State Tournament Pairings Set
At long last, the snow-delayed state “LL” (extra large) schools tournament gets underway Friday. Staples hosts Manchester, in a 2 p.m. start.
The Wreckers are the #11 seed. Their 10-2-4 regular season record is the same as Cheshire. With no common opponent, a coin flip put the upstaters at #12.
In the 1960s and ’70s, Manchester and Staples were 2 of the top teams in the state. Over an 11-year span beginning in 1962, the Wreckers and Indians played 5 state tournament games.
The last time the squads met — in 2006 — was also a 1st-round match. The Wreckers won 1-0 in a lethargic contest, then caught fire and reached the state finals.
This year, Pomperaug is #1 in LL. They finished the regular season — the only games that count for state tournament ranking — 15-0-1, but fell 4-0 to Bunnell in the SWC championship match.
Other FCIAC “LL” matchups show #3 Norwalk home against #30 Stamford; #7 Trumbull hosting #26 New Milford; #17 Greenwich at #16 Hamden; #19 Westhill at #14 Bristol Central; #20 Danbury at #13 Guilford; #25 Ridgefield at #8 Newtown.
In the “L” (large schools) division, #5 Darien hosts #28 North Haven; #12 New Canaan is home against #21 Lyman Hall, and #16 Wilton entertains #17 New London.
Click here for the complete LL tournament draw.
Co-captain Jake Malowitz leads the Wreckers into the 2011 state tournament. (Photo by Carl McNair)
