Top seed Granby/Canton hosts Watertown in playoff opener Tuesday

GRANBY, Nov. 26, 2023 – With the loss of 19 seniors, expectations were not high for the Granby/Canton football team as the 2023 season began. The fact that the Bears would be facing six teams that had made the CIAC playoffs in 2022 didn’t encourage confidence among those making preseason predictions.

But when the state playoffs begin on Tuesday, Granby/Canton will be in the playoffs for the fourth straight year. The Bears went 8-2, posted a winning season for the fifth straight year, and earning the No. 1 seed in the Class SS playoffs.

Granby/Canton will host No. 8 Watertown (5-5) on Tuesday in the Class SS quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m.

“We heard this would be a rebuilding year,” Granby/Canton coach Erik Shortell said. “Folks were saying we would have a tough year facing six (2022) playoff teams but we did what we had to do in the offseason.”

The Bears’ season began with a victory at Valley Regional/Old Lyme, a 34-0 shutout win over Elllington, a dominant 44-6 win over Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Grabnby and a decisive 39-13 win over North Branford.

Rockville blanked the Bears, 34-0, in the completion of a game suspended on consecutive days by lightning during the opening weekend of the season.

But Granby/Canton reeled off four more wins, including scoring 28 unanswered points to beat the CREC co-op, 28-16 and beating Cromwell/Portland for the first time, 22-6 on the road. The SMSA co-op beat the Bears, 36-28, by scoring in the final minute of the game to close out the regular season.

Both of Granby/Canton’s losses came against teams that went 9-1.

“We had the mentality that no one is better than us,” Shortell said. But mistakes came back to haunt the Bears in two losses. “We were our own worst enemy at times,” he said. “When we played clean, good football, we were hard to stop.”

Senior Will Attianese was expected to be one of Granby/Canton’s top players and he has been. He leads the team in rushing with 78 yards and 11 touchdowns on 114 carries. He has caught 16 passes for 171 yards for five touchdowns.

Defensively, Attianese is the second-leading tackler with 84 tackles (47 solo) with 15 tackles for a loss. He has also returned two fumbles for touchdowns and had an interception return for a TD.

Vincent Forte, a junior from Canton, was expected to be a solid quarterback and has been. He has completed 81-of-163 passes for 1,287 yards and 14 touchdowns.

But he has also been a threat to run the ball, too. Forte has rushed for 685 yards and 11 TDs on 139 carries. “We knew he would be good but with the running game he has going above and beyond,” Shortell said.

Carter Chambers leads the team with 26 receptions for 398 yards and a touchdown while Attianese and Ryan Cuniowski (16-171) have each five touchdown receptions this season.

Aidan Barbee, who also plays hockey, is playing football for the first time. He caught a season-high four passes for 88 yards in the loss to SMSA co-op and has 10 receptions for 210 yards in the last five games.

Defensively, Jamir Bennett leads the team with 86 tackles and 18 tackles for a loss with Gunnar Metcalfe getting 61 tackles and17 tackles for a loss and six sacks. The Bears have pitched two shutouts and forced 19 turnovers (11 fumble recoveries, 8 interceptions) this fall. Granby/Canton has lost the ball eight times (6 interceptions, two fumbles).

“For a rebuilding year, I will take it,” Shortell said.

Granby/Canton is looking for their first-ever playoff win. The Bears have lost in their last three appearances as a co-op in 2022, 2021 and 2019.

Before they joined together as a co-op program in 2019, Granby lost a tournament game in 2015 and Canton dropped a playoff game in 2014.

Watertown (5-5, 2-5 NVL Division I) is making their first playoff appearance since 2017 when they lost to Berlin the Class M quarterfinals. Prior to that appearance, the Warriors made only one state tournament appearance with a 31-0 win over Platt in the Class SS finals in 1986 when only two teams per class were selected.

Watertown’s only victory over a winning team was a 12-7 win over Gilbert/NW Regional/Housatonic on Oct. 20. The Warriors won their final two games over Wolcott, 35-0, and Torrington, 28-8, to secure the eighth and final playoff berth. Watertown did lose to three playoff teams – Naugatuck, Ansonia and Holy Cross.

Junior QB Brady Gambee is a playmaker. He has rushed for seven touchdowns in the last two games. He ran for 170 yards and four TDs on 18 carries in Watertown’s 28-8 win over Torrington on Thanksgiving morning. He also completed 7-of-9 passes for 65 yards.

Running back/linebacker Ty Housen ran for two TDs in a 35-0 win over Wolcott earlier in November. Other top players included WR and defensive backs Vincent Matule and Nolan Zadio and running back and linebacker Noah Powell.

The winner of Tuesday’s game will face the winner of the game between No. 4 Tolland and No. 5 Gilbert/NWR/Housatonic on Sunday, Dec. 3 in the semifinals. The Class SS final will be Saturday, Dec. 9.

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Class SS
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, Nov. 28
No. 8 Watertown (5-5) at No. 1 Granby/Canton (8-1)
No. 5 Gilbert/NW Regional/Housatonic (6-4) at No. 4 Tolland (7-3)
No. 7 Joel Barlow (6-4) vs. No. 2 Coginchaug/Hale-Ray/East Hampton (8-2) at Cheshire
No. 6 Sheehan (6-4) at No. 3 Windham (7-3)
Semifinals
Sunday, Dec. 3
Sites and times TBA
Championship
Saturday, Dec. 9
Sites and times TBA
Seeds: 1. Granby/Canton 8-2, 2. Coginchaug/Hale-Ray/East Hampton 8-2, 3. Windham 7-3, 4. Tolland 7-3, 5. Gilbert/NW Regional/Housatonic 6-4, 6. Sheehan 6-4, 7. Joel Barlow 6-4, 8. Watertown 5-5

2023 CIAC football tournaments