it is they really want to emphasize.
Just the other day I was reading all three girls Section 1 finals stories and, like I usually do, when I’m done with a story I got to the boxscore. Well, you couldn’t find 5 of the 6 teams’ actual records in either the story or the box. It was sad and it spoke volumes as to the paper’s lack of direction.
I’m not saying that paper still doesn’t do some things well, but clearly many things are amiss.
As for The Advocate, I know its sports editor and he’s a good detail-oriented guy. But there really is no excuse to ever get anyone’s name spelled wrong, let alone throughout a story and let alone a person as high profile as Roy Colsey, especially since Ridgefield is right in that paper’s circle of coverage.
For a paper like The Advocate to truly capitalize on its readership it must go totally off on local sports coverage. I remember the days when Babe Ruth and Little League baseball got more attention than any pro team. The staff knew back then that since youth baseball in Stamford and many surrounding areas is bigger than everything else due to regional history, they better do it right.
As for local lacrosse coverage at The Advocate, the paper’s staff is considerably smaller than it once was. I’d give the hierarchy more time to reassess before anyone decides to throw the paper’s local sports coverage completely under the bus.
But there’s no question, our local papers leave a lot to be desired. Sooner or later someone has to step up and remember who their true audience is and react accordingly.
The Advocate might be more familiar with him were it not his first season coaching in the area. They probably don’t have the guy who covered the Bridgeport Barrage working there anymore. Stamford is a baseball town deep to its core, if you want lax expertise try the Baltimore Sun.
Joe, thanks for the kind words. I try to stick to the overviews, since I’m not really qualified to discuss technical aspects of the game. I’m going to try to get there for the 2nd half, I have a prior commitment earlier. If not, it’s comforting to know that you and your staff have it all covered here. Thanks for all the good work.
Tim Parry, who wrote that article, is best known as the man behind the FCIAC Football Blog – a freelance operation that attempted to do for football what Joe and ‘Cuse have done for local lacrosse coverage. It was relatively successful through three seasons, but Tim attempted to branch out (including lax updates) and diluted the blog’s value. As far as I know, he closed shop in December.
So, misspelling a coach’s name is clearly inexcusable, but Parry a) is a football guy first and foremost and b) has made significant contributions to local sports coverage. I think he’s entitled to a slipup or two.
As to the state of local newspapers, ‘Cuse, I appreciate the insider’s perspective. Hailing from a journalism family – and having considered it as a career path (still in school, though, so I guess the door remains open) – the decline of print publications has been particularly depressing. The Advocate and its regional brethren will likely never be what they once were; hopefully, local blogs – LaxLessons chief amongst them – will continue to pick up the slack.
It is my opinion, as someone who has worked for three daily newspapers, wire services and now in television, that without question the new age of “print journalism” that will dominate the landscape for the forseeable future is “blogging” sites just like this one.
We have the ability to bring things to our readers as they happen without much overhead cost and by using simple techniques. It’s much more cost efficient and allows for the reader or viewer to be much more involves in the “reporting” of a story.
I think LaxLessons and other sites like it have tremendous potential going forward. Advertisers will soon agree.
Bottom line: You give the people in-depth coverage of local events, and give them a say as well,, you win on every front.
Of course it helps to have knowledgable people in your viewership — which this site clearly has.
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC […]
Darien wins by 3-4 over Ridgefield…Joe what say ye? Time to make a call on this one….
Laxcat –
I’m still mulling it over believe it or not. What I will do to make things consistent is post my picks for each day’s championships the morning those games are played. So I’ll post Ridgefield-Darien and New Fairfield-Newtown picks in the AM.
I don’t want to forget about Fairfield Prep-Cheshire. It starts at 5. Here’s my pick for that one:
Prep 13, Cheshire 6
Syracuse,
Totally appreciate your coverage of the HS sport in the area. I know this is not the blog for this but just a quick question (as I spent my whole Sat at Fox Lane) do you think town can do a double? I actually think the Boys route is tougher.
My last word on the Advocate is that I still enjoy the paper each day as a quick read. Their sports articles, which also appear in the Greenwich Time and vice versa, are generally well-written, if guilty of an understandible local bias. They were the only source I had for the boxscores of the FCIAC semifinals when someone here requested it. As in the case of those who complain about MSG’s HS lax coverage, consider where you were not long ago when none of it, newsprint nor television, existed.
Hey TigerTown- The Advocate transposes two letters in someones name and it’s inexcusable?? Maybe you’re gettting a little tight for Tuesday’s game and should figure another way to vent, maybe run a few laps around your yard
Old Rugger,
Double as in double sectional titles or double state championships?
If it’s the latter, I think it would be a shocking accomplishment, what with the boys needing to play out of their minds to get by Guilderland, West Islip or Ward Melville and likely West Genny. I mean, that’s just insane.
The girls game, honestly, I really don’t know much about. I know West Genny girls are good as are several teams on L.I. and several in the Albany area, but since Yorktown is in Class B for girls lax, I think their road has less obstacles.
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC (includes CIAC state tourney schedule) […]
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC (includes CIAC state tourney schedule) […]
Be sure to check back for updates throughout tonight’s Ridgefield-Darien FCIAC title-game showdown starting at 7:30.
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC (includes CIAC state tourney schedule) […]
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC final results (includes CIAC state tourney schedule) […]
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC final results (includes CIAC state tourney schedule) […]
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC final results (includes CIAC state tourney schedule) […]
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC final results (includes CIAC state tourney schedule) […]
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC final results (includes CIAC state tourney schedule) […]
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC final results (includes CIAC state tourney schedule) […]
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC final results (includes CIAC state tourney schedule) […]
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC final results (includes CIAC state tourney schedule) […]
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC final results (includes CIAC state tourney schedule) […]
[…] FCIAC, SCC and SWC final results (includes CIAC state tourney schedule) […]