Experienced Granby/Canton squad doesn’t have easy path to playoffs

Granby/Canton QB Joseph Lewie returns for the Bears this fall

A year ago, after securing five consecutive CIAC playoff berths, the Granby/Canton co-op football program missed the playoffs for the first time since the two schools joined together in 2019 to field a team.

The Bears still had a winning record at 6-4 – the seventh straight winning season for the Granby program.

It looks to be a challenging season for the Bears, who have five teams that qualified for the CIAC playoffs on their scheduled this fall. All five teams – Ellington, Cromwell/Portland, North Branford, Rockville and the Weaver co-op squad — have at least 11 of 22 starters returning this fall.

But the cupboard isn’t bare in Granby. The Bears have nine starters on offense returning and nine starters on defense. Many play on both sides of the ball – but that is the norm in small school football.

“We just want to be crisp, disciplined and physical,” said head coach Erik Shortell, who will be coaching his 11th season. “Every practice that is what we are preaching. Every game that is our expectation.”

Third-year starter Joe Lewie returns as QB for the Bears. He ran for 984 yards and 10 TDs on 132 carries last year. He completed 59-of-100 passes for 944 yards and 10 TDs.

“Our offense is very complicated. We put a lot on the kids and they spend a lot of time watching film and studying the playbook,” Shortell said. “(Football) is like a chess match. We think we can matchup with any defense that we will ride whatever formation or package that is working.”

Shortell said the Bears played well in several exhibition games, outscoring Farmington, Lewis Mills and Simsbury.

Running backs Gabe Mensah and Keandre Hunter return along with receivers Michael Lapenta, Justin Nagy and Elijah Sam. Linemen Wyatt Bernabucci, James Gentile and Reese Cusovitch are also back along with sophomore linebacker Matt Yankee, who started as a freshman, and Frank Briggs, a defensive end and tight end.

Sam caught 14 passes for 156 yards while Mensah pulled in seven receptions for 70 yards and two TDs. On the ground, Mensah rushed for 621 yards and 9 TDs on 110 carries while Sam ran for 376 yards and 4 TDs on 69 carries.

On the defensive side of the ball, Lewie is the top returning tackler with 49 tackles and one sack. Mensah had 42 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss (TFL) and a team-leading seven sacks. Bernabucci had 38 tackles, 12 TFLs and 6½ sacks, second on the squad.

A year ago, Lapenta had a team-leading three interceptions.

There are 40 kids in the program with 13 coming from Canton, including Bernabucci, Lapenta, Briggs, Hunter and Yanke.

The team will play one home game in Canton on Friday, Oct. 23 when the Bears host Stafford/East Windsor/Somers at 6 p.m. In the week prior to the Stafford game, the team will practice in Canton on the turf field. The other four home games will be in Granby.

“We take it week by week. We give it our best and do all we can. If we can play disciplined, physical football, we’ll see where the chips fall,” Shortell said.

On opening night, the Bears will face Ellington, a Class SS playoff team a year ago. In week two, the Bears will face an old Pequot Conference rival by traveling to Winsted for a night game against the Gilbert c0-op program that moved to the Naugatuck Valley League five years ago but has had success in the NVL. Gilbert won a NVL divisional title in 2022 and has earned two CIAC playoff berths in the NVL.

In week three, Granby/Canton faces defending Uncas Division champion Rockville, who went to the playoffs a year ago and is led by QB Luca Houle, who threw for 1,500 yards and 27 TDs. On Oct. 16, the Bears visit Cromwell/Portland to face the defending Sassacus Division champions and another 2025 playoff team led by QB Mike Sitaro, who passed for 1638 yards and 23 TDS a year ago and ran for 1072 yards and 21 TDs himself.

The Bears also have games with North Branford, who returns third-year starting QB Matteo Anderson and running back Jack Siegal (1,012 yards, 12 TDs) and Weaver co-op, the Hartford-based squad that won a Class L playoff quarterfinal last year. Hartford Public and Classical Magnet from Hartford are part of the Weaver co-op program.

The Bears will be in Class S this year after three years in Class SS and two years in Class M.

GRANBY/CANTON
Head coach: Erik Shortell, 11th season, 58-37
Nickname: Bears
Conference: Pequot Conference Uncas
Last season: 6-4, 4-3 Uncas Division
Last winning season: 2025, 6-4
CIAC playoff class: Class S
Playoff appearances: 6 (0-6)
Last CIAC playoff appearance: 2024
Co-op record: Seventh season. Began 2019, 45-20 record, 5 CIAC playoff bids (0-5)
League or division championships: 2. Most recent title: 2021 Pequot Uncas (shared)
Opening day record: 7-8. Most recent opening day win: 2025, Granby/Canton 49, SMSA co-op 0
Social media: Twitter or X: @GMHSFootball860; Facebook: GranbyFootball, Instagram: @GranbyCantonFootball
Team website: none
Of note: This is the seventh year of the co-op with Canton. As part of the co-op agreement, the team plays four home games in Granby and one game in Canton each season. The home game against the Stafford/East Windsor/Somers co-op will be in Canton on Oct. 23. The other four home games will be in Granby. … The co-op has qualified for the CIAC playoffs in five of six previous seasons. … The team is 5-1 playing games in Canton with the only defeat coming in 2019 in a 14-7 loss in double OT to Rockville.

2026 schedule
Sept. 11: ELLINGTON, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 18: at Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic, 7 p.m.
Sept. 25: at Rockville
Oct. 2: SMSA co-op, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 16: at Cromwell/Portland, 6 p.m.
Oct. 23: vs. STAFFORD/EAST WINDSOR/SOMERS at Canton, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 30: NORTH BRANFORD, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 6: WINDSOR LOCKS co-op, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 13: at Weaver co-op (Hartford Public), 7 p.m.
Nov. 19: at CREC co-op, 6:30 p.m.

Other 2026 football previews

Lewis Mills
Simsbury
Avon/St. Paul
Farmington
Avon Old Farms

Preseason top 10 poll
2025 Connecticut high school football standings
2025 CIAC football tournaments