High School Football Coaches’ Poll: West Haven gains on Greenwich after statement win

Greenwich was the unanimous No. 1 when the Hartford Courant Top 10 state high school football coaches’ poll started four weeks ago.

The Cardinals are still No. 1 but they’ve lost another first-place vote.

Second-ranked West Haven received its first No. 1 vote of the season after it went on the road and beat then-No. 9 Shelton, 31-21, last Friday.

It was the second time this season that the Blue Devils (4-0) have beaten a team that has been ranked in the Top 10. They began the season with a win at Staples, 33-23 (Sept. 8), which made its Top 10 season debut last week.

West Haven will have more opportunities to sway voters moving forward. It plays at Hamden (3-1) this Friday and hosts defending CIAC Class MM champion North Haven (3-1) on Oct. 20.

North Haven’s only loss was a Week 1 forfeit to Darien after the town’s school district learned of an incident involving student athletes.

The Westies will play two Top 10 teams on the road, too — No. 5 Newtown (Oct. 27), and No. 3 Cheshire (Nov. 11). Both are 4-0.

Greenwich (3-0) received 11 of 13 first-place votes. It was scheduled to play at Danbury last Friday, but the game was moved to Monday night.

Cheshire received the other first place vote.

Maloney (3-1) holds at No. 4 while Bloomfield (4-0) moved up one spot to sixth, switching places with Staples (3-1) in the process.

Ansonia (4-0) and New Canaan (3-1) are eighth and ninth, respectively.

Wilton (4-0) makes its Top 10 season debut at No. 10. It has outscored opponents, 146-14, including a 34-0, season-opening road win at Class M contender Berlin.

Shelton (2-2) was the only team that dropped out of the Top 10. It’s had the state’s toughest schedule so far as it opened with a win over New Canaan (26-23, Sept. 8) and lost to both Cheshire (21-14, OT, Sept. 14) and West Haven.

Some noteworthy games around the state (all are Friday at 6:30 p.m. except where noted): West Haven (1-0 Southern Connecticut Conference Tier 1) at Hamden (3-1, 0-0), Friday, 6 p.m.; Cromwell/Portland (4-0) at Rockville (2-0); Hall (3-1, 1-0 Central Connecticut Conference Tier 1) at New Britain (3-1, 2-1); North Branford (3-0) at Granby/Canton (3-0); Oxford (4-0) at Woodland (3-1); RHAM (2-1, 1-0 CCC Tier 3) at Platt (2-1, 1-0); Xavier (3-1, 1-1 SCC Tier 2) at Branford (3-1, 2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.; New Canaan (3-1) at St. Joseph (3-1), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Hartford Courant Top 10 State Coaches’ Poll

First place points in parentheses, record through Saturday, points tabulated on a 30-28-26-24-22-20-18-16-14-12-11-10-9-8-7 basis, last week’s ranking and CIAC classification:

1. Greenwich (11) 3-0, 386, 1, LL

KNOW THIS: The Cardinals were scheduled to play at Danbury last Friday, but the game was instead pushed to Monday night.

NEXT: vs. Darien, Oct. 14, 2 p.m.

2. West Haven (1) 4-0, 342, 2, LL

KNOW THIS: Armani Reid caught touchdown passes of 18 and 11 yards and added an interception as the Blue Devils took down then-No. 9 Shelton last Friday, 31-21.

NEXT: at Hamden, Friday, 6 p.m.

3. Cheshire (1) 4-0, 314, 3, MM

KNOW THIS: Evan Russo had a sack and forced a fumble (which he recovered) as the Rams shut down Fairfield Prep last Friday, 14-0. Adam Vernon added nine tackles and a fumble recovery for Cheshire, which allowed a meager 38 yards. Yes, 38 yards.

NEXT: vs. Amity, Friday, 7 p.m.

4. Maloney 3-1, 290, 4, L

KNOW THIS: The Spartans snuffed out Simsbury last Friday, 35-0, with Zakkai Moore running for two touchdowns.

NEXT: at Glastonbury, Friday, 6 p.m.

5. Newtown 4-0, 253, 5, L

KNOW THIS: Jayden Taylor caught just two passes — for 62 yards and two touchdowns — as the Nighthawks dominated Stratford last Friday, 41-0. There sure were a bunch of shutouts by Top 10 teams, eh?

NEXT: at New Fairfield, Oct. 13, 7 p.m.

6. Bloomfield 4-0, 223, 7, S

KNOW THIS: The Warhawks walloped Plainville last Thursday, 56-13, and will get the next two weeks off (and go 21 days between games.) The rest of Tier 4 of the Central Connecticut Conference is good with it.

NEXT: vs. Northwest Catholic, Oct. 19, 7 p.m.

7. Staples 3-1, 220, 6, LL

KNOW THIS: Caleb Smith did Caleb Smith things as the Wreckers ruined Westhill on Saturday, 49-0. Smith completed 13 of 23 passes for 221 yards and five touchdowns and ran four times for 28 yards and a score. He may get some votes for state player of the year come December.

NEXT: at Wilton, Oct. 14, 2 p.m.

8. Ansonia 4-0, 196, 8, S

KNOW THIS: Romeo Charles caught touchdown passes of 38 and 21 yards in Saturday’s 42-7 win over Waterbury Career Academy. Charles also recovered two fumbles against Waterbury Career Academy. Waterbury Career Academy doesn’t want to see Charles’s face for a while.

NEXT: at Wolcott, Friday, 7 p.m.

9. New Canaan 3-1, 186, 10, L

KNOW THIS: The Rams’ Alex Benevento ran for a 71-yard touchdown on the game’s first play and finished with four carries for 125 yards and three scores in a 43-0 rout of Fairfield Ludlowe last Friday. That would come out to 31.25 yards a carry, which is just nutty.

NEXT: at St. Joseph, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

10. Wilton 4-0, 151, NR, MM

KNOW THIS: The Warriors have been in stealth mode as they haven’t gotten the same state-wide attention that its fellow Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference peers have received (namely Greenwich, Staples and New Canaan). Wilton caught the eye of voters weeks ago, though, and it gradually moved up the ranks and makes its Top 10 debut this week.

NEXT: vs. Staples, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Dropped out: Shelton (9).

Also receiving votes: North Haven (3-1), 136 points; Naugatuck (4-0), 115; Darien (4-0), 105; Masuk (3-1), 103; Shelton (2-2), 84; Windsor (3-1), 68; St. Joseph (3-1), 38; Hall (3-1), 32; Guilford (3-0), 19; Hand (3-1), 16; Trumbull (2-2), 10; Tie, Berlin (3-1), Hamden (3-1), New Milford (3-1) and Xavier (3-1), 7.

Voters: Tom Brockett; Ansonia; Craig Bruno; Amity; Joe Della Vecchia; St. Joseph; Mike Drury; Southington; Mike Ellis; Fitch; Rob Fleeting; Windsor; Tanner Grove; Montville; Andy Guyon; Xavier; Joe Lato; Woodland; Brian Mazzone; Stafford/East Windsor/Somers; Bryan Muller; Brookfield; Marce Petroccio; Trumbull; Nathan Tyler, Stratford.