The Meat Grinder

By GameTimeCTSports Football

The Meat Grinder episodes

October 27 The Meat Grinder Podcast (S9:E8): No. 1 New Canaan, Masuk, Lyman Hall tough out showdown victories
WELCOME BACK to another thrilling episode of The Meat Grinder: Connecticut High School Football Podcast with GameTimeCT's Sean Patrick Bowley and Pete Paguaga.
Showdown Week lived up to its expectations as No. 1 New Canaan barreled over No. 2 Greenwich in their anticipated matchup, Masuk vaulted into the Top 10 poll with its shootout victory over Pomperaug and Lyman Hall built a big lead then held on to exorcise its Guilford ghosts on the week before Halloween.
New Canaan has now won 29-straight games and remains No. 1 in the latest GametimeCT Top 10. Masuk vaulted up the rankings. Lyman Hall, despite its best start since its only championship season in 1985, failed to crack the Top 10, much to their chagrin.
Elsewhere, Holy Cross' Dae'Sean Graves became the state's all-time TD catcher with his 50th and 51st TDs of his career against Crosby. Ansonia and Notre Dame Prep earned impressive rebound victories. Hand stayed unbeaten. And a freshman kicked Haddam-Killingworth back into the Class S playoff picture.
Speaking of playoffs, we take our first look at the CIAC football playoff standings after seven weeks and see, at last, where our state's contestants stand a week before the November stretch run begins.
So excuse poor SPB's mic issues during the Greenwich-New Canaan recap — who wants to hear him anyway? Though, it's all good after that — and join us, won't you?
While you're here, check out our GametimeCT Merch Store: https://shop.gametimect.com/
RUNDOWN
0:00 — Introduction: New Canaan still No. 1
1:17 — SPB has some serious mic issues (lol)
4:23 — Crowell, O-line lead No. 1 New Canaan past No. 2 Greenwich - feat. SPB's bad mic :(
9:20 — NC-Greenwich postgame interviews
13:15 — Latest GametimeCT Top 10 Poll: No Lyman Hall :(
16:25 — Unveiling the CIAC Playoff Rankings: CLASS L
17:36 — CLASS LL Playoff Rankings (it's bad)
21:11 — CLASS MM Playoff Rankings (it's better)
22:05 — Holy Cross' Dae'Sean Graves sets CT's all-time TD catch record
25:42 — Champagne leads 6-0 Masuk past Pomperaug
28:53 — Lyman Hall holds off Guilford, first 6-0 start since '85
34:08 — Notre Dame Prep outlasts New Milford behind James
35:18 — CLASS M Playoff Rankings (great class)
36:33 — Taylor, Ansonia rout Woodland
37:35 — CLASS SS Playoff Rankings (avoid Hand at all costs)
40:14 — Haddam-Killingworth stays alive thanks to freshman's kick
43:10 — CLASS S Playoff Rankings (Sheehan is in TROUBLE))
45:19 — FIX THE SCHEDULES!!!
49:38 — Week 8 Games to Watch

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53 min
December 16, 2025 CIAC Championship Recap | The Meat Grinder Podcast (S8, E16)
Welcome back to another episode of The Meat Grinder, your weekly dose of high school football in Connecticut.
What a finish to the CIAC playoffs! There were wire-to-wire finishes, late-game heroics and historic feats by dominant teams.
We’ll break down all the results, hear from players and coaches, and take a look at the final GametimeCT Top 10 poll of the season.

Rundown:
0:00 - Football season closes with a bang
13:45 - Final GametimeCT Top 10 Poll
31:03 - Hand surges late to beat Killingly in Class SS title game
43:50 - Sheehan edges NWC in Class S title game
51:50 - Robinson leads Windsor past Bunnell in Class MM title game
1:02:45 - New Canaan makes it four straight in Class L
1:19:00 - Greenwich proves SPB wrong in Class LL title game
1:37:40 - Berlin wins Class M title in improbable fashion
1:57:41 - Thank you fans!

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2 hr 2 min
December 12, 2025 CIAC Championship Preview + Predictions | The Meat Grinder Podcast (S8, E15)
Welcome back to another episode of The Meat Grinder, your weekly dose of high school football in Connecticut.
It's time for the CIAC championships! The schedule is set for Saturday, and all that's left is for the teams to battle it out and see who will be crowned a state champion. But first, we'll recap how we got to these final pairings after a wild day of semifinals that featured blowouts, upsets and down-to-the-wire finishes.
After we break down each final pairing, we'll give our predictions on who will win.

