Howdy,

North Haven was comfortably ahead by 28 points at halftime of last Thursday’s game against the Creed/Career/Whitney Tech.

North Haven head coach Tony Sagnella was nonetheless upset with his team.

“You know what I told the team at halftime the way we were playing defense in the second quarter?” Sagnella said. “I said I would like to go tell their coach that we’re not going to put an offense on the field in the second half to see if we’re tough enough to stop them, and if we lose, we lose.

“We’ve got to be tougher. Our team has to play better. That’s the goal, you know what I mean? I don’t care about the win, honestly.”

Enrollment has become as big a focus in state high school sports as a game plan, especially in football. Small schools used to play larger schools without anyone twitching about it. Not anymore. Not when it can be used as an excuse for why you lost and can be used to get an easier schedule.

(It doesn't matter how you played the game — it's how many cupcakes you scheduled).

Yes, a good large school gains nothing clubbing a bad smaller school, but school size isn't the be-all, end-all for success. Danbury has the state's largest boys enrollment (1,568) but hasn't won a CIAC football title. Ditto Norwich Free Academy (fourth largest), Westhill (fifth) and Stamford (10th).

North Haven used to play in Division II of the Southern Connecticut Conference. It was moved up to the newly named Tier 1 last season, arguably the state's most alpha football division.

The Indians didn’t protest moving up. They embraced it. They’ve also proven they can hang with the best of the best. They’re 3-1 headed into Friday’s game at Shelton, one of the weekend’s biggest contests.

“I love it,” Sagnella said. “The games are great. They’re exciting. The atmosphere is exciting. It’s awesome. This is my 21st year (here), and our goal has always been to bring this program to a level where it can play at the most competitive level that we’re capable of. And right now, we’re capable of this. I don’t know if it’ll always be, but right now, you hope you can.

“I can take losing a game. It’s not the worst thing in the world, and that’s not an excuse for losing. We’re about other things. We don’t even mention the word, ‘win’. … If we lost, then what did we do to make us fall short? I’ll walk across the field and shake the hand of any opponent. I’m not one of those guys who can’t take it.

“We’re going to work on what we have to do, and we want to play the best schedule we can play. Right now, we can play Tier 1, so let’s play.”

To quote the greatest athlete that ever lived, Ric Flair, “to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man.”

There are 18 teams playing SCC football broken up into three tiers. Tier 1 and 2 have seven teams each.

Hamden is the SCC's second-largest school (871). It petitioned to play in Tier 2 because it’s struggling. So did Amity, the seventh-largest school (727). And Wilbur Cross, the eighth largest (712).

North Haven has the 10th largest boys enrollment among the SCC’s football schools (567).

“I like (Tier 1),” North Haven senior Mark Montano said. “You’re always getting challenged more. It’s not like, ‘oh, what two big games do we have (this year)?’ We’re challenged every week and playing the best teams in the SCC. And it’s awesome to see that we can compete in that.”

North Haven was the state’s leader in kick-to-the-nethers losses last season. It lost twice by a point and once by three points. It led Class L semifinalist Notre Dame of West Haven by 13 points in the third quarter but lost, 49-34. It led Class LL quarterfinalist West Haven by 13 points in the second quarter. The Westies ran wild in the fourth quarter and won, 35-26.

The Indians never screamed for scheduling relief, though.

This season got off to a frustrating start as North Haven turned it over five times in a 33-27 loss to West Haven. The latter converted four of those turnovers into points. The Indians had a 293-153 edge in yards.

North Haven played spotty defense against Harding but won, 55-35, in Week 2.

The Indians got folks attention the following week when it played at No. 4 Cheshire and won, 17-14. Cheshire was the consensus SCC Tier 1 favorite because it returned more starters (14) than anyone else after finishing 6-4 last season. North Haven had just six starters back from a 4-6 team.

“We had a lot of new guys coming in (this season), but we were confident they knew what they were doing,” Montano said. “The beginning of the preseason we struggled and we knew we were going to struggle, but I think we got over a hump. I think mainly the mental errors have been what’s showing up recently, but the young guys have been stepping up a lot as the season has gone along.”

