Valley teams prepare for Thanksgiving week clashes; Avon, Simsbury renew rivalry; Granby looks to get sharp

Thanksgiving week football begins Tuesday in Simsbury. Avon needs to beat Simsbury on Tuesday to keep their Class L playoff hopes alive.

The final week of the high school football season begins Tuesday and finishes with the annual Thanksgiving Day morning contests. All six Farmington Valley teams will be in action this week with four teams concluding the 2015 campaign.

Avon (7-2) hopes to claim a spot in the Class L tournament but they need to beat Simsbury (1-8) in the first Valley Gridiron Classic on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at Holden Field in Simsbury and get some help from other teams around the state. With Avon joining the Central Connecticut Conference this fall, it’s a renewal of a rivalry that burned brightly for eight years in the 1960s.

Undefeated Granby, who has already won its first league championship by clinching the Pequot Western Division title, faces Canton on Thanksgiving Eve in Granby. The Bears are preparing for its debut in the CIAC Class S tournament in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Farmington (3-6) will be traveling to Plainville on Thanksgiving morning while Lewis Mills (6-3) will be hosting Nonnewaug in what looks to be the most competitive Turkey Day game ever between the two Berkshire League rivals.

Continue for preview capsules of all four Thanksgiving week contests.

Canton at Granby
Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
Records: Granby 9-0, 4-0 Pequot West; Canton 0-9, 0-4 Pequot West
All-time series: Began 2010. Canton leads, 3-2
Thanksgiving series: Began 2011. Series tied 2-2
Outlook: Granby, which has clinched its first CIAC tournament berth and first-ever division title, will be playing its first game in nearly three weeks. The Bears beat Nonnewaug on Nov. 6 and picked up a forfeit against Coginchaug on Nov. 14, because the Blue Devils didn’t have a coaching staff due to a mid-week resignation of the entire staff. Granby will look to stay healthy but get sharp for the Class S tournament, which begins on Tuesday, Dec. 1. The undefeated Bears have been carried by running back Connor Field and quarterback Dom Pagano offensively. Field (109 carries, 1,334 yards, 18 TDs) has rushed over 1,000 yards for the second straight season. Pagano (119-1053, 16 TDs) has run for over 1,000 yards for the second time in three years. He has completed just 7-of-10 passes for 332 yards and 4 TDs this year. Defensively, the Bears have been strong, led by Logan Strain (59 tackles), Pagano (44 tackles), Andrew Migliaccio (40 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 10 sacks) and Jack Hauser (38 tackles, 17 TFL, 8½ sacks).

Canton hasn’t won a game since they beat Granby last year a few days before Thanksgiving, 42-13. A young Warriors team has been physically overmatched in most games this season. Canton is led by senior Matt Bangs (99-471, 6 TDs), who ran for a career-high 179 yards against Valley Regional/Old Lyme last week, and quarterback Alex Higley (56-130-9, 749 yards, 2 TDs). Eddie Melton has caught 23 passes for 268 yards while Mekiah Davis has caught 14 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown.

Of note: Canton and Granby are playing for the ceremonial old, red milk jug. … The Warriors have lost 10 straight games. … Granby’s nine-game winning streak is a school record in football. … Canton has given up 382 points this season, the most in the team’s history. … Granby is four points away from setting a new single season record for most points. They currently have scored 320 points. The Bears have allowed a school-record low of 86 points.

Avon at Simsbury
Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
Records: Avon 7-2, 4-0 CCC Div. III East; Simsbury 1-8, 0-4 CCC Div. I West
All-time series: Began 1961. Simsbury leads the series, 5-4
Thanksgiving series: First meeting
Outlook: The two schools begin a Thanksgiving week rivalry Tuesday and will be playing for the Valley Gridiron Classic trophy. The two schools last played in 1991 when Simsbury blanked Avon, 28-0. But with Avon joining the Central Connecticut Conference, they hope to establish a new Thanksgiving rivalry between the two schools. For Avon, the Falcons need to win to keep their Class L playoff hopes alive. The Falcons are led by quarterback Ian McDonald, who has completed 63-of-117 passes for 1,222 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. He has also run for a team-leading 853 yards and 20 TDs on 116 carries. Geoff Kirk (18-339, 4 TDs) and Sean Del Gallo (17-385, 3 TDs) are his primary targets but McDonald has completed passes to 12 players this season. Defensively, Teddy Allmendinger and Kirk lead the squad at linebacker although McDonald has run back two interceptions for touchdowns.

It’s been a year of growth for Simsbury under first-year coach Dave Masters. The Trojans beat the Bulkley/Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy/Weaver co-op team, 33-12 for its first win behind a pair of touchdown runs from Grasonn Foster (7 rushing TDs), an 80-yard kickoff return from Matt Greiten and a 30-yard TD pass from Riley Shanley to Alex Haggery. Shanley has been a key for the Simsbury offense. He has thrown seven TD passes and completed 18 of 28 passes for 305 yards in a 27-26 loss to Hartford Public earlier this month – one of the best single game passing performances in school history. Haggerty caught eight passes for 189 yards and two TDs in the loss to Hartford Public. It’s been a challenging season for Simsbury who has played No. 1 Southington, Hall, Conard, Glastonbury along with speedy and talented New Britain and Manchester.

Of note: Avon won the CCC Division III East title with a perfect 4-0 record. … Proceeds from Valley Gridiron Classic merchandise will go to the Danny Strong fund to help pay for medical expenses for the family of Simsbury football Danny Deitz, who underwent a heart transplant earlier this fall. … Avon and Simsbury did play yearly for eight years from 1961 through 1968 with each team winning four times, including a 3-0 win in 1968 with a 26-yard field goal by the late Dick Migli that helped the Falcons secure the first undefeated season in Avon football history. … Game tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens.

Farmington at Plainville
Thursday, 10 a.m.
Records: Farmington 3-6, 1-4 CCC Div. II East; Plainville 4-5, 0-4 CCC Div. III West
All-time series: Began 1930. Series tied 25-25-1
Thanksgiving Day series: Began 2011. Farmington leads 3-1
Outlook: Farmington is looking to finish the season on an up note with a win over Plainville. The Indians had two rushers over 100 yards in a 21-13 win over South Windsor on Nov. 13. Alexis Walker ran for 133 yards and a TD on five carries while Brian Buono ran for 100 yards and a TD on 14 carries. Buono has rushed for more than 600 yards and six TDs this fall to lead the Indians on the ground. Zac Conrad (53-98-7, 600 yards, 5 TDs) and Brooks Mihalek (39-92-7, 388 yards, 2 TDs) have both seen time behind center at quarterback. The leading receivers for Farmington have been Kevin Dunst (23-239, 2 TDs), Sean Dunleavy (20-324, 2 TDs) and Michael Popolizio (16-197, 3 TDs). Xavier Amos (69 tackles), Miquel Zayas (58 tackles) and Joe Sucato (45) have led the defense.

Plainville has a small but hard-nosed squad, led by running back Corey McKisson and quarterback Jon Lindgren, who both ran for more than 100 yards in a 35-14 loss to Avon earlier this month. McKisson ran for a team-high 138 yards and two TDs against Avon while Lindgren ran for 115 yards on 23 carries.  Lindgren ran for 225 yards and 3 TDs in a 40-0 win over Fermi and completed 7-of-14 passes for 116 yards and another TD. 

Of note: The two teams are playing for the Olde Canal Cup trophy. … Farmington played some Turkey Day games in the 1930s and 1940s before playing Rocky Hill on Thanksgiving in 2007. The Indians began its current Thanksgiving series with Plainville in 2011.  … It will the first game on Plainville’s next artificial grass field.

Nonnewaug at Lewis Mills
Thursday, 10 a.m. 
Records: Lewis Mills 6-3, 2-2 Pequot West; Nonnewaug 5-4, 2-2 Pequot West
All-time series: Began 2011. Nonnewaug leads, 3-1
Thanksgiving Day series: Began 2011. Nonnewaug leads, 3-1
Outlook: Lewis Mills is looking to cap off the most successful football season in school history with a win over Nonnewaug but it is the first time that the two teams come into this annual Thanksgiving Day contest with winning records. After beginning the season 1-3, the Spartans have ripped off five consecutive wins. The 27-7 win over Old Saybrook/Westbrook was the team’s first victory over a team with a winning record at the time (5-2). Junior QB Trevor Baker has completed 61-of-160 passes for 789 yards, 5 TDs and 10 interceptions. His favorite targets have been seniors Lucas Lanning (20-284, 2 TDs), Matt Rinkus (18-230, 2 TDs) and junior Jimmy Romano (18-306, 2 TDs). Senior Colin Kennedy has been the team’s top rusher with 754 yards and 7 TDs on 115 carries with junior Michael Ciccarelli running for 504 yards and 7 TDs on 94 carries. Defensively, Ciccarelli leads the team in tackles with 56 with Kennedy having 35 tackles. 

The Chiefs have been very competitive this year, winning five of its first seven games. Haddam-Killingworth scored on a TD pass with 12 seconds remaining to win 14-7 on Nov. 14 and the Chiefs held undefeated Granby to its lowest point total of the season in a 21-7 loss earlier this month. In a 27-26 loss to Old Saybrook/Westbrook, the Chiefs missed two extra points and gave up a 73-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Junior tailback Zach Mauro has been the offensive catalyst for the Chiefs this fall. He ran for 375 yards and 4 TDs on 34 carries in a 28-13 win over Stafford/East Windsor/Somers and ran for 380 yards and 5 TDs in a 38-14 win over Enfield. He ran for 297 yards and 5 TDs in a 50-0 win over Canton.

Of note: Nonnewaug won last year’s Thanksgiving contest, 37-8.