The high school football season has reached the halfway point, and the region’s Eastern Connecticut Conference teams are all in danger of missing the playoffs.

The ECC had another poor showing in non-conference games last weekend, going 1-4 against the Southern Connecticut Conference and South-West Conference. That's after the ECC went 1-7 versus both leagues in Week 2.

Add in the ECC's 1-2 finish against the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference and SCC in Week 1, and it is 3-13 in interleague games against major conferences.

Fitch, New London and Norwich Free Academy are the area’s only local ECC teams with a .500-or-better record. They’re all 3-2, and only Fitch didn't lose twice in non-conference games.

Two losses has generally been the cutoff point for a playoff team since the CIAC expanded the postseason to four, eight-team divisions in 2010.

There have been six 10-game regular seasons since expansion (there were two 11-game regular seasons, which have since been nixed by the CIAC). Just 18 teams with three-or-more losses have qualified in those six 10-game seasons.

Class L has been one of the most unfavorable to 7-3 teams over those six seasons (three 7-3 teams qualified in 2016). Only Class LL has had fewer 7-3 qualifiers (two).

Fitch and New London are 12th and 13th, respectively, in Class L. NFA is tied for 16th in LL.

The trio is also going to pick one another off. NFA hosts Fitch on Oct. 26. It closes the regular season on Thanksgiving against New London, of course, in the 157th edition of the national’s oldest rivalry. New London beat Fitch, 13-8, on Sept. 29.

Fitch has the easiest closing schedule because NFA is the only team that currently has a winning record. A loss to the Wildcats would almost ruin its shot at a second straight playoff berth, though.

NFA hosts perennial Class L power Windsor (4-1) on Friday. Windsor beat the Wildcats last season, 35-7. NFA also plays at Killingly (4-1) on Nov. 9.

New London’s next three games are on the road against teams with losing records — East Lyme (1-4, Oct. 26), Ledyard (2-3, Nov. 2), and Stonington (0-5, Nov. 9). The trouble starts on Nov. 15 when it plays at perennial Class L participant Middletown (5-0), followed a week later at home against NFA.

Another local team, Valley Regional/Old Lyme (4-0), is eighth in Class S and has yet to play its toughest opponents. It hosts Cromwell/Portland (5-0) on Oct. 26, followed by a game at Rockville (4-1) on Nov. 2. The Warriors finish at home with rival Haddam-Killingworth (5-1) on Tuesday, Nov. 20.

The state quarterfinals (Tuesday, Nov. 27) and semifinals (Sunday, Dec. 2) are both hosted by the higher seeds. The finals are on Saturday, Dec. 8 at sites to be determined.

n.griffen@theday.com