• • • •

Everyone here at Polecat Worldwide is devoted to the Manly Discipline of the Running Arts, thus North Haven has a special place in our cold, dead hearts because it’s the state’s finest purveyor of GOD’S FATHER’S OFFENSE (i.e. single wing).

We are morally bound, then, to discuss the Indians’ mas macho offense.

Zack Orth ran 15 times for 188 yards and three touchdowns as North Haven ran over Creed/Career/Whitney Tech on Thursday, 49-14, in an SCC crossover game (C/C/WT, formerly Hyde, is a Tier 3 program).

North Haven ran 43 times for 389 yards (that would be a robust 9.1 yards a carry — JOY).

GOD’S FATHER’S OFFENSE had been the Indians' short-yardage package from 2006-07. They ran it half of the time the following season and went to it full-time in 2009.

Why has Sagnella stayed with the offense when he used to be an option guy, and at a time where the spread has become football's offense du jour.

“The first thing is we installed it from the ground up in our youth program,” Sagnella said. “We’ve got guys that have been here a long time and everybody is one board, and that’s important. So our kids know it.

“Number two, it’s as flexible as you want it to be. So you’re not hamstrung into being a two tight end, straight-ahead, three yards and a cloud of dust (team) unless you want to be. That’s a little bit of our personality right now. We’re trying to expand it.”

North Haven can tailor the offense to its personnel. Last season, it opted to pass more (ick) than usual because it had Jack Steinman, a tight end who could sling the ball around.

“He was a single wing tight end,” Sagnella said. “Six-foot-4, 215 pounds, and he was physical and he would block you. And then he could a read a defense and he could throw the ball like a pocket passer. He was an anomaly. How do you get a kid like that? And we built around him and he could do things. He could operate a spread attack. Actually, our skill was more suited for spread than single wing, and it was just kind of cool to be able to do that.”

The Indians threw nine times (too much) against C/C/WT because junior Shamus Meehan gives them that extra threat.

“I don’t think we’re forced into that tight set all the time,” Sagnella said. “It depends on our personal. That’s our personnel today.”

• • • •

BEHOLD, The Day Top 10 state coaches' poll: 1. Darien (4-0, 13 first-place votes); 2. Southington (4-0); 3. Ansonia (4-0); 4. Windsor (4-0); 5. Tie, New Canaan (3-1) and West Haven (4-0); 7. Masuk (3-0); 8. St. Joseph (2-1); 9. Greenwich (2-0); and, 10. Cheshire (3-1).

• • • •

The GameTimeCT.com/New Haven Register/Hearst Inc. Top 10 media poll: 1. Darien (24 first-place votes); 2. Southington; 3 Ansonia; 4. West Haven; 5. New Canaan; 6. Windsor; 7. St. Joseph; 8. Masuk; 8. Greenwich; and, 10. Middletown (4-0).

• • • •

Ned Freeman’s computer rankings over at CalPreps.com: 1. Darien; 2. West Haven; 3. New Canaan; 4. Greenwich; 5. Ansonia; 6. Southington; 7. St. Joseph; 8. Masuk; 9. Ridgefield (2-1); and, 10. Cheshire. Windsor was 12th.

• • • •

Okay, what was the most ridiculous part of Ansonia’s latest win:

• That it beat Torrington, 62-6.

• That it was the program’s 800th win.

• That it scored nine touchdowns in the first half on TWELVE offensive plays.

EGAD.

Markell Dobbs ran four times for 120 yards and three touchdowns for the No. 3 Chargers (4-0). Justin Lopez also scored on runs of 25 and 19 yards and completed his only pass attempt for a 39-yard touchdown to Brent Washington.

Ansonia had a 34-6 lead after one quarter. It has outscored opponents 220-18.

• • • •

Darien was without Mitch Pryor for almost all of Saturday’s game after he was removed for precautionary reasons when he landing wrong and tweaking his leg. No worries. Reserve Andrew Lucas ran for three touchdowns as the top-ranked Blue Wave crushed Stamford, 53-6. Jack Joyce threw three touchdowns for Darien (4-0).

Tim O’Shea caught 11 passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns as No. 2 Southington thrashed Conard, 49-13. Will Barmore completed 20 of 28 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns for the Blue Knights (4-0).

Tomasz Johnson ran for two touchdown, including a go-ahead 2-yard run with 35 seconds left, as No. 4 Windsor rallied to beat E.O. Smith, 28-21. The Warriors (4-0) trailed 21-7 at halftime. Johnson had a 32-yard catch on the game-winning drive. Kobe Stigler scored on a 15-yard run and a 45-yard interception return for the Panthers (3-1).

New Canaan ran fewer plays than Westhill (56 to 38) and had the ball for just 14 minutes, 57 seconds in Thursday’s game. Like it mattered. Drew Pyne was an economical 8 of 14 passing for 233 yards and two touchdowns and scored on a 12-yard run as the Rams tore up then-unbeaten Westhill, 49-7. Remember kids — time of possession means nothing anymore thanks to the the spread offense, 7-on-7 passing leagues, and rules that have all but neutered defenses.

Reserve Will Graikoski completed 8 of 16 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns and scored on a 4-yard run as No. 10 Cheshire crushed Law, 38-7. Graikoski started in place of Jack Raba, the program’s all-time passing leader. Raba was out with a collarbone injury that he told the Meriden Record-Journal wouldn’t keep him out long. Jake Mcalinden ran 15 times for 110 yards for Cheshire (3-1) and Michael Jeffery added four catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.

Hamear Stephens ran for 112 yards with two touchdowns, threw a 54-yard TD, and had three catches for 31 yards and a score as Fitch ransacked Norwich Free Academy, 46-13. Tyler Nelli ran for 103 yards and touchdown and completed 9 of 10 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown for Fitch (4-0). Hollis Scott added nine carries for 79 yards and two scores. The Falcons’ defense held NFA quarterback Shea McManaway to 146 yards passing and two TDs.

Kevin Ferrer ran for three touchdowns as Stonington ran over Montville, 35-0, for its first win of the season. The Bears had eight players combine on 50 carries for 209 yards and only attempted three passes. GOD’S OFFENSE. ... Kameron Janice ran for 344 yards and six touchdowns in Woodstock Academy’s 54-28 win over Ludlow, Mass. ... Connor Brown had three interceptions, including one that he returned for a 19-yard touchdown, scored on a 1-yard run, and threw for a 2-point conversion as Bacon Academy took advantage of Waterford’s mistakes in its 35-19 win. Waterford turned it over eight times. Bacon long snapper Scott Fries recovered two punts that the Lancers fumbled away.

Spencer Lockwood ran 18 times for 199 yards and three touchdowns as Killingly rolled Windham, 44-6. Luke Desaulnier completed 3 of 6 passes for 70 yards and threw two touchdowns, ran for an 8-yard touchdown, and kicked a 25-yard field goal for Killingly (4-0). ... Ziair Williams ran 28 times for 237 yards and three touchdowns as Notre Dame of Fairfield downed Ledyard, 47-21. Jacob Sylvia, making his first start at QB, threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns.

Penn State-bound Will Levis completed 21 of 29 passes for 347 yards and five touchdowns and scored on a 15-yard run as Xavier discombobulated East Haven, 56-3. The Falcons held East Haven to 16 yards. ... Jaykeen Foreman scored on interception returns of 4 and 40 yards in the second quarter of Wilbur Cross’ 27-0 win over Amity. Jasiah Barnes ran for 241 yards, and two touchdowns for the Governors (3-1). ... Delavantae Hutton ran 32 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns in Hand’s 37-6 win against Harding.

