Facts, Figures And Info You Need About The Connecticut Football Finals

CONNECTICUT — A dozen finalists have been determined for Saturday's CIAC state championship football games at two Division I college stadiums in Connecticut. Three contests each will be played at Rentschler Field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, and Arute Field at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain.

Digital tickets must be purchased in advance, and may be obtained here; tickets will not be sold at the gates. An electronic copy of the game programs may be downloaded here.

Here are some interesting facts about the teams involved in the championship matchups.

• No team enters the finals with an undefeated record. Five schools have a chance to win a championship with just one loss: Bloomfield, Daniel Hand, New Canaan, Rockville and Staples.
• Three teams are looking for a second straight championship: New Canaan (L), North Haven (MM) and Joel Barlow (SS).
• Just one matchup features the top two seeds battling it out: the Class M final between No. 1 Daniel Hand and No. 2 Rockville. Contrarily, the Class SS title tilt features the two lowest seeds, No. 7 Joel Barlow and No. 8 Watertown.
• New Canaan and Daniel Hand are each on a quest for their 14th state title. Unlike most years, each of the 12 finalists has won at least one state championship in the past, with Wilton enduring the longest drought at 38 years since its victory in 1985. Watertown seeks its first title since 1986, and Rockville looks to hoist the trophy for the first time since 1990.
• In the first two rounds of the playoffs, Daniel Hand leads the way with 77 points scored, while the stingy defenses of Staples and Watertown have each allowed just a dozen points.
• Rockville won its first two playoff contests by identical 14-13 scores.

Here is complete information about each title game, including championship histories and links to team rosters and season records.

RENTSCHLER FIELD

Class S
10:30 a.m.

No. 2 Bloomfield Warhawks vs. No. 4 Cromwell/Portland Panthers

Regular season: BLO 8-1; CP 8-2
The road to the finals:

• BLO: d. Morgan co-op 42-0; d. Notre Dame-Fairfield 20-14
• CP: d. Griswold/Wheeler 26-18; d. Ansonia 28-0

Title game record: BLO 9-8; CP 1-0
Last state championship: BLO 2018; CP 2021
Rosters

Class L
1:30 p.m.

No. 2 New Canaan Rams vs. No. 8 Darien Blue Wave

Regular season: NC 9-1; DAR 7-3
The road to the finals:

• NC: d. Killingly 49-14; d. Maloney 11-8
• DAR: d. Naugatuck 42-28; d. Newtown 21-0

Title game record: NC 13-5; DAR 8-9
Last state championship: NC 2022; DAR 2021
Rosters

Class SS
4:30 p.m.

No. 7 Joel Barlow Falcons vs. No. 8 Watertown Warriors

Regular season: JB 6-4; WAT 5-5
The road to the finals:

• JB: d. Coginchaug co-op 13-6; d. Sheehan 17-16
• WAT: d. Granby/Canton 26-12; d. Gilbert co-op 21-0

Title game record: JB 1-1; WAT 1-0
Last state championship: JB 2022; WAT 1986
Rosters

ARUTE FIELD

Class MM
10:30 a.m.

No. 3 Wilton Warriors vs. No. 5 North Haven Nighthawks

Regular season: WIL 8-2; NH 8-2
The road to the finals:

• WIL: d. Platt 35-14; d. Masuk 35-10
• NH: d. Fitch 41-22; d. Windsor 21-0

Title game record: WIL 2-2; NH 1-1
Last state championship: WIL 1985; NH 2022
Rosters

Class M
1:45 p.m.

No. 1 Daniel Hand Tigers vs. No. 2 Rockville Rams

Regular season: DH 9-1; ROC 9-1
The road to the finals:

• DH: d. St. Joseph 29-14; d. Abbott/Immaculate 48-0
• ROC: d. Berlin 14-13; d. Holy Cross 14-13

Title game record: DH 13-7; ROC 1-3
Last state championship: DH 2018; ROC 1990
Rosters

Class LL
5:30 p.m.

No. 1 Staples Wreckers vs. No. 3 West Haven Blue Devils

Regular season: STA 9-1; WH 8-2
The road to the finals:

• STA: d. Fairfield Prep 13-12; d. Southington 41-0
• WH: d. New Britain 28-14; d. Greenwich 26-13

Title game record: STA 3-5; WH 4-1
Last state championship: STA 2005; WH 2002
Rosters