In the Register preseason poll, I voted Masuk No. 1 because they had gone undefeated, won the Class L state title and were returning their two best players in Gatorade state player of the year and UConn-bound quarterback Casey Cochran and running back Colin Markus. Both were all-state picks last year as juniors. It was announced today that Cochran was a repeat winner.
I picked Xavier No. 2 because while they went undefeated and won the Class LL state title, all three of their all-state picks (Graham Stewart, Eric Mischke and Kosi Broderick) graduated.
The regular season is now complete and we're on to the semifinals of the state tournament.
And as long as Xavier wins the Class LL state title, I will be switching my vote regardless of what Masuk does from here on out. Xavier dominated in the tough SCC. The Falcons beat an 8-3 Notre Dame Class L playoff team 36-7. They beat a 5-5 Cheshire team -- which lost all five of its games to teams with a combined record of 45-8 -- by a final score of 42-20. They beat an 8-2 Shelton team 27-0 and a 5-5 Fairfield Prep team 35-0. They beat defending Class M champion Hillhouse (7-3) 35-7. They called off the dogs to avoid 50-point wins over Foran, Amity and Hamden. But they also called off the dogs to avoid 50-point wins over 7-3 West Haven (up 40-6 at halftime) and 6-4 Middletown on Thanksgiving.
And then they destroyed Glastonbury in the Class LL quarterfinals (up 34-0 going into the fourth quarter).
So while Xavier was giving everyone every reason to vote them No. 1, Masuk was doing nothing to lose its supporters. Granted the Panthers' schedule of Oxford (3-7), New Fairfield (3-7), Stratford (2-8), Barlow (3-7), Notre Dame-Fairfield (1-9), Immaculate (0-10), New Milford (5-5), Pomperaug (8-2), Weston (7-3) and Newtown (9-2) combined for a 41-60 record, features four Class S schools and just one of the other 30 playoff teams, but Masuk still won every single game by at least five touchdowns.
All you can do is beat the teams on your schedule, and that's what Masuk has done all year. It still is a pretty incredible stat that the five teams Cheshire lost to combined for four more wins than the 10 teams Masuk played.
Then Super Tuesday came, along with torrential rain and wind to slow down Cochran. But North Haven was tied with Masuk in the fourth quarter without completing a pass. I understand the weather was not conducive to throwing the ball, but how many points would North Haven put up on Xavier without a completing a pass? I'll give you a hint. It would be the same as the number of completions.
North Haven is a very good team. They are hard-nosed, athletic and physical. But I don't think they would hang with Xavier. The Indians' only loss before Tuesday was to Notre Dame, and the Green Knights got blown out by Xavier. But so has everyone else. And I think Masuk would join that club, but the schedule and class breakdown will leave that up to debate forever.
Looking back, I should have voted Xavier No. 1 in the first poll. Masuk finally gave me a reason to vote Xavier No. 1 in the final poll.
Unless, of course, Norwalk, Staples or Newtown go out and prove me right all along.

Here's my Week 12 poll picks with Week 11 results:

1. Masuk (10-0) Def. Newtown 46-7
2. Xavier (10-0) Def. Middletown 48-6
3. Ansonia (11-0) Def. Naugatuck 49-14
4. Staples (9-0) Def. Greenwich 31-27
5. Hand (10-0) Def. Guilford 40-15
6. Windsor (10-0) DNP
7. New Canaan (9-1) Def. Darien 42-21
8. Notre Dame-West Haven (8-2) Def. Hamden 42-14
9. Hall (9-1) DNP
10. Conard (9-1) DNP
11. North Haven (9-1) Def. Amity 27-10
12. New London (9-1) Def. NFA 37-17
13. Valley Regional/Old Lyme (9-1) LOST to H-K 6-0
14. North Branford (9-1) Def. Hyde 34-13
15. Ellington/Somers (10-0) Def. Conventry/Windham Tech 27-14

Here's my Week 11 poll picks with Week 10 results:

1. Masuk (9-0) Bye
2. Xavier (9-0) Bye
3. Ansonia (10-0) Def. Holy Cross 33-0
4. Staples (8-0) Bye
5. Hand (9-0) Bye
6. Windsor (10-0) Def. Waterford 42-13
7. Valley Regional/Old Lyme (9-0) Def. East Hampton/Vinal Tech 41-12
8. New Canaan (8-1) Bye
9. ND-WH (7-2) Bye
10. Hall (9-1) Def. Conard 20-0
11. Conard (9-1) Lost to Hall 20-0
12. North Haven (8-1) Bye
13. New London (8-1) Def. Griswold 15-0
14. North Branford (8-1) Def. Lewis Mills 58-20
15. Ellington/Somers (9-0) Def. Housatonic/Wamogo 28-6

Here's my Week 10 poll picks with Week 9 results:

1. Masuk (9-0) Def. Weston 56-14
2. Xavier (9-0) Def. West Haven 47-22
3. Ansonia (9-0) Def. Wilby 51-22
4. Staples (8-0) Def. Westhill 42-21
5. Hand (9-0) Def. Hamden 42-7
6. Conard (9-0) Def. Newington 61-13
7. Windsor (9-0) Def. RHAM 27-6
8. Valley Regional/Old Lyme (8-0) Def. Cromwell 24-21
9. New Canaan (8-1) Def. Trumbull 49-13
10. Notre Dame-WH (7-2) Def. Fairfield Prep 56-22
11. Hall (8-1) Def. Glastonbury 21-14
12. North Haven (8-1) Def. Lyman Hall 54-6
13. New London (7-1) Def. Bacon Academy 34-6
14. North Branford (7-1) Def. Nonnewaug 45-0
15. Ellington/Somers (8-0) Def. Avon 14-5

Here's my Week 9 poll picks with Week 8 results:

1. Masuk (8-0) Def. Pomperaug 49-3
2. Xavier (8-0) Def. Hamden 56-7
3. Ansonia (8-0) Def. Wolcott 48-14
4. Staples (7-0) Def. Fairfield Warde 35-17
5. Hand (8-0) Def. East Haven 42-0
6. Windsor (8-0) Def. Maloney 33-6
7. Valley Regional/Old Lyme (7-0) Def. Lewis Mills 48-0
8. Conard (8-0) Def. East Hartford 47-0
9. New Canaan (7-1) LOST to Stamford 36-29
10. Notre Dame-West Haven (6-2) Def. Cheshire 28-7
11. North Haven (7-1) Def. Foran 49-20
12. Bunnell (7-1) Def. Barlow 43-20
13. Hall (7-1) Def. Newington 55-28
14. New London (6-1) Def. Montville 48-0
15. North Branford (6-1) Def. Coginchaug 19-16


Here's my Week 8 poll picks with Week 7 results:

1. Masuk (7-0) Def. New Milford 55-6
2. Xavier (7-0) Def. Hillhouse 35-7
3. New Canaan (7-0) Def. Wilton 28-14
4. Ansonia (7-0) Def. Crosby 42-6
5. Staples (6-0) Def. Darien 42-23
6. Hand (7-0) Def. West Haven 28-14
7. Windsor (7-0) Def. Farmington 35-14
8. Valley Regional/Old Lyme (6-0) Def. Coginchaug 32-0
9. Conard (7-0) Def. Manchester 20-14
10. Bunnell (6-1) LOST to Bethel (5-2) 56-46
11. Notre Dame-West Haven (5-2) Def. Wilbur Cross 27-6
12. North Haven (6-1) Def. Bridgeport Central 53-28
13. Hall (6-1) Def. Southington 22-6
14. New London (5-1) LOST to Fitch 14-0
15. North Branford (5-1) Def. Cromwell 41-33

Here's my Week 7 poll picks with Week 6 results:

1. Masuk (6-0) Def. Immaculate 56-8
2. Xavier (6-0) Def. Shelton 27-0
3. New Canaan (6-0) Def. St. Joseph 43-14
4. Ansonia (6-0) Def. Watertown 51-14
5. Staples (5-0) Def. Trumbull 38-16
6. Bunnell (6-0) Def. Brookfield 32-26
7. Hand (6-0) Def. Wilbur Cross 36-0
8. New London (5-0) Def. Windham 49-13
9. Windsor (6-0) Def. Middletown 41-13
10. Valley Regional/Old Lyme (5-0) DNP
11. Darien (6-0) Def. Wilton 35-34 (2 OT)
12. Cromwell (6-0) Def. Morgan 61-16
13. Conard (6-0) Def. New Britain 29-14
14. Norwich Free Academy (5-0) Def. Montville 32-22
15. Notre Dame-West Haven (4-2) Def. North Haven 27-12

Here's my Week 6 poll picks with Week 5 results:

1. Masuk (5-0) Def. ND-Fairfield 61-18
2. Xavier (5-0) Def. Fairfield Prep 35-0
3. New Canaan (5-0) Def. Norwalk 28-14
4. Ansonia (5-0) Def. Seymour 41-6
5. Staples (4-0) Def. Danbury 31-12
6. Bunnell (5-0) Def. Pomperaug 34-21
7. Hand (5-0) Def. ND-WH 24-14
8. North Haven (5-0) Def. East Haven 47-6
9. New London (4-0) Def. East Lyme 20-0
10. Windsor (5-0) Def. Simsbury 45-0
11. Valley Regional/Old Lyme (5-0) Def. Hyde 41-7
12. Darien (5-0) Def. Trumbull 21-0
13. Cromwell (5-0) Def. Nonnewaug 49-0
14. Conard (5-0) Def. RHAM 38-6
15. Norwich Free Academy (4-0) Def. Woodstock Academy 35-0

Here's my Week 5 poll picks with Week 4 results:

1. Masuk (4-0) Def. Barlow 55-12
2. Xavier (4-0) Def. Amity 49-7
3. New Canaan (4-0) Def. McMahon 36-33
4. Ansonia (4-0) Def. Holy Cross 45-13
5. Staples (3-0) DNP
6. Bunnell (4-0) Def. Weston 28-7
7. Hand (4-0) Def. Cheshire 31-14
8. North Haven (4-0) Def. Sheehan 41-7
9. Montville (4-0) Def. Windham 43-30
10. New London (3-0) Def. Ledyard 33-14
11. Windsor (4-0) Def. Hartford Public 46-0
12. Middletown (4-0) Def. Wethersfield 34-10
13. Pomperaug (4-0) Def. Newtown 16-9
14. Valley Regional/Old Lyme (4-0) Def. Morgan 41-0
15. Berlin (4-0) Def. Weaver 43-0

Here's my Week 4 poll picks with Week 3 results:

1. Masuk (3-0) Def. Stratford 56-0
2. Xavier (3-0) Def. Cheshire 42-20
3. New Canaan (3-0) Def. Fairfield Warde 28-14
4. Ansonia (3-0) Def. Derby 55-19
5. West Haven (3-0) Def. Hamden 32-31
6. Staples (3-0) Def. McMahon 24-21
7. Bunnell (3-0) Def. Oxford 55-20
8. Hand (3-0) Def. Amity 40-7
9. North Haven (3-0) Def. Branford 21-6
10. Montville (3-0) Def. Bacon Academy 25-3
11. Trumbull (2-0) Def. Fairfield Ludlowe 35-8
12. New London (2-0) Def. Greenwich 51-33
13. Windsor (3-0) Def. Bristol Eastern 48-7
14. Middletown (3-0) Def. Maloney 47-13
15. Pomperaug (3-0) Def. Immaculate 43-6

Here's my Week 3 poll picks with Week 2 results:
1. Masuk (2-0) Def. New Fairfield 64-14
2. Xavier (2-0) Def. Foran 48-0
3. New Canaan (2-0) Def. Trinity Catholic 41-14
4. Ansonia (2-0) Def. Woodland 36-6
5. West Haven (2-0) Def. Guilford 40-6
6. Staples (2-0) Def. Bridgeport Central 48-8
7. Bunnell (2-0) Def. New Milford 46-13
8. Hand (2-0) Def. Lyman Hall 41-20
9. North Haven (2-0) Def. Hamden 28-25
10. Montville (2-0) Def. Waterford 35-2
11. Trumbull (1-0) Def. Westhill 47-13
12. Cheshire (2-0) Def. Hillhouse 30-6
13. New London (1-0) Did not play
14. Windsor (2-0) Def. Bristol Central 47-20
15. Middletown (2-0) Def. Bristol Eastern 68-20

That went downhill fast.
Built up a little momentum at the start of the high school football season, had a two-week business trip to Pennsylvania and that was all she wrote. Or all I wrote.
I'm going to post the way I voted each week in the Register Top 10 poll just so it's on the record, and hopefully get back on track with this blog.
And since its intention was to be a blog about the NHR sports department as well as high school football (and fantasy sports when I'm so inclined), I hope to continue this blog throughout the year. But I've said that before.
Most people familiar with the NHR and New Haven-area sports know about the death of our columnist and friend Dave Solomon back in August. We still feel the effects of that, professionally and personally, every day. And now we've lost another.
Brian Baisley was a good guy. He came to the NHR through the Easter Seals program (he had Down Syndrome and a host of other medical issues) and was sort of an intern, but mostly just a guy who hung out for a few hours a couple days a week and watched the first hour of Red Sox games before the bus came to get him at 8. In recent years, he watched the first hour of Yankees games thanks to a sort of brainwashing courtesy of Bob Ehalt.
I called him Benedict Baisley.
I would ask him all the time, "How could you switch from the Red Sox to the Yankees?!" I think it was mostly influenced by schools editor Joe Morelli taking him to Yankee Stadium after the new incarnation of the Cathedral opened in 2009. Brian was a lifelong Sox fan but because of his medical issues, and because Fenway Park was built in 1912, going to Boston games wasn't that easy for him.
The new Yankee Stadium had ramps and more handicap-accessible features.
Brian appreciated that. I don't think he had to switch teams over it, but he did.
He was big into the Special Olympics, as a participant, advocate and even as a writer for the NHR.
He had a million things to complain about, but never did. And he had the biggest, goofiest smile you've ever seen. And it made you smile too.
He'll be missed.

Caught my first game of the season Thursday night in Ansonia as the Chargers dismantled Torrington. Needless to say, the Red Raiders have dropped from my top 15.
Hillhouse's one-point loss to North Haven cost them seven spots for me, though they were 4-3 last season before winning a state title, so I expect them to bounce back again.
Trumbull's game with Catholic Memorial was cancelled due to a power outage, but Trumbull was down 14-0 when the game was called, so I had to drop them a  couple spots in favor of teams that actually won this weekend.

Here's my Week 2 poll picks with Week 1 results:

1. Masuk (1-0) Def. Oxford 49-14
2. Xavier (1-0) Def. Notre Dame-West Haven 36-7
3. New Canaan (1-0) Def. Bassick 49-6
4. Ansonia (1-0) Def. Torrington 49-20
5. West Haven (1-0) Def. Amity 28-14
6. Staples (1-0) Def. St. Joseph 21-7
7. Bunnell (1-0) Def. Immaculate 46-21
8. Hand (1-0) Def. Fairfield Prep 42-0
9. North Haven (1-0) Def. Hillhouse 20-19
10. Hillhouse (0-1) LOST to North Haven 20-19
11. Montville (1-0) Def. Watertown 20-13
12. Trumbull (0-0) Game with Catholic Memorial (Mass.) cancelled due to power outage
13. Cheshire (1-0) Def. Hamden 46-18
14. New London (1-0) Def. Woodstock Academy 44-0
15. Windsor (1-0) Def. Wethersfield 33-0

Being the new guy on the Connecticut high school football beat this season, I kept questioning Register beat writer Mike Pucci about how Ansonia could possibly be a great team again without Montrell Dobbs.
After all, Dobbs ran for 300 to 400 yards per game and was the unquestioned focal point of the Chargers' offense last season.
Well, Arkeel Newsome stepped in and stepped up, filling Dobbs' shoes, at least for one game.
But Ansonia's offense will continue to improve, and become multi-faceted. QB Elliott Chudwick had receiver Andrew Matos open multiple times, but the connection wasn't made as often as it should have been. Some of the throws were a bit off, but more of the blame falls on Matos and his drops on Thursday night.
If he hauls in some of those deep throws, and Newsome keeps breaking long runs behind a big, physical offensive line, the Chargers' offense will be nearly impossible to slow down.

Going 0-10 over the course of a high school football season sucks.
I would try to be a little more poetic, but no other word sums it up as succinctly. You start in the scorching August heat and finish in the frigid November wind.
Running, hitting, hurting, vomiting, bleeding. With nothing to show in the end.
Three to four months out of that precious short amount of time that is high school. Gone.
But not all is lost, even when all are lost. Fond memories can still be created in a winless campaign. Locker-room jokes, busting chops, bus rides, those rare triumphant moments on the field that just weren't quite enough to get the job done.
Seymour had that last year. The 0-10 season. But the Wildcats are now perfect, the one perfect team in Connecticut, at least for a day. They beat O'Brien Tech 42-14 on Wednesday night in the only game on the state schedule. The rest of the state's teams will get their chance to start off perfectly over the next few days.
But now O'Brien Tech is faced with that 0-10 possibility that was Seymour's reality last season. One might say it's a probability. A program's first varsity season is never easy. Especially when it doesn't get a year of JV action under its belt first.
It's nothing to be ashamed of. The Condors split with Derby after a four-year co-op situation, and they're on their own. It's all uphill right now. But they knew that going in, and Seymour reinforced it.
Whether it's inexperience, a lack of size, a lack of numbers or Gov. Malloy, the Condors will face adversity, and they'll need to crawl before they fly.
I've been there.
In the fall of 1997 I quarterbacked St. Paul-Bristol to an 0-10 season. What made it even worse was the 7-3 season I enjoyed from the bench the year before. A share of the Northwest Conference title with Berlin and Farmington. I helped give it all back. My coach reminded me of that. A few times.
It was an awful season, but it's easier to laugh about it now. Sure wasn't then.
Being a Catholic school, we had a pretty strict dress code (khakis, white or blue button-down, tie) but on game days, we got to wear our jerseys over the shirt and tie. Always looked forward to that. There was a genuine sense of pride my freshman and sophomore years. We even had pep rallies.
But junior year, on the Fridays when I slipped on the red, white and blue No. 10, it was embarrassing. In the matter of a year, the girls in school went from "Oh, you're on the football team?" to "..."
Cold shoulders. I think I detected sympathy too.
And there were no pep rallies.
Our games went from being an event people wanted to be at, to just being a place where other students could get drunk or high and go to and not get caught by their parents.
We had five road games. We were the visiting opponent for five homecomings. I kid you not. We were the visiting team for a homecoming game in the middle of September. College kids weren't even moved into their dorms yet and they had a homecoming game to come back to.
Senior year wasn't much better, but we did get a win. E.O. Smith was in its first year of varsity play. We went up to Storrs and escaped with a 31-28 victory. We finished the year 1-9.
E.O. Smith, and St. Paul for that matter, went on to bigger and better things. So will Seymour.
And so will O'Brien Tech.

The Register Preseason Top 10 Poll has been announced.The big debate from last winter about whether Xavier or Masuk deserved to be No. 1 has carried over to this fall. Of the 25 voters, 13 put reigning Class LL champ Xavier first, the other 12 put the Class L defending champion Masuk in the top spot.

In my first year voting in the poll, here are my picks:

1. Masuk
2. Xavier
3. Hillhouse
4. New Canaan
5. Ansonia
6. West Haven
7. Staples
8. Bunnell
9. Trumbull
10. Hand
11. Brookfield
12. Montville
13. Cheshire
14. North Haven
15. Torrington

Some voters, including Register high school football beat writer Mike Pucci, subscribe to the theory that the defending No. 1 is No. 1 until they lose. But it was so close at the end of last year. Both teams went undefeated and won state titles. My reasoning is Masuk won handily in the title game and returns the Gatorade state player of the year, quarterback Casey Cochran, and dynamic running back Colin Markus. My gut feeling is Masuk would win if the two teams played. Just a feeling.

Now it's time for the season to start. The appetizer is Wednesday night with a winless team from 2010 (Seymour) facing a team in its first varsity season after four years in a co-op (O'Brien Tech). That first win will be extra sweet for whichever team gets it.

Check out Pucci's Predictions for Week 1.

I've created this blog to focus on high school football in the New Haven area. I'll be teaming up with Register high school football beat writer Mike Pucci this fall to bring you more coverage. More features, more videos, more interaction with our readers and visitors; the people who truly care about high school football in Connecticut. And there's a bunch.

But I'll be blogging about other stuff too. For the in-depth high school football coverage, your first stop should always be Pooch's Gridiron Glory blog. I'll add what I can.

We all know timing is everything, and with that, I am now leaving for vacation. Maybe I'll check in while I'm away from Sargent Drive, maybe I won't. But I'll be here in the fall in time for kickoff. Everyone enjoy what's left of the summer (August already?). Later.