Area football teams remain in same CIAC classes as Connecticut sticks with six divisions

TOPICS:
Football

Posted By: Michael Letendre August 14, 2023

By Michael Letendre

Scholastic football is about ready to hit the turf (or grass in some areas of state) this coming weekend and Bristol’s programs are itching to get back to work for the 2023 season.

The CIAC has divided football into six divisions once again with teams being slotted depending on size, co-op status and past performance.

In terms of squads from Bristol, the locals are in their normal divisions this year.

Bristol Central is once again poised to challenge the programs in Class L while Bristol Eastern battles all the elements from Class MM – both competing in the star-studded Central Connecticut Conference (CCC).

And St. Paul Catholic continues to battle against the squads in Class S, a member of the Naugatuck Valley League (NVL).

It should be a tremendous campaign for all the teams and here’s how scholastic football breaks down in 2023:

Important Dates (2023 Season)
• First Practice Date: August 19
• First Scholastic Contest: September 7
• Last Date to Count for Tournament: November 23

The Classes

The top eight teams in each CIAC division, meaning 48 squads in all, will qualify for the postseason over six postseason divisions.

Once again, points are used to determine the top-eight squads in all six classes (LL, L, MM, M, SS, S).

The CIAC also classified a couple of the different factors that moved programs up a division (or two) while a few of the teams that are co-ops will not be eligible for postseason play.

Let’s take a look at every team in the state via the class rankings and any special stipulations that might apply to those squads (via the CIAC website):

The 2023 CIAC Football Divisions:*Denotes moved up due to success in tournament factor
^Denotes opted out of CIAC Tournament eligibility in lieu of co-op phase out 

Class LL (766 and over students/23 teams) 

  • Bridgeport Central
  • Brien McMahon
  • Crosby
  • Danbury
  • East Hartford
  • Fairfield Prep
  • Glastonbury
  • Greenwich
  • Hamden
  • Kennedy
  • Manchester
  • New Britain
  • Norwalk
  • Norwich Free Academy
  • Notre Dame-West Haven*
  • Ridgefield
  • Southington
  • Stamford
  • Staples
  • Trumbull
  • West Haven
  • Westhill
  • Wilbur Cross 

***************************************************

Class L (605-765 students/22 Teams) 

  • Amity
  • Bristol Central
  • Conard
  • Darien
  • Enfield
  • Fairfield Ludlowe
  • Fairfield Warde
  • Farmington
  • Hall
  • Harding
  • Killingly*
  • Maloney
  • Naugatuck
  • New Canaan
  • New Milford
  • Newington
  • Newtown
  • Shelton
  • Simsbury
  • South Windsor
  • VGW Techs – Coop: Vinal Tech (Host) & Goodwin Tech
  • Wilby 

*****************************************************

Class MM (507-604 students/24 teams) 

  • Bassick
  • Bethel
  • Bristol Eastern
  • Bunnell
  • Cheney Tech
  • Cheshire
  • Fitch
  • Guilford
  • Hillhouse
  • Masuk
  • Middletown
  • North Haven
  • Platt
  • Platt Tech
  • Pomperaug
  • Quinebaug Valley – Coop: Ellis Tech (Host), Putnam & Tourtellotte
  • Stratford
  • Thames River – Coop: Grasso Tech (Host), Norwich Tech & St. Bernard
  • Torrington
  • Wethersfield
  • Wilcox/Kaynor^ – Coop: Wilcox Tech (Host) & Kaynor Tech
  • Wilton
  • Windsor
  • Xavier 

***************************************************

Class M (419-506 students/23 teams) 

  • ATI – Coop: Abbott Tech (Host) & Immaculate
  • Avon
  • Berlin
  • Branford
  • Brookfield
  • Bullard/Kolbe – Coop: Bullard Havens Tech (Host) & Kolbe Cathedral
  • CREC Coop – Coop: Comp Sci (Host), Aerospace & International
  • Daniel Hand
  • Edwin O. Smith
  • East Haven
  • East Lyme
  • Hartford Public
  • Holy Cross
  • Lyman Hall
  • New London
  • Northwest United – Coop: Wolcott Tech (Host), Litchfield, Nonnewaug, Shepaug Valley & Wamogo
  • Prince Tech-Innovation – Coop: Prince Tech (Host) & Innovation
  • RHAM
  • Rockville
  • SMSA – Coop: SMSA (Host), Bulkeley, Classical Magnet, HMTCA & University
  • St. Joseph*
  • Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby – Coop: Windsor Locks (Host), East Granby & Suffield
  • Woodstock Academy 

*******************************************************

Class SS (332-418 students/23 teams) 

  • Amistad
  • Coginchaug/Hale Ray/East Hampton Coop: Coginchaug (Host), East Hampton & Hale Ray
  • Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton/Lyman – Coop: Coventry (Host), Bolton, Lyman Memorial & Windham Tech
  • Ellington
  • Foran
  • Gilbert/Northwestern/Housy – Coop: Gilbert (Host), Housatonic Regional & Northwestern
  • Granby/Canton – Coop: Granby Memorial (Host) & Canton
  • Joel Barlow
  • Jonathan Law
  • Ledyard
  • Lewis Mills
  • New Fairfield
  • O’Brien Tech
  • Plainville
  • Rocky Hill
  • Sheehan
  • Tolland
  • Waterford
  • Watertown
  • Weaver
  • Weston
  • Windham
  • Wolcott

**********************************************************

Class S (Up to 331 students/23 Teams) 

  • Ansonia
  • Bacon Academy
  • Bloomfield
  • Capital/Achievement – Coop: Capital Prep (Host) & Achievement First
  • Cromwell/Portland – Coop: Cromwell (Host) & Portland
  • Derby
  • East Catholic
  • Griswold/Wheeler – Coop: Griswold (Host) & Wheeler
  • Haddam-Killingworth
  • Montville
  • MSW – Coop: Morgan (Host), Old Saybrook & Westbrook
  • North Branford
  • Northwest Catholic
  • Notre Dame-Fairfield
  • Oxford
  • Plainfield
  • Seymour
  • St. Paul Catholic
  • Stafford/East Windsor/Somers – Coop: Stafford (Host), East Windsor & Somers
  • Stonington
  • Valley Regional/Old Lyme – Coop: Valley Regional (Host) & Old Lyme
  • Waterbury Career Academy
  • Woodland 

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