The Meat Grinder

GameTimeCT producer Pete Paguaga is joined by GameTimeCT producer Sean Patrick Bowley and GameTimeCT columnist Jeff Jacobs.

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GameTimeCT producer Pete Paguaga is joined by GameTimeCT producer Sean Patrick Bowley and GameTimeCT columnist Jeff Jacobs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With our weekly guest spot ruined by a dreaded glitch, Pete and Sean detail their week criss-crossing the state to Windsor, Naugatuck, Plainville, Stafford and into the quiet corner at Woodstock Academy.

Of course, we discuss the most pressing issue of the times: The state playoff picture. Sean's just about got the formula figured out, but with so many games still to be played this week the best we can do is to give an overview before Thanksgiving Week.

And what better place to start than to recap the carnage wrought by Cam Edwards and Norwalk at Fujitani Field. Edward scored five-touchdowns in a virtuoso performance to knock off playoff hopeful Wilton, 41-21, and put him on the short list of state player of the year (if he wasn't already.)

Not wasting any time, Jeff Jacobs takes first crack at picking his top players of the year in this week's Jake's Takes segment.

Though we lost the guest, there's plenty to whet your football palate in this week's pod.

Unfortunately, this was recorded before the CIAC approved of a six-division playoff format for next year. You can be sure we'll have plenty to say about it next week.

So join us, won't you?

THE RUNDOWN

00:00 -- Montage (Stafford, Naugatuck, Norwalk) and opener.

4:50 -- Cam Edwards's MVP performance knocks Wilton into 2022.

13:10 -- Jake's Takes On (Early) Best Player Postseason Awards.

27:50 -- Breaking down the latest state playoff picture.

32:52 -- Pete's Three-Game Friday Night checks in with Bristol Central, Bloomfield, Windsor.

37:19 -- Conard knocks off No. 7 Southington (and more Class LL playoff talk)

43:30 -- Naugatuck gets Anderson a victory over his old haunt, Woodland (and more Class L playoff talk)

52:04 -- Ethan Davis, Woodstock rip Ledyard for school's first football title during Sean's trip to the Quiet Corner (plus Killingly and Class M talk)

1:02:10 -- Sean's Thursday night trip to see Mark McLaughlin, Stafford rip Rockville (and more class M playoff talk)

1:06:09 -- Wrapping up

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Welcome back to the tenth episode of the GameTimeCT Football Pick'Em Podcast.

GameTimeCT producer Pete Paguaga is joined by GameTimeCT producer Sean Patrick Bowley and GameTimeCT columnist Jeff Jacobs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WELCOME to another edition of the Meat Grinder, your weekly discussion on High School Football in Connecticut.

Only three full weeks remain before the end of the season and teams are jockeying for their final playoff positioning before our teams dive into the busy final 10 days before Thanksgiving.

Sean and Pete do their best to break down all the latest scenarios across the four different classes. But -- frankly -- the CIAC's new playoff formula modification makes figuring out actual scenarios next-to-impossible.

Joining us this week is Fairfield Prep coach Keith Hellstern, whose team grabbed everybody's attention with a thorough 54-0 victory over rival Shelton. It was Prep's biggest margin of victory in 18 years. What does this mean for the Jesuits, who haven't been to a state final since 2013 and haven't won a state title since 1988? Confidence is key. But so is patience.

So join us, won't you?

RUNDOWN

00:00 -- Opening Montage and Opener and breaking down No. 5 Fairfield Prep's 54-0 rout of No. 6 Shelton.

7:40 -- Breaking down the Class LL picture heading into Week 10, plus the SCC's unbalanced schedule issues helping Hamden, West Haven

19:25 -- Recapping Maloney's 49-18 rout of No. 4 Hall.

21:55 -- Breaking down the Class L playoff picture (Masuk rallies past Shaban, Barlow to stay in the Class L hunt; Wilton must beat Norwalk; What's Hand's hopes look like?)

25:43 -- Wrapping up the Class L playoff picture

27:36 -- Branford beats Avon and the Class M playoff picture.