Rundown:
0:00 - Intro
3:38 - CIAC Championship schedule
10:18 - CIAC Semifinal summary
17:30 - Class LL Semifinal recap
19:40 - Class LL bracket + picks
24:00 - Class L Semifinal recap
28:39 - Class L bracket + picks
33:57 - Class MM Semifinal recap
40:10 - Class MM bracket + picks
44:45 - Class M Semifinal recap
53:55 - Class MM bracket + picks
59:35 - Class SS Semifinal recap
1:01:06 - Class SS bracket + picks
1:08:20 - Class S Semifinal recap
1:09:58 - Class S bracket + picks

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1 hr 21 min
December 06, 2025 CIAC Quarterfinal Wrap & Semifinal Preview Show | The Meat Grinder Podcast (S8, E14)
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.

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1 hr 17 min
December 02, 2025 The 2025 CIAC Quarterfinal Preview Show | The Meat Grinder Podcast (S8, E13)
Welcome back to another episode of The Meat Grinder, your weekly dose of high school football in Connecticut.
It's time for the CIAC playoffs! With the regular season in the rearview, it's time to take a look at each playoff bracket for each class, as we'll breakdown the matchups and give our predictions for the quarterfinals. We'll also recap some of the wild Thanksgiving week games that helped determine the field.
They break down those games, the latest GametimeCT Top 10 poll and more!

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1 hr 27 min
November 25, 2025 Gearing Up for the Turkey Week Extravaganza | The Meat Grinder Podcast (S8, E12)
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 - Intro
11:19 - Who's clinched. Who hasn't.
16:13 - Thanksgiving week schedule
27:28 - GametimeCT Top 10 Poll
29:31 - Class LL Playoff Standings
33:06 - No. 9 Windsor rolls Bloomfield
35:30 Hartford co-op outlasts Ellington
45:55 - Class L Playoff Standings
49:37 - Class MM Playoff Standings
54:44 - Class M Playoff Standings
56:27 - Berlin routs Middletown
1:10:40 - Class SS Playoff Standings
1:15:00 - Class S Playoff Standings

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1 hr 38 min
November 18, 2025 28 Teams Playoff Bound, 20 Spots Up for Grabs | The Meat Grinder (S8, E11)
Welcome back to another episode of The Meat Grinder, your weekly dose of high school football in Connecticut.
Fall state championships are over, and all the focus has turned to football as the season nears the home stretch. With Thanksgiving football only a couple weeks away, the class playoff pictures are starting to take shape, and in this episode we’ll begin breaking down where each team stands in the race to qualify.
There were some big results in Week 10 that affected the outlook, as No. 4 St. Joseph took down No. 6 Wilton, No. 5 Greenwich rolled Darien, Southington beat Maloney in a thriller in overtime, and Rockville upset Cromwell/Portland in the final seconds.
They break down those games, the ensuing shake-up in the latest GametimeCT Top 10 poll and some of the week’s other big results.

Welcome back to another episode of The Meat Grinder, your weekly dose of high school football in Connecticut.
Fall state championships are over, and all the focus has turned to football as the season nears the home stretch. With Thanksgiving football only a couple weeks away, the class playoff pictures are starting to take shape, and in this episode we’ll begin breaking down where each team stands in the race to qualify.
There were some big results in Week 10 that affected the outlook, as No. 4 St. Joseph took down No. 6 Wilton, No. 5 Greenwich rolled Darien, Simsbury beat Maloney in a thriller in overtime, and Rockville upset Cromwell/Portland in the final seconds.
They break down those games, the ensuing shake-up in the latest GametimeCT Top 10 poll and some of the week’s other big results.
Rundown:
0:00 - Intro
5:52 - No. 6 St. Joseph stifles No. 3 Wilton
10:20 - Anthony Sagnella gets win No. 200
12:33 - Joey Montalvo makes CT history
17:50 - Who's clinched CIAC playoffs so far
36:18 - GametimeCT Top 10 Poll
40:35 - Southington wins thriller over Maloney
42:01 - Glastonbury rolls South Windsor
42:33: No. 5 Greenwich stays on track against Darien
44:13 - Class LL playoff standings
45:55 - Class L playoff standings
50:05 - Class MM playoff standings
52:15 - Guilford gets statement win over Lyman Hall
58:10 - Rockville upsets Cromwell/Portland
1:00:31 - Class M playoff standings
1:06:39 - Class SS playoff standings
1:13:06 - Seymour edges WCA
1:17:15 - Class S playoff standings
1:22:04 - Games to watch

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1 hr 27 min
November 11, 2025 Wild Week, Wilton Wins Again and even More Upsets | The Meat Grinder Podcast (S8, E10)
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 poll
9:38 - Southington stuns Windsor
12:15 - Hand prevails in ranked battle against Fairfield Prep
15:10 - New Canaan shuts out Staples with no Marinelli
19:00 - GametimeCT Top 10 Poll
24:59 - Glastonbury takes down Maloney
25:35 - No Jayden Allen, no problem for New Britain
26:21 - West Haven gets back on track
27:45 - Class LL standings
30:05 - South Windsor rolls East Hartford
30:30 - Cheshire enters Top 10 after Sheehan win
31:11 - Class L standings
34:45 - Barlow pulls off wild win over Masuk
38:35 - Class MM standings
40:45 - Della Vecchia earns 200th win with St. Joseph
48:45 - Guilford rallies past Amity
53:22 - Class M standings
56:25 - Class SS standings
1:00:30 - Woodland stays hot against Holy Cross
1:03:02 - Seymour comes back against Naugatuck
1:05:15 - Class S standings
1:09:14 Games to watch
1:14:16 - SHOUTOUTS

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1 hr 23 min
November 04, 2025 New Britain, Ellington refuse to lose! | The Meat Grinder Podcast (S8, E9)
Welcome back to another thrilling episode of The Meat Grinder, your weekly dose of high school football in Connecticut.
One ranked matchup highlighted Week 8’s slate of games, and it ended with No. 8 St. Joseph on top over No. 10 Staples. No. 3 Greenwich took care of business as well over Fairfield Ludlowe, as did No. 2 Killingly. No. 4 Fairfield Prep also needed a game-winning field goal to beat North Haven.
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: Halloween weekend football doesn't disappoint
4:53 - No. 8 St. Joseph's defense stifles No. 9 Staples
7:12 - No. 2 Greenwich explodes in fourth quarter to beat Ludlowe
13:00 - GametimeCT Top 10 Poll
18:50 - Ellington overcomes 21-pt deficit to win in OT over Granby
26:10 - New Britain overcomes 21-pt deficit to beat Maloney
35:30 - No. 4 Fairfield Prep win against North Haven on game-winning FG
38:59 - Amity shuts out West Haven
40:05 - Class LL standings
40:45 - Southington routs Platt
42:30 - Danbury dominates Norwalk in the rain
46:57 - South Windsor hands Middletown first loss
47:35 - Class L standings
51:22 Class MM standings
55:25 - Holy Cross gives WCA first loss
57:20 - Class M standings
1:02:30 - CREC upsets Rockville
1:04:35 - Class SS standings
1:07:00 - Cromwell/Portland tops Haddam-Killingworth
1:09:19 - Class S standings
1:12:20 - Games to Watch
1:16:23 - SHOUTOUTS!

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1 hr 25 min
October 28, 2025 Defense rules again as No. 1 New Canaan wins showdown vs. No. 2 Greenwich | The Meat Grinder Podcast (S8, E8)
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 top
5:00 — No. 1 New Canaan edges No. 2 Greenwich
17:10 — GametimeCT Top 10 Poll
29:30 — Woodland beats Ansonia for first time in 20 years
32:00 — Sheehan gets late stop to beat North Haven
36:15 — Bloomfield wins on blocked FG over NWC
36:55 — Class S playoff standings
38:13 — Nonnewaug knocks off ND-Prep
39:20 — Woodstock upsets Waterford
40:20 — Stratford stuns Weston
40:55 — Barlow knocks off New Fairfield
41:30 — Class SS playoff standings
44:25 — St. Joseph's defense does it again over Darien
49:50 — Berlin remains undefeated
50:45 — Pomperaug routs Branford
51:35 — Class M playoff standings
55:46 — Class MM playoff standings
57:20 — Cheshire shuts out West Haven
1:00:05 — Pavia leads Newtown over Brookfield
1:01:05 — Class L playoff standings
1:04:55 — New Britain rallies past Glastonbury
1:08:43 — Class LL playoff standings
1:12:51 — Games to watch
1:17:03 — SHOUTOUTS

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1 hr 25 min