Granby/Canton locks up another playoff berth with win over Patriots
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.