The Meat Grinder

Welcome back to another episode of The Meat Grinder, your weekly dose of high school football in Connecticut. Wow, what a quarterfinal round in the CIAC playoffs! We saw upsets, blowouts, game-winning touchdowns and game-saving defensive plays. We’ll recap all of it, and we’ll also look ahead to a jam-packed semifinal round, where we break down every matchup and give our predictions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to another episode of The Meat Grinder, your weekly dose of high school football in Connecticut. It's our Thanksgiving football week preview episode! We'll breakdown all the important games on the slate that have playoff implications and hometown bragging rights. We'll also do more playoff point calculations. They break down those games, the latest GametimeCT Top 10 Poll and some of results from Week 11. Rundown: 0:00 - Intro11:19 - Who's clinched. Who hasn't. 16:13 - Thanksgiving week schedule27:28 - GametimeCT Top 10 Poll29:31 - Class LL Playoff Standings33:06 - No. 9 Windsor rolls Bloomfield35:30 Hartford co-op outlasts Ellington45:55 - Class L Playoff Standings49:37 - Class MM Playoff Standings54:44 - Class M Playoff Standings56:27 - Berlin routs Middletown1:10:40 - Class SS Playoff Standings1:15:00 - Class S Playoff Standings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to another thrilling episode of The Meat Grinder, your weekly dose of high school football in Connecticut. It was a wild Week 9 in CIAC football, with huge upsets across the board on Friday night, as teams like Greenwich, Windsor, and Fairfield Prep all went down. St. Joseph head coach Joe Della Vecchia also reached a huge milestone on Saturday. They break down those games, the ensuing shake-up in the latest GametimeCT Top 10 poll, some of the week’s other big results, and, of course, give out their weekly shoutouts. Rundown: 0:00 - Intro: Wilton pulls off a stunner!4:15 - Wilton upsets Greenwich to rise in poll9:38 - Southington stuns Windsor12:15 - Hand prevails in ranked battle against Fairfield Prep15:10 - New Canaan shuts out Staples with no Marinelli19:00 - GametimeCT Top 10 Poll24:59 - Glastonbury takes down Maloney25:35 - No Jayden Allen, no problem for New Britain26:21 - West Haven gets back on track27:45 - Class LL standings30:05 - South Windsor rolls East Hartford30:30 - Cheshire enters Top 10 after Sheehan win31:11 - Class L standings34:45 - Barlow pulls off wild win over Masuk38:35 - Class MM standings40:45 - Della Vecchia earns 200th win with St. Joseph48:45 - Guilford rallies past Amity53:22 - Class M standings56:25 - Class SS standings1:00:30 - Woodland stays hot against Holy Cross1:03:02 - Seymour comes back against Naugatuck1:05:15 - Class S standings1:09:14 Games to watch1:14:16 - SHOUTOUTS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to another thrilling episode of The Meat Grinder, your weekly dose of high school football in Connecticut. On this week's episode, SPB and Pete will recap the No. 1 New Canaan vs. No. 2 Greenwich matchup on Friday as well as another ranked battle on Saturday. Plus other action across the state. We'll also take a look at the GametimeCT Top 10 Poll and see where things stand in the playoff standings for each class. RUNDOWN: 0:00 — Intro: A historic matchup leaves No. 1 still on top5:00 — No. 1 New Canaan edges No. 2 Greenwich17:10 — GametimeCT Top 10 Poll29:30 — Woodland beats Ansonia for first time in 20 years32:00 — Sheehan gets late stop to beat North Haven36:15 — Bloomfield wins on blocked FG over NWC36:55 — Class S playoff standings38:13 — Nonnewaug knocks off ND-Prep39:20 — Woodstock upsets Waterford40:20 — Stratford stuns Weston40:55 — Barlow knocks off New Fairfield41:30 — Class SS playoff standings44:25 — St. Joseph's defense does it again over Darien49:50 — Berlin remains undefeated 50:45 — Pomperaug routs Branford51:35 — Class M playoff standings55:46 — Class MM playoff standings57:20 — Cheshire shuts out West Haven1:00:05 — Pavia leads Newtown over Brookfield1:01:05 — Class L playoff standings1:04:55 — New Britain rallies past Glastonbury1:08:43 — Class LL playoff standings1:12:51 — Games to watch 1:17:03 — SHOUTOUTS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to another thrilling episode of The Meat Grinder, your weekly dose of high school football in Connecticut. On this week's episode, SPB and Pete discuss two huge, but very different upsets to Top 10 teams: Wilton's rout of No. 5 Staples and Cheshire's 28-27 takedown of No. 4 Hand on a two-point conversion in overtime. They were two of a handful of surprising results during the first major bye week of the season. They also discuss Notre Dame-West Haven's first victory of the season, 42-14 over North Haven and Fairfield Prep's takedown of West Haven. They break down those games, the ensuing shakeup in the latest GametimeCT Top 10 poll, some of the week's other big results and, of course, give out their weekly shoutouts. Join us, won't you? