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Avon, Granby/Canton host Class M quarterfinal contests on Tuesday night

The Avon High football team will be looking for their first-ever CIAC football game on Tuesday night when they host Branford in Class M quarterfinal beginning at 6:30 p.m.

When Avon High football coach Jeff Redman met with the media after the Falcons’ 21-7 loss to Branford three weeks ago, he was visibly annoyed.

And it was with good reason. The Falcons fumbled the ball five times in the game and lost three of them. His team also gave up a 90-yard kickoff return in the opening minutes of the ballgame and trailed 14-0 early in the first quarter.

While he praised Branford for their toughness and skill, he said his team beat themselves.

Avon (7-2) gets a chance to see if they can make things right when they host Branford (8-2) in the quarterfinals of the CIAC Class M playoffs Tuesday night on the turf field outside the high school beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Granby/Canton (7-3) will host their Class M quarterfinal game on Tuesday when they host Torrington (7-3) in the first-ever meeting in football between the two schools, also at 6:30 p.m. in Granby.

Avon will be hosting their first-ever CIAC football playoff game at home and under the lights. The Falcons will be looking for their first-ever football playoff victory, having lost their previous three games. Avon’s most recent playoff appearance came in 2012.

In the win on Nov. 5, mistakes on kickoff coverage and a fumble deep in Falcon territory helped Branford grab an early 14-0 lead. Avon was able to move the ball on Branford but fumbled the ball away deep in their own territory negating a potential touchdown in the second quarter.

Avon will need to stop junior running back Nathan Chieffo, who had the 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown along with some big runs to set up scoring opportunities for Branford.

Offensively, the Falcons will need to keep the ball off the carpet. In last Tuesday’s win over Lewis Mills, there were three Avon turnovers on their first three drives. That won’t cut it in the playoffs.

Avon QB Tabor Engle has run for 1,657 yards and 17 touchdowns in Avon’s single-wing offense with Cameron Dawiczuk rushing for nearly 500 yards and four touchdowns of his own. The Falcons have completed just 17 passes all year for 264 yards and three touchdowns to Tyler Brokenshire.

“The offensive line has carried us,” Redman said after the win over Lewis Mills. “It’s unseen but we’re able to get 10 guys blocking (together) unlike any other offense. We’re a bunch of average kids that came together and worked out really hard in the off-season and they really drive us. We couldn’t do what we do without that offensive line. They’re tremendous.”

The winner of the game will face the winner of the quarterfinal game between No. 1 Killingly and No. 8 Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic on Sunday.

Granby/Canton’s Luke Maher (24) and the Bears host Torrington in Tuesday night’s Class M quarterfinal in Granby at the Den.

Granby/Canton faces a similar challenge against a Torrington team making their first CIAC playoff appearance since 2015.

Torrington loves to run the ball on the ground. They have gained over 300 yards rushing in five of their 10 games and have completed just 15 passes this season. But they did have four touchdown passes in a 36-33 win over Woodland Regional in October.

The top runners for the Raiders look to be quarterback Tyler Semonvich, who has rushed for an average of 143 yards and four TDs in the last three games of the season. Running back Sean Clinksdale has run for more than 1,200 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Granby/Canton will need to find a formula that works to move the ball. The Bears struggled mightily in their 21-0 loss to Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic on Thanksgiving morning.

The Bears have two options at quarterback with Will Migliaccio and Michael Bronson which each QB bringing strengths to the position. Defensively, the Bears defense will need to be focused to stop the Raiders. Linebacker Malik Brown-Smith leads the team in tackles (111) and tackles for loss (10).

Both programs are looking for their first-ever CIAC football playoff wins. The winner of the Granby/Canton and Torrington matchup will face the winner of the Ellington and Rockville contest in Sunday’s semifinal.

Branford (8-2) at Avon (7-2)
Date:
Tuesday, Nov. 30, 6:30 p.m.
Series: Branford leads, 1-0
CIAC tournament appearances: Avon, 4th appearance (0-3); Branford, 4th appearance (3-2)
Last game: Nov. 5, Branford, 21-7
Players to watch: Avon –QB Tabor Engle (242-1,657, 17 TDs, RB Cameron Dawiczyk (102-495, 5 TDs), WR Tyler Brokenshire (8-112, 3 TD); Branford – QB Zach Turbert (57-117-6, 720, 9 TDs), RB Nathan Chieffo (110-643, 4 TDs), Cameron Paleski (72-270, 4 TDs, 51 tackles, 3 tackles for loss), WR John Frawley (25-276, 2 TDs), David McDonald (10-217, 2 TDs; 57 tackles, 8 tackles for loss); Nathaniel Mathis (48 tackles, 9 TFL)
Outlook: The two teams are playing for the second time in a month with Branford beating the Falcons, 21-7 on Nov. 5. The difference last time was mistakes by the Falcons that Branford took advantage of. Can Avon reduce their mistakes this time? Can the Falcons run the ball on Branford effectively? Can Avon contain Branford’s outstanding back Nathan Chieffo?
Of note: This is the first CIAC football playoff game that will be played in Avon. The Falcons earned home field advantage in 2009 and 2012 but because the field didn’t have lights at that time, the games were played elsewhere. In 2009, the Class M semifinal against Berlin was played at Muzzy Field in Bristol and in 2012, the Falcons hosted New Canaan at Holden Field at Simsbury in a Class L quarterfinal game. … Branford is making their first playoff appearance since 2005 when they won the Class MM title.

Torrington (7-3) at Granby/Canton (7-3)
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 30, 6:30 p.m.
Series: First meeting
CIAC tournament appearances: Granby/Canton, 3rd appearance (0-2); Torrington, 3rd appearance (0-2)
Players to watch: Torrington — QB Tyler Semonich (9 rushing TDs), RB Sean Clinksdale (1,248 yards rushing, 19 TDs), Exodus Rosado; Granby/Canton – QB Will Migliaccio (82-152-7, 727 yards, 2 TDs), RB Luke Maher (11-565, 7 TDs), Michael Brosnan (65-201, 4 TDs), WR Beach Sessions (22-268, 1 TD), WR/K George Horst (19-136 receiving, 23-24 PAT, 3-5 FG), LB Malik Brown-Smith (111 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4 sacks)
Outlook: The Raiders love to run the ball and use their single wing format often. They have completed just five passes in the last six games (5-1) and have rushed for more than 300 yards as a team five times in 10 games. But they can throw if they need to and threw four TD passes in a 36-33 win over Woodland Regional in October. Torrington has won six of their last seven games to secure their first CIAC playoff berth since 2015. Granby/Canton needs to reduce their mistakes which limited their offense in a listless 14-0 loss to Gilbert co-op on Thanksgiving. The Bears have a diverse offensive attack led by QBs Will Migliaccio and Michael Bronson. Granby/Canton’s defense will need to be focused to stop Torrington’s running attack.
Of note: The Raiders won the NVL Iron Division with a 4-0 record … One of these two programs will win a CIAC playoff game for the first time. … Granby/Canton, in the third year of their co-op program, are back in the playoffs for the second straight year. The Bears made the playoffs in 2019 and the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. … The Bears last hosted a playoff game at home in 2015 before the co-op program was established and dropped a 58-26 loss to Seymour in the Class M tournament.

Class M quarterfinals
Tuesday, Nov. 30

(8) Gilbert/Northwestern Reg./Housatonic (7-2) at (1) Killingly (9-0)
(5) Branford (8-2) at (4) Avon (7-2)
(7) Ellington (7-3) at (2) Rockville (8-2)
(6) Torrington (7-3) at (3) Granby/Canton (7-3)

Class M semifinals
Sunday, Dec. 5
At higher seeds

Class M championship
Saturday, Dec. 11
Site TBA

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 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.

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