30:35 -- Breaking down the Class S playoff picture.

34:54 -- The latest GameTimeCT Top 10 Poll

36:42 -- Columnist Jeff Jacobs on sportsmanship.

53:03 -- Interview with Fairfield Prep coach Keith Hellstern

1:16:26 -- Wrapping up

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Welcome back to the ninth episode of the GameTimeCT Football Pick'Em Podcast.

GameTimeCT producer Pete Paguaga is joined by GameTimeCT producer Sean Patrick Bowley and GameTimeCT columnist Jeff Jacobs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're rounding into the homestretch of the 2021 season and unless you were at St. Joseph fan at No. 1 Darien's 42-14 victory over the No. 2 Hogs, Week 8 didn't disappoint.

Instead, the best results came elsewhere, especially in Wilton where the Warriors finally toppled their white whale -- Ridgefield -- for the first time since 1993.

Joining us this week is Wilton's fourth-year coach E.J. Dinunzio, who talks about this year's titan-toppling club, led by Parker Woodring and Grant Masterson.

Pete and Sean also go over some of the weekend's other wild results, like Masuk's 28-point comeback over New Fairfield, Shelton's revenge tour victory over Newtown, West Haven's affirming victory over Notre Dame-West Haven and New Canaan's bruising win over Greenwich.

Jeff Jacobs also joins us to talk about Darien-St. Joseph and the struggle of the state's city programs in this postpandemic year.

So join us won't you?

RUNDOWN:

0:00 -- Opening Montage: No. 1 Darien routs No. 2 St. Joseph

3:43 -- Wilton bests No. 7 Ridgefield 14-7 for first win over Tigers since 1993.

9:27 -- Jackson, Masuk rally from state-record 28-point deficit to beat New Fairfield; Class L playoff picture.

15:01 -- Class LL playoffs are where it's at: Staples topples No. 8 Norwalk

16:31 -- Nakome, West Haven run over Notre Dame-WH

20:42 -- Rosa, Lockavitch lead No. 9 Shelton to key 34-31 victory over Newtown

25:04 -- Derby forfeits remainder of 2021 season, is their rivalry with Shelton over?

29:57 -- No. 6 New Canaan steamrolls No. 3 Greenwich

34:30 -- Recapping No. 1 Darien's 42-14 victory over No. 2 St. Joseph.

40:30 -- The latest GameTimeCT Top 10 Poll

44:45 -- Jeff Jacobs on No. 1 Darien and the plight of the city schools in 2021

55:49 -- Interview with Wilton coach E.J. DiNunzio

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Welcome back to the eighth episode of the GameTimeCT Football Pick'Em Podcast.

GameTimeCT producer Pete Paguaga is joined by GameTimeCT producer Sean Patrick Bowley and GameTimeCT columnist Jeff Jacobs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to another jam-packed episode of the Meat Grinder, your one-stop shop for all things Connecticut High School Football with hosts Pete Paguaga and Sean Patrick Bowley of GameTimeCT.com

The moment we've been waiting for this season has arrived. It's No. 1 vs. No. 2 Saturday at Dalling Field on the campus of St. Joseph High School in Trumbull. There, No. 1 Darien, winners of three of the last five Class LL championships, takes on No. 2 St. Joseph, winners of three straight titles in three different classes.

It's the sixth No. 1 vs. No. 2 rankings battle since 2005 and the third involving Darien and second involving St. Joseph. Columnist Jeff Jacobs, the only one of us to have seen both teams live this season (imagine that!) joins us to break down how he sees this game going.

But, of course, after such a great week of football, that game is only a sliver of what we'll discuss this week. We also touch on yet another great result in the FCIAC, Wilton's 20-17 victory over then-No. 3 New Canaan and the Warriors suddenly huge game against arch-rival and No. 7-ranked Ridgefield. We hit on Greenwich's re-affirming victory over Trumbull and their game against New Canaan in a thrilling FCIAC Saturday.

But it's not all FCIAC. We also discuss Darell McKnight's big night for Ansonia against Seymour and record-breaking performances by Bristol Central's Victