New Britain — It is hard to fathom, particularly for staunch followers of state high school football, that Darien — perpetual contender, elite program — had endured 18 years without a state title. And then came Saturday, when the Class LL state championship game was over moments after the national anthem, which actually provided some foreshadowing:

Oh, say does that star-spangled (championship) banner yet wave ... at the home of the Blue Wave.

Darien finished the season 13-0 Saturday at Willow Brook Park, inhaling Shelton 39-7. The undisputed No. 1 team in Connecticut. And three words to describe Darien's defense: nasty, nasty, nasty.

This was an opportunity, for those of us so inclined, to get a peek beyond the Eastern Connecticut Conference. A chance to watch a great team. And it triggered the same thought it usually does:

How did the ECC get so bad?

It wasn't always like this. As Darien laid waste to Shelton, I tried to compare it to the two best teams I've seen in the ECC over the last 25 years: New London of 1991 and Fitch of 2000, the last two ECC teams to finish No. 1 in the state.

I doubt Darien would have beaten either of them.

I know. Hard to compare eras. But that New London team with Ambrose Fletcher, Kasi Fletcher, Tommy Thompson and Troy McKelvin, among others, was too fast. And Fitch's team of 2000 was just as physical along the lines as Darien and had Matt Maddox, George Hall (can we get him in the Fitch Hall of Fame please?) and several others.

Those teams played for championships 24 and 15 years ago, respectively. It feels like 100. Seriously: How did our league, title-less for eight years now, get so bad?

One state football writer suggested Saturday it's the byproduct of the ECC pastime of ducking any hint of quality competition. Stockpile wins against a conga line of bowsers all season and then get to the playoffs unprepared for somebody to hit you in the mouth.

Hard to argue that. Or this: While the dramatis personae of the ECC snipe at each other, mock each other's schedules (without examining their own) and allow personality conflicts to justify rooting against fellow league teams in the postseason, other leagues foster high levels of esprit de corps. They understand, in that rising-tide-lifts-all-boats sort of way, that when one of them wins, they all win.

Case in point: Darien. The Darien-New Canaan rivalry is among the best in Connecticut. Neighboring towns, successful programs, but blood enemies. And yet all the Darien folks were rooting for New Canaan in Saturday's Class L final against North Haven.

Darien quarterback Tim Graham: "We have a bunch of friends on New Canaan. We absolutely want them to succeed. The only game they're allowed to lose is against us. You definitely want to see the FCIAC succeed. It helps the whole league. If New Canaan wins, it means the world to us. We grew up playing against them."

Darien corner Christian Trifone: "We are rivals, sure. But we know a lot of those guys. We're rooting for them. Plus, if they win, we're the undisputed champions."

Darien would have been anyway. But Trifone and Graham were happy to learn that New Canaan defeated North Haven, giving the FCIAC the Class L and LL champs.

Know what we get around here? Snickers and guffaws when Ledyard loses in the playoffs. Why? Because Jim Buonocore, the coach, is the devil incarnate. Chuckles when NFA loses. Why? Because they have 17,846 students and still can't win. Same as in the old days when they rooted against New London, too.

It doesn't stop. And let me suggest that until this league — all of it — adopts more Darien-esque ways of thinking, the ECC will remain a football punchline. The funny part is that some ECC officials actually think there's a spirit of cooperation within the league. Maybe at meetings. For show. But in quieter moments? They're all aspiring gossip columnists.

And so another year ends and the ECC has zero football titles. None since 2008, when New London won Class SS, beating Seymour. (In 2007, Bill Mignault won a championship in his last game coaching at Ledyard. Yeah, they made fun of him, too. For only running six plays.)

Maybe in the offseason, instead of scheming to ensure the Large Division/Division I or whatever those dastardly large schools are called now, they can all soul search a little. It's really quite possible Darien and New Canaan make each other better. Rivals and champions. What a concept.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.

Twitter: @BCgenius