Preseason high school football games kicked off a few weeks ago throughout the state of Connecticut starting the week of Sep. 12. The Connecticut regular season kicked off this past weekend with a full slate of games.
The No. 1 team in the Constitution State continues to be powerhouse Brunswick School followed by newbie Choate Rosemary Hall School, Greenwich and then Bunnell, which upset previous No. 3 Masuk.
Here’s the complete breakdown of Connecticut’s elite high school football teams, heading into Week 5 of the 2024 season, as we see it.
A private school that’s loaded with talent across the board is Brunswick School, with Clemson commitment Blake Hebert running the show offensively. He’s got Notre Dame commit Matty Augustine on one side and Syracuse commit Jaylen Pray on the other. The Bruins soundly defeated another state power, Suffield Academy, 35-7 in Week 5 action.
Another private school that’s loaded with talent across the board is Choate Rosemary Hall School. The Wild Boars picked up win No. 3 last week, 45-7, over Kennedy-Pawling School. Connecticut’s top player per 247Sports resides at Choate Rosemary in 4-star offensive lineman Will Black, who is committed to Notre Dame. A Nov. 2nd date with Avon Old Farms looks to be a highly anticipated meeting.
We really like the balance offensive attack led by dual-threat quarterback Michael D’angelo right now. The signal caller has made plenty of plays with his arm and legs, accounting for 786 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns. Greenwich knocked off Bishop Hendricksen, the No. 1 team in Rhode Island, a couple weeks ago and then defeated Dabury, 42-14. Coming off a bye week now, they have Wilton on tap this week.
When you’re able to shut out the team that was previously the No. 3 team in Masuk, 21-0, you’ve got to enter the rankings. The Bulldogs had an impressive Week 4 showing and have received stellar play from Steven Mendoza, who has thrown for 810 yards and eight touchdowns. The Bulldogs are another team that had a bye week.
The Beavers opened up the season with a loss, but bounced back with a Week 2 victory over Kent School, 42-6. In Week 3, AOF fell to No. 1 Brunswick Scool, 28-7. They feature one of the state’s most overall talented programs. Avon Old Farms has 3-star offensive tackle Owen Aliciene (Penn State commitment) and 3-star defensive lineman Dante Recker (Maryland commitment) highlighting a very talented roster.
We debated on how far the Rams would drop after having their 14-game winning streak snapped in a 14-0 loss to Masuk a couple weeks ago. Answer was just a few spots because this is still a really good team despite dropping a game. New Canaan bounced back with a 30-14 win over Ludlowe.
No Caleb Smith anymore? No problem for this Wreckers’ offense that’s proven to be pretty dang good regardless of who’s running it. Nick Weil is at the controls and the junior has thrown for 756 yards and 11 touchdowns, most importantly zero picks. Weil helped navigate Staples to a narrow 47-0 victory over Westhill last week.
Dropping down a few spots in this week’s rankings are the Panthers after a 21-0 loss to Bunnell. Masuk will look to bounce back this week against New Milford.
After needing one of their best efforts to upend North Haven in Week 1, its was much smoother sailing for the Cadets in Week 2 against Westhill, cruising 44-0. Week 3 was another easy win for St. Joseph, defeating Bloomfield 38-0 and followed it up with a 38-13 victory over Stamford.
The Tigers handily took care of business against Fairfield Prep in Week 2, rolling by the Jesuits 34-3. Hand made its debut a couple weeks ago into the rankings because of the shellacking of Fairfield Prep and this past Friday handily defeated Shelton, 52-29. Unlike many teams on this list, Hand hit the field and cruised to a 26-0 romp of Hillhouse.
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— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveconn
