River Hawks hope to take that next step in 2026

Farmington junior QB Mason Kiniry (7) returns for the River Hawks. He has been a starter since his freshman year.

The building blocks are in place in Farmington.

The River Hawks have several returning starters on their offensive line and defensive line, including junior Tyler McMahon, a 5-foot-10 linebacker who has been starting since his freshman year. Three defensive linemen and two linebackers return along with four offensive linemen, including Aiden Gootnick, a 6-0 lineman who could be playing in college next fall.

While Farmington’s top four receivers and leading rusher graduated, the River Hawks return junior quarterback Mason Kiniry, who also earned the starting job midway through his freshman year.

“Last year we were figuring out our offensive line. This year, we’re figuring out our receivers,” long-time coach Chris Machol said, who will be coaching the Hawks for the 18^th consecutive season – the longest tenure in program history.

Kiniry can get the ball away. He completed 139 of 249 passes for 1,658 yards and 12 TDs a year ago. He threw four TD passes and a career-high 330 in a 27-14 season-ending win over Plainville. He threw 3 TD passes in a win over RHAM and a five-point loss to Enfield.

He set a new school record with 29 completions in a single game against Enfield. His 330 yards of passing against Plainville was nine yards shy of the single game school record.

“Last year we were in a few close games that we didn’t win and we finished 4-6,” Machol said. “Our goal is to get over the hump. We’re definitely looking to have a winning season.

“The most important things is we have to win those 50-50 games that we’ve been on the wrong side of,” he said. “We have to find a way to win those games.”

A year ago, Farmington dropped a 28-23 decision to Enfield, an 18-7 loss to Newington and a 12-0 loss to Wethersfield in heavy rain in Farmington.

Farmington’s last winning season came in 2018 (6-4) and their last CIAC playoff berth came more than a decade ago in 2013.

Machol hopes to establish the run this year with the River Hawks. Some of Farmington’s best teams through the years have been run-oriented teams and a good running game could take the pressure of Kiniry, giving him time to find an open receiver.

“We’ve been a finesse team the last few years,” Machol said. “We’ve always been trying to find linemen.”

That’s not the challenge this year. Machol joked that the receiving line in warmups is shorter than the lineman lines. In fact, Machol ran out of lineman numbers in the program, which is up to 60 athletes this fall.

The River Hawks open the season at Wethersfield on Thursday night beginning at 6 p.m. and then travel to Fairfield in week 2 to face Fairfield Warde for the first time in program history on Friday, Sept. 18 in a Connecticut Football Alliance matchup.

Farmington renews their rivalry with Simsbury for the first time since 2014. They’ve only played six games against each other since 1968.

FARMINGTON
Head coach: Chris Machol, 18th season (69-94)
Nickname: River Hawks
Conference: CCC Tier III
Last season: 4-6, 3-4 CCC Tier III
Last winning season: 2018, 6-4
CIAC playoff class: Class L
Playoff appearances: 3 (1-3)
Last CIAC playoff appearance:2013
League or division championships: 10. Most recent title: 1999 Nutmeg Conference
Opening day record: 38-54-3. Most recent opening day win: 2024, Farmington 16, E.O. Smith 0
Social media: Twitter or X: @Farmington_FB; Instagram: @farmington.football
Team website: https://www.fhsfootball.org/
Of note: Machol is two victories away from becoming the leader in coaching wins in the program. Paul Maskery and Bruce Wearne each had 70 wins leading FHS

2026 schedule
Thur. Sept 10: at Wethersfield, 6 p.m.
Fri. Sept. 18: at Fairfield Warde, 6 p.m.
Sat. Sept. 26: at RHAM, 6 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 2: NEWINGTON, 7 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 9: SIMSBURY, 6 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 23: E.O. Smith, 6 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 30: at Bristol Eastern, 6:30 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 6: BLOOMFIELD, 6 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 13: MIDDLETOWN, 6 p.m.
Wed. Nov. 25: at Plainville, 6 p.m.

Other 2026 football previews

Avon/St. Paul
Avon Old Farms
Granby/Canton
Lewis Mills
Simsbury

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