For the final time, Litchfield meets Canton in basketball

Canton’s Silas Sawtelle drives to the basket as Litchfield’s Zajans Crapo, right, defends during a 2020 game in Litchfield. (Photo courtesy Paul Amrose)

While we cling to traditions and steady habits, things are changing all of the time in world of scholastic athletics.

This winter, Connecticut joined many states across the nation with the addition of a 35-second shot clock in basketball. Co-op programs are a relatively new course of fielding a team. It’s only been in the last 20 years that they have become more common, providing athletes in smaller schools the opportunity to play football, ice hockey or wrestle, for example.

One tradition ends on Thursday night. The Canton High boys basketball team plays Litchfield High for the final time in Canton beginning at 6:45 p.m..

Litchfield High, which was playing boys basketball in the 1920s, will close in June. In 2022, residents in Litchfield voted to join a regional school district with Warren, Morris and Goshen. Wamogo Regional also closes in June. The new Region 20 high school, which will be at the current Wamogo Regional building, will be called Lakeview High beginning in September. The current Litchfield High building will become a middle school in Region 20.

Litchfield High has a long tradition in boys basketball. The Cowboys played in three state championship games in the 1920s, winning twice in 1925 and 1926.

Canton and Litchfield have played 32 times dating back to the 1924-25 season.

In their first game against the Warriors, Litchfield beat Collinsville High in the 1925 Class C semifinals, 26-24.

Canton didn’t begin using the name Canton until 1934 when they built their new high school on Dyer Avenue, which is now the intermediate school. Prior to 1934, the school, which was located next to the Collinsville Congregational Church, was known as Collinsville High.

Litchfield beat Collinsville again in the 1926 Class C tournament with a 26-24 victory in the quarterfinals.

Collinsville’s first victory over Litchfield came in December 1926 with a 38-23 victory at the Town Hall where Collinsville played their home games. In January, Litchfield prevailed with a 39-12 victory. The 1926-27 season was the year that Collinsville won their first state championship in any sport by taking the Class C boys basketball title in Storrs with a win over Deep River High, 21-15.

Canton’s Matt Rose (15) and Josh Burke (23) try to prevent Litchfield’s Daniel Dieck (4) from gettingo to the basket in a 2020 game in Litchfield. (Photo courtesy Paul Amrose)

Some other memorable Canton vs. Litchfield contests include:

1939: Yeske scores 13 points in Canton’s 33-30 win over Litchfield – their third-ever win over the Cowboys. In many cases, newspapers in those days only included the last name of the player.

1941: Litchfield beats Canton, 36-26 in the second round of the CIAC Class C tournament with Al Baldwin scoring 14 for Litchfield.

1966: The two schools resume their series, which has been dormant since 1945. The two schools would play at least once a year for the next 13 years. Canton prevails 58-43.

1970: Litchfield beats Canton 48-40 to win their fifth straight over the Warriors and take an 11-5 lead in the overall series. Gene Cuppello scored 16 of his game-high 25 points to lead the Cowboys. Steve Coley had 15 points for Canton while Tom Hinman added 13.

1973: In the season opener of the 1972-73 season, Doug Comstock scores 13 points and Jon Curtis added 12 in Canton’s 58-48 win over Litchfield. The Warriors met Litchfield in the season opener four times between 1969 and 1973.

1977: In the final game of the regular season, Canton’s Roger Coutu hits 21 field goals and scores a school-record 46 points in a 95-82 win over Litchfield on February 23. There was no three-point shot at this time. That wouldn’t be part of the high school game until the mid 1980s. Coutu broke his own school record. He scored 38 points in January against Northwestern Regional.

1977: Less than a week later, the two teams met again in the Class S state tournament. Jim Callahan and Roger Coutu combine to score 47 points in Canton’s 72-68 win over Litchfield. Callahan finished with 25 points and Coutu had 22 points. Canton hit five consecutive free throws in the final minute to earn the win. Dave Vigeant scored 34 for Litchfield.

1978: Despite 38 points from Dave Vigeant, Canton tops Litchfield, 82-75 behind 25 points from Ken Cooper, 21 points from Jim Callahan and 20 from Roger Coutu.

1978: The two teams met again in the Class S semifinals in Plainville with Canton looking for their first state championship appearance since 1928. Litchfield led by seven at halftime but Canton had a strong third quarter effort to beat the Cowboys, 74-62. Jim Callahan and Roger Coutu scored 18 of Canton’s 20 points in the fourth quarter. Callahan, Coutu and Ken Cooper each finished with 20 points. Dave Vigeant, one of the great scorers in state history, finished with 28 points. Canton beat Cromwell, 64-61 to win their second state title in basketball.

Vigeant, the leading scorer in school history, scored 2,149 points in an era that didn’t include the three-point shot. He graduated in 1979.

2011: In the first game between the two rivals in more than 30 years, Quinlan McCarthy scores a game-high 20 points to lead the Cowboys to a 59-40 win over Canton in Litchfield. Drew Gauvain addes 17 for LHS. Colin Gurry scores 17 for the Warriors with three 3-point shots. 

2020: After nearly a decade, the series resumed with Canton beating Litchfield, 48-38 in the final game of the regular season and the Warriors finishing the year with a 18-2 record and the No. 1 ranking in the CIAC’s Division IV state tournament. It was the first time that Canton was ever ranked first in a CIAC boys basketball tournament.

Silas Sawtelle led the way for the Warriors with 11 points while Josh Burke added 10. Canton held Litchfield to just 15 points in the second half. Unfortunately, the season would be over shortly due to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic that cancelled the state tournament.

2022: Litchfield gets their first win over Canton since 2011 with a 58-48 decision. Tommy Gostowski goes 6-for-6 from the foul line as Litchfield hits 11 free throws in the final quarter to get the win. Harrison Barnes had a team-high 20 points for Litchfield (2-1) while Dan Dieck had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Luke Maher had a game-high 22 points for Canton while Isaiah Reece adds 15.

2023: Luke Maher scored a game-high 15 points while Brandon Powell added 10 to lead the Warriors to a 52-35 win over Litchfield in the season opening game for both schools. A.J. Quesnel scores 15 for the Cowboys. Canton, which has won 13 of the last 16 meetings between the schools, takes a 18-14 lead in overall series.

2024: The two schools meet for the final time. Even if they both make it to the CIAC state tournament, they are in different divisions. Canton is in Division IV and Litchfield is in Division V.

By the numbers
Series: Canton leads 18-14
First game: February 1925. Litchfield 26, Collinsville 24
Most points in a game: Canton, 95 in 1977 (Canton 92, Litchfield 82); Litchfield 82 in 1977 and 1967 (Litchfield 82, Canton 69). For Canton, it was the second-most points (95) they’ve scored in a single game. The record is 97 against Wolcott Tech in 1961. Canton also scored 95 in a win over Housatonic in 1962.
Fewest points in a game: Canton 12 in 1927 (Litchfield 39, Canton 12); Litchfield 26 in 1925 (Litchfield 26, Collinsville 24) and 1926 (Litchfield 26, Collinsville 24)
Longest winning streak: 7, Canton 1971-75

CIAC Tournament games
1925 Class C semifinal: Litchfield 26, Collinsville 24
1926 Class C quarterfinal: Litchfield 26, Collinsville 24
1941 Class C second round: Litchfield 36, Canton 26
1977 Class S first round: Canton 72, Litchfield 68
1978 Class S semifinal: Canton 74, Litchfield 62