Jake Roberts completed 18 of 29 passes for 238 yards and a TD and scored on a 1-yard run to lead Shelton past Guilford, 17-0. ... Jared Hubler ran 13 times for 195 yards and three touchdowns and completed 8 of 13 passes for 175 yards and a score as Foran routed Lyman Hall, 43-6. ... Nick Mancini ran nine times for 77 yards and two touchdowns, had two receptions for 28 yards and a score, and had 16 tackles as North Branford squished Morgan, 41-2.

One will not be bored at a Hillhouse game. Terrell Watts threw a go-ahead 65-yard touchdown to Quintus Reid with 2:41 remaining in the game as the Academics beat Hamden, 20-13, for its third-straight comeback win. Watts threw a 14-yard touchdown to Tyzohn Poole with 8:24 left to cut the Green Dragons’ lead to 13-12. .... Tyrese Wright had 18 carries for 211 yards and four touchdowns and completed 3 of 8 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns as Bullard-Havens tore up Abbott Tech/Immaculate, 50-12.

Zach Jackson completed 7 of 9 passes for 92 yards and three touchdowns and scored on a 20-yard run as Thames River swamped MCW United, 38-0. Trey Stimons ran 20 times for 120 yards and a touchdown and Ismael Rivera had two interceptions for the Crusaders (1-2), who won their first game under first-year head coach Darin Jones.

Raquan Tompkins completed 9 of 15 passes for 219 yards and four touchdowns and scored on runs of 79 and 15 yards as East Hartford blitzed Enfield, 62-30. Kevon Jones had four catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 83 yards and a TD for the Yellowjackets (3-1) and Jamar Eaton scored on kickoff returns of 90 and 81 yards in the third quarter. ... Marcelino La Bella had four interceptions (?!) as Northwest Catholic blanked Plainville, 37-0, its first win of the season. Spencer Merkel ran for 162 yards and two scores for the Lions (1-3).

St. Paul continues to hold a special place in our hearts. It ran 55 times out of the WISHBONE for 367 yards and five touchdowns in a 46-32 win over Derby. Connor Bogdanski ran 21 times for 120 yards and three touchdowns for the Falcons (4-0) and Damien Rabis had 14 carries for 197 yards and two touchdowns and ran for four 2-point conversions. St. Paul also completed the only pass it threw for a touchdown, its second pass attempt of the season. Why can’t more of you be like the Falcons?

Nick D’Elia threw a go-ahead 35-yard touchdown to Joseph Deptula with 1:01 left in the game as Watertown roared back to edge Wolcott, 34-32. Watertown turned the Eagles over on downs at its 8-yard line with six seconds remaining. D’Elia also threw touchdown passes of 43 and 26 yards and scored on runs of 1 and 28 yards for the Indians (3-1), which scored twice with less than nine minutes left. Anthony Ligi scored on runs of 8 and 10 yards and a 75-yard interception return for Wolcott.

Jacob Carlson ran 12 times for 179 yards and two touchdowns, completed 2 of 3 passes for 33 yards and a score, and had eight tackles as Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton/Lyman Memorial thumped Rockville, 49-17. Nick Pronovost had five carries for 69 yards and three touchdowns and an interception for the Patriots (4-0). ... Khyon Gillespie ran for 233 yards and three touchdowns to pace Capital Prep/Achievement First past Danbury, 40-22. Gillespie scored on runs of 3, 49, and 99 yards for the Trailblazers (3-1). O’Neil Robinson also scored on kickoff returns of 90 and 64 yards, had 221 all-purpose yards, and two interceptions.

Julian Ibes ran for four touchdowns as South Windsor stormed back to beat Simsbury, 42-31. South Windsor (4-0) trailed 24-7 in the third quarter before running wild and scoring 35 unanswered points. ... Ryan Carlson scored on runs of 53 and 3 yards and a 33-yard pass as Tolland took down East Catholic, 35-0. ... Victor Pascoe ran 14 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns and completed 5 of 8 passes for 116 yards and a TD as Old Saybrook/Westbrook thundered past Lewis Mills, 34-14. Vincent Dyer had two catches for 93 yards and a touchdown and ran 10 times for 61 yards for the Rams (4-0)

Colton Engel ran 32 times for 220 yards and four touchdowns, including a go-ahead 2-yard run with 39 seconds left, to lift Stafford/East Windsor/Somers past SMSA/University/Classical, 31-26. Engel also completed 12 of 16 passes for 95 yards with a touchdown and in interception for the Bulldogs (4-0) and Jalen Irving had four tackles and two sacks. ... Daron Bryden completed all six of his passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns as Bloomfield rocked Avon, 47-0.

Sophomore John Iaropoli made his first start at quarterback and completed 7 of 12 passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns in Fairfield Prep’s 38-21 win over Sheehan. Justin Keith ran 16 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns for Prep. It’s starting QB, Will Lucas, was sidelined after getting banged up by Shelton in Week 3. Prep also lost junior running back Doug Harrison, its offensive catalyst, to a torn ACL.

Joe Catania ran for 202 yards and three touchdowns, caught a 29-yard touchdown, and made all seven extra points as Rocky Hill downed Bulkeley/HMTCA/Weaver, 49-0. Danny Cavallaro completed 5 of 12 passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns and scored on runs of 11 and 12 yards for the Terriers (4-0). GOD’S OFFENSE. ... Bryce Karstetter threw four touchdowns of as Cromwell/Portland rolled Haddam-Killingworth, 43-7. Dianta Highsmith caught two touchdowns (73, 19) for C/P.

Shawn Robinson ran 31 times for 214 yards and three touchdowns and added two catches for 34 yards as New Britain pushed Hall around, 43-21. Muhamed Codjoe had 16 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns for the Golden Hurricanes (2-2), which ran 63 times (awesome) for 352 yards and five TDs. ... Aiden Valentin ran for 176 yards and two touchdowns and caught a 44-yard touchdown as Maloney clubbed Bristol Central, 34-7, its third straight win. Larue Graham completed 11 of 16 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns and scored on a 1-yard run for the Spartans (3-1).

Rossano DiGiacomo ran for 91 yards and a touchdown as Wethersfield overcame an injury to quarterback Craig Elliott and won its first game of the season, 17-7, over then-unbeaten Platt. Elliott, who was injured in the second quarter, completed all six of his passes for 81 yards with a touchdown to Ryan Skelly for the Eagles (1-3). Michael Messina added a 33-yard field goal. Aurelio Marinelli completed 16 of 32 passes for 220 yards and a TD for Platt (3-1).

DeAndre Wallace caught a 16-yard touchdown from Corey Fappiano with 50 seconds left and ran in the conversion to give Holy Cross a 20-14 win over Waterbury Career Academy. ... Bobby Melms ran four times for 83 yards and three touchdowns as Seymour smashed Sacred Heart/Kaynor Tech 49-6. Ian Sadick completed 4 of 7 passes for 108 yards and three touchdowns for the Wildcats (2-1) and Tyler Ganim added three catches for two scores. Also, Louie Cortello scored on an 80-yard kickoff return.

Billy Komons had 26 carries for 160 yards and two touchdowns and scored on a 33-yard catch to pace Gilbert/Northwestern Regional past Canton, 38-8. E.J. Claman ran nine times for 73 yards and a score for the Yellowjackets (2-2). ... Colton Nicholas completed 20 of 41 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns and scored on a 1-yard run as Trumbull fought out Trinity Catholic, 35-27. Sam Adolf completed 13 of 29 passes for 292 yards and four touchdowns for Trinity.

HATS OFF to Bristol Eastern for putting a dagger into its 17-game losing streak. Ariza Kolloverja ran 30 times for 172 yards and had an interception for the Lancers in their 9-7 win over Newington last Thursday. Justin Marshall threw a 27-yard touchdown to Jaden Laprise and John McPhee kicked a 22-field goal for Eastern, which, oddly enough, last won on Oct. 23, 2015 against Newington (40-34).

• • • •

That's all for now. More soon.

Adios.