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WELCOME BACK to another thrilling edition of THE MEAT GRINDER, your weekly dose of High School Football in Connecticut. Join Sean Patrick Bowley and Pete Paguaga LIVE at 7:30 p.m. as they discuss a wild Week 3, including Waterbury's Career Academy's historic win over Ansonia, Staples' win over West Haven on a game-winning field goal, the most recent Top 10 poll, and much more. Rundown 0:00 - Intro5:30 — WCA pulls off historic win over Ansonia12:10 — Hand rolls through ranked Brookfield17:30 — Allard goes off in No. 3 Killingly win over Law20:20 — No. 10 Bunnell puts up fight, loses to No. 1 New Canaan29:45 — The latest GametimeCT Top 10 poll34:30 — Ross' FG wins it late for No. 7 Staples over West Haven38:00 — No. 5 Darien avoids upset from Masuk 40:25 — Fairfield Prep clinches Top 10 with tough win over New Britain41:15 — Dustin leads Wilton over Cheshire48:00 — Are these teams contenders or pretender?58:54 — Should we panic on these teams?1:11:30 — Peak at Alliance Scoreboard1:13:05 — Games to watch1:15:00 — SHOUTOUTS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the Meat Grinder, hosts Pete Paguaga and Sean Patrick Bowley break down an enlightening Week 1 of Connecticut High School Football Alliance games, including the big one at Dalling Field in Trumbull where Bobby Reh, the son of a St. Joseph state champ, rallied Hand to a thrilling, buzzer-beating victory over the No. 4-ranked Hogs — serving their barbeque chicken dish cold. Elsewhere, Pete takes a look back at No. 2 Greenwich's dominating victory over then-No. 8 Fairfield Prep and SPB check in with the new era — same stuff — at Ansonia. They also break down the latest GametimeCT Top 10 football poll and (try their best) to highlight some of the biggest of the 54 Alliance interconference matchups, including Killingly's eye-catching victory over Bishop Hendricken (R.I.). That, plus shoutouts and so much more as we head into Week 2. Join us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's all over. We've crowned six state champions and concluded the 2024 CIAC high school football season. There were a few surprises -- Masuk knocking off No. 1-ranked Windsor to win the Class MM final and its first title since 2004 comes to mind. But for the most part, it was a weekend of Blue Bloods with Ansonia (22nd title), New Canaan (15th), Greenwich (10th), St. Joseph (16th) and maybe even Killingly (fifth) now, packing their displays with more championship trophies. But it was and especially big weekend for the FCIAC and Fairfield County at large, which won two thirds of the titles. The FCIAC alone won half of them. Overall, we ended the season right where it started: With Greenwich beating West Haven, this time to win the Class LL title, and New Canaan being crowned the No. 1 team in the state. This time, however, that ranking is etched in history. FIFTEEN-TIME championship coach Lou Marinelli joins us for our annual chat with the state's final No. 1 team. He talks about his players, his program's run of success and how it managed to win a third-straight title despite every team in the state chasing them. Join host Sean Patrick Bowley alongside Scott Ericson and Dave Stewart as they break down everything -- from the final GameTimeCT Top 10, weekend's best plays, the top performances and everything in between. It's a jam-packed episode you won't want to miss! So, for the final time this year, join us, won't you? RUNDOWN 0:00 — The Montage of Heroes 3:17 — New Canaan, Fairfield County are No. 1 10:00 — The final 2024 GameTimeCT Top 10 Poll 19:58 — Championship Weekend Impressions 22:11 — Ansonia wipes out Bloomfield in Class S final 27:59 — Allard, Killingly race past Sheehan in SS final 29:47 — Masuk stuns No. 1 Windsor to win Class MM title 37:04 — St. Joseph holds off Brookfield in classic M final 40:52 — D'Angelo, Greenwich leave little doubt in LL final 45:06 — Controversial play goes viral as New Canaan wins third-straight L title 49:06 — Interview with NEW CANAAN'S LOU MARINELLI 1:28:11 — Final PIcke'ms Results 1:30:11 — Who will be 2024's Player of the Year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to another thrilling episode of THE MEAT GRINDER, your weekly does of High School Football in Connecticut. Twenty-four teams are gone, 24 remain. We've reached Semifinal Sunday in the race for the six 2024 state championships! After a rainy Thanksgiving we were treated to snow, glorious and beautiful snow on Tuesday's CIAC quarterfinals (unless you were along the Connecticut shoreline) as we moved into playoff football in December. And, much like the weather, the first round of the playoffs brought us some surprises. Like two No. 8 seeds -- WCA and Notre Dame-West Haven -- knocking off a pair of No. 1 seeds -- Capital Prep and Naugatuck, respectively. The SCC and the FCIAC thrived while the Pequot -- all six teams -- was sent home for the holidays. It wasn't all rosy, however. Northwest United announced it would forfeit its Class MM against No. 1 Windsor, perhaps a foretelling of the mis-matched blowouts that pervaded the quarterfinal rounds, which got us thinking (again) about how we can improve these here playoff rankings. But, when the snow cleared, the semifinals were, at last, set with four rematches of regular-season games, including BOTH Class LL semis, and another playoff rematch between Hand and St. Joseph. Join host Sean Patrick Bowley, who, once again, is joined by Scott Ericson and Dave Stewart to break down the games and -- of course -- make their picks to reach next weekend's championships. Dave Stewart is leading the staff pick'ems contest with SPB a game back! It's a jam-packed show again, so join us, won't you? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to another thrilling episode of The Meat Grinder, your weekly dose of High School Football in Connecticut. And, because we live in the great state of Connecticut and because we're fast approaching the last Thursday in November AND because we love high school football, you should know what this episode is all about. Yes, turkeys, it's Thanksgiving Football Week in Connecticut, the final regular season game of the year. It's a time to come home home, get the gang together and head out to your favorite high school football game, whatever it might be called — The Air and Speed Bowl, the Olde Canal Cup, the Turkey Bowl, the Green Bowl, the Elm City Bowl, The Battle for the Bell or the Battle for the Sword... whatever. There's always something to whet your football appetite during Thanksgiving in the Nutmeg State — especially this year, with no NFL games to really care about (sigh). And, of course Thanksgiving week means copious amount of playoff math, which begets playoff scenarios. Thankfully, its not too hard this year, what with 33 of 48 teams qualified heading into the grand regular season finale. Still, we'll do our best to break it down for you. Because time is precious and short, Thanksgiving Week also means our annual hybrid episode, combining the Meat Grinder with the weekly Pick'ems Podcast! Join host Sean Patrick Bowley, alongside staffers Dave Stewart, currently in first place, and Scott Ericson, currently fending off the 8-Ball below, as we pick 20 — Twenty! — key high school football games. So if you're not one of the lucky contestants playing this week, pull up a chair, kick back and relax. We've got everything you need to know, and then some. Happy Thanksgiving Football 2024 to all. We do hope you will join us. RUNDOWN 0:00 — Introduction: It's that time of year again! 2:35 — East Hartford, East Haven pull off stunners. 5:58 — The latest GameTimeCT Top 10 Football Poll 8:00 — The CIAC Playoff Formula — a refresher. 8:57 — Class LL playoff breakdown 10:29 — Class L playoff breakdown 11:48 — Class MM playoff breakdown 13:19 — Class M playoff breakdown 14:51 — Class SS playoff breakdown 16:11 — Class S playoff breakdown 17:35 — The Thanksgiving Pick 'ems Podcast! 21:22 — H-K at Valley Regional/Old Lyme 22:57 — Newington at Wethersfield 25:44 — NWC at East Catholic 27:48 — ATI at NW United 30:23 — West Haven at Fairfield Prep 33:26 — Newtown at Masuk 35:47 — Bristol Easter vs. Bristol Central 38:14 — Maloney vs. Platt 41:02 — New London at NFA 43:15 — Ledyard at Fitch 45:36 — New Canaan at Darien 48:56 — Greenwich at Staples 51:11 — Trumbull at St. Joseph 53:41 — Ansonia at Naugatuck 56:03 — Harding at Bridgeport Central 57:44 — Southington at Cheshire 59:30 — Lyman Hall at Sheehan 1:01:07 — Notre Dame-West Haven at Hamden 1:03:40 — Wilbur Cross at Hillhouse 1:05:14 — Bunnell at Stratford 1:07:16 — Wrapping up #cthsfb #connecticut #highschoolfootball #hsfootball Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

West Haven coach Rich Boshea joined Sean Patrick Bowley and Pete Paguaga in the Coach's Corner for the tenth episode of the Meat Grinder spin off podcast, the Coach's Corner, to talk about his team's 8-1 start to the season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GameTimeCT's Pete Paguaga and Sean Patrick Bowley are back for Week 10 of the staff pick'ems for the 2024 football season. Each and every week the duo will be selecting 10 games from across the state. THE RUNDOWN 0:00 - 3:23 — Intro 3:24 - 5:49 — East Hartford (2-6) at Hall (2-6) 5:50 - 7:10 — Cheney Tech (6-2) at Bullard Havens (5-3) 7:11 - 9:35 — Fitch (4-4) at Stonington (6-2) 9:36 - 11:25 — Ridgefield (3-5) at Stamford (0-8) 11:26 - 12:52 — Crosby (3-5) at WCA (5-3) 12:53 - 16:09 — Windsor Locks (3-5) at North Branford (3-4) 16:10 - 17:40 — Cheshire (4-4) at West Haven (7-1) 17:41 - 21:22 — Brookfield (8-0) at Masuk (7-1) 21:23 - 24:21 — North Haven (5-3) at Fairfield Prep (7-1) 24:22- 26:46 — Cromwell/Portland (7-1) at Rockville (7-0) 26:47 - 27:59 — Wrap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices