
Granby/Canton beat the Coventry co-op team on Friday night for their eighth win of the season. With the win, the Bears clinched a spot in the CIAC Class SS tournament.
COVENTRY, Nov. 18, 2022 – The Granby/Canton co-op football team locked up a CIAC postseason berth for the third straight season with a 40-6 season victory over the Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton and Lyman Memorial co-op Friday night.
The co-op program also qualified in 2019 and 2021. There was no 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Will Attianese ran for a pair of touchdowns while Connor Richardson pulled in his team-leading seventh TD reception of the season on a 37-yard TD pass from Will Migliaccio, who has passed for over 1,500 yards and 18 TDs.
Ryan Cuniowski scored on a seven-yard TD reception from Vincent Forte while Carter Chambers returned a kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown.
With the win, Granby/Canton (8-2, 6-1 Pequot Uncas) secured a berth in the Class SS tournament that begins on Tuesday, Nov. 29. The semifinals are Dec. 4 with the championship game on Dec. 10.
The Bears will be looking for their first-ever playoff win. Granby/Canton dropped a 10-6 loss to Waterford in the 2019 Class M playoffs and were eliminated a year ago by Torrington, 37-29 in the Class M playoffs.
Granby/Canton finished second in the Pequot Uncas division this season behind undefeated SMSA co-op (10-0, 7-0 Pequot Uncas). The Tigers beat Granby/Canton in the first week of the season, 21-14.
It’s the first Pequot divisional championship for SMSA co-op since the school joined the league in 2011.
It is the first undefeated regular season in school history and the Tigers have set a new program record for most wins in a season (10), breaking the previous record of eight wins in 2017 and 2019. It’s the first pennant for SMSA since winning the three-team Freedom Conference in 2005.
Granby/Canton 40. Coventry co-op 6
At Coventry
Granby/Canton (8-2) 27 6 0 7 — 40
Coventry co-op (1-9) 0 0 0 6 — 6
First quarter
G: Will Attianese 8 run (kick blocked)
G: Will Attianese 15 run (George Horst kick)
G: Connor Richardson 37 pass from Will Migliaccio (Horst kick)
G: Robert Dlubac 3 run (Horst kick)
Second quarter
G: Ryan Cuniowski 7 pass from Vincent Forte (kick blocked)
Fourth quarter
C: Cedric Hakin 2 run (run fails)
G: Carter Chambers 77 kickoff return (Horst kick)
Individual leaders
RUSHING: Granby/Canton — Will Attianese 2-23, Rob Dlubac 9-47, Vincent Forte 5-39
PASSING: Granby/Canton — Migliaccio 3-6-0, 59, Forte 6-10-0, 46
2022 Pequot Sassacus | Division | Overall |
x-Cromwell/Portland | 7-0 | 8-1 |
Valley Regional/Old Lyme | 5-1 | 8-1 |
Haddam-Killingworth | 4-2 | 6-3 |
North Branford | 3-3 | 5-4 |
Capital Prep/Achievement First | 3-4 | 3-7 |
Morgan | 2-4 | 2-7 |
Coginchaug/Hale Ray/East Hampton | 1-5 | 1-8 |
Old Saybrook/Westbrook | 0-6 | 0-9 |
2022 Pequot Uncas | Division | Overall |
x-SMSA co-op | 7-0 | 10-0 |
Granby/Canton | 6-1 | 8-2 |
Ellington | 4-2 | 7-2 |
Rockville | 4-2 | 7-2 |
Stafford/East Windsor/Somers | 2-4 | 3-6 |
Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby | 2-4 | 3-6 |
CREC co-op | 1-6 | 3-7 |
Coventry/Wind. Tech/Bolton/Lyman | 0-7 | 1-9 |
x-clinched division title
SMSA co-op includes players from Sports Medicine Science Academy (host), Bulkeley, Classical Magnet, HMTCA and University High
Tuesday, Nov. 22
Valley Regional/Old Lyme at Haddam-Killingworth, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 23
Coginchaug/H.Ray/E.Hamp at North Branford, 6 p.m.
Morgan at Old Saybrook/Westbrook, 6 p.m.
Stafford/EWind/Somers at Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby, 6:30 p.m.
Rocky Hill at Cromwell/Portland, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 24
Rockville at Ellington, 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 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.
