
The 2016 edition of the Valley Gridiron Classic between Avon and SImsbury will be in Avon on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
As the Avon High football team gets ready for year two in the Central Connecticut Conference, they will have a new team in the CCC Division III Eastern Division — RHAM High from Hebron.
With the merger of Enfield and Fermi High, there will be a slight adjustment in the six Central Connecticut Conference divisions in 2016.
Enfield, which has played in the Pequot Conference for the past six years, will be playing with the big boys in Division I. The Raiders will be in the Division I Eastern Division with East Hartford, Glastonbury, Manchester and the Bulkeley/Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy/Weaver co-op team. Fermi was in Division III East a year ago.
Hartford Public slides down from Division I into Division II East with E.O. Smith, Farmington, Middletown, South Windsor and Windsor.
RHAM moves down from Division II East into Division III East with Avon, Berlin, Rockville and Tolland. Avon is the defending CCC Div. 3 East champions.
For the three Farmington Valley teams in the CCC, the 2016 campaign begins on either Friday, Sept. 9 or Saturday, Sept. 10. Each team has a 10-game schedule with a bye week in October.
Avon has four night games on the schedule – at Tolland on Friday, Sept. 23, at Rockville on Friday, Nov. 4, at Plainville on Friday, Nov. 11, and the Valley Gridiron Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 22 when the Falcons host Simsbury.
Simsbury is looking to bounce back from a 1-9 campaign and has three home games to begin the season.
It will be the first time since 1971 that Enfield will field just one high school football team. Fermi began play in 1972.
Enfield isn’t thrilled to be playing with Glastonbury (981 boys in grades 9-12), Manchester (741), East Hartford (736) or the three-team Hartford co-op of Bulkeley, Weaver and Hartford Magnet Trinity Catholic Academy (814 boys). But the combined number of boys in Enfield and Fermi last year adds up to 798 boys. The smallest school in Division I is Hall with 709 boys in grades 9-12.
The largest school among the Division II football teams is Hartford Public (686). The enrollment numbers are the 2015 enrollment numbers as posted on the CIAC website. The three largest schools in Division III are RHAM (575), Avon (524) and Berlin (480).
Avon
Head coach: Sal Cintorino
Saturday, Sept. 10: ROCKY HILL, 1 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 17: at East Catholic, 1:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 23: at Tolland, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 1: at RHAM, 1 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 8: BLOOMFIELD, 1 p.m.
Bye week
Saturday, Oct. 22: BERLIN, 1 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 29: NW CATHOLIC, 1:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 4: at Rockville, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 11: at Plainville, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 22: SIMSBURY, 6:30 p.m. (Valley Gridiron Classic)
Simsbury
Head coach: Dave Masters
Friday, Sept. 9: MANCHESTER, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 16: SOUTHINGTON, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 23: HALL, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 30: at East Hartford, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 7: at New Britain, 6:30 p.m.
Bye week
Friday, Oct. 21: BULKELEY/HMTCA/WEAVER, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 28: at Conard, 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 4: at Enfield, 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 11: GLASTONBURY, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 22: at Avon, 6:30 p.m. (Valley Gridiron Classic)
Farmington
Head coach: Chris Machol
Friday, Sept. 9: at Wethersfield, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 16: BRISTOL EASTERN, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 23: E.O. SMITH, 6 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 30: at Windsor, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 7: BRISTOL CENTRAL, 7 p.m.
Bye week
Friday, Oct. 21: at Middletown, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 28: at Maloney, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 4: HARTFORD PUBLIC, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 12: at South Windsor, 11 a.m.
Thursday, Nov. 24: PLAINVILLE, 10 a.m.
2016 Farmington Valley Schedule
Friday, Sept. 9
Farmington at Wethersfield, 7
Manchester at Simsbury, 7
Saturday, Sept 10
Rocky Hill at Avon, 1
Nonnewaug at Canton, 1
Gilbert/Northwestern at Lewis Mills, 1
Granby at Windsor Locks/Suffield/EG, 1
Friday, Sept. 16
Southington at Simsbury, 7
Bristol Eastern at Farmington, 7
Stafford/East Windsor/Somers at Granby, 7
Lewis Mills at Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton, 7
Saturday, Sept, 17
Avon at East Catholic, 1:30
Canton at Gilbert/Northwestern, 1
Friday, Sept. 23
E.O. Smith at Farmington, 6
Hall at Simsbury, 7
Avon at Tolland, 6:30
Saturday, Sept. 24
Canton at Lewis Mills, 1
Granby at Ellington, 1
Friday, Sept. 30
Farmington at Windsor, 7
Simsbury at East Hartford, 6:30
Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton at Granby, 7
Saturday, Oct. 1
Ellington at Lewis Mills, 1
Avon at RHAM, 1
Friday, Oct. 7
Bristol Central at Farmington, 7
Simsbury at New Britain, 6:30
Saturday, Oct. 8
Bloomfield at Avon, 1
Friday, Oct. 14
Ellington at Canton, 6:30
Lewis Mills at Granby, 7
Friday, Oct. 21
Farmington at Middletown, 7
Bulkeley/HMTCA/Weaver at Simsbury, 7
Canton at North Branford, 6:30
Saturday, Oct. 22
Berlin at Avon, 1
Cromwell/Portland at Lewis Mills, 1
Granby at Morgan, 1
Friday, Oct. 28
Lewis Mills at Branford, 6:30
Farmington at Maloney, 6:30
Simsbury at Conard, 7
Valley Regional/OL at Granby 7
Saturday, Oct. 29
NW Catholic at Avon, 1:30
Cromwell/Portland at Canton, 1
Friday, Nov. 4
Canton at Morgan, 6:30
Avon at Rockville, 6:30
Simsbury at Enfield, 7
Hartford Public at Farmington, 7
Lewis Mills at Valley Regional/OL, 6:30
North Branford at Granby, 7
Friday, Nov. 11
Avon at Plainville, 7
Glastonbury at Simsbury, 7
Granby at Cromwell/Portland, 6
Saturday, Nov. 12
Canton at CREC, 11 a.m.
Farmington at South Windsor, 11 a.m.
Morgan at Lewis Mills, 1
Tuesday, Nov. 22
Simsbury at Avon, 6:30 (Route 44 Classic)
Thursday, Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving)
Granby at Canton, 10 a.m.
Plainville at Farmington, 10 a.m.
Lewis Mills at Nonnewaug, 10 a.m.
Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 30 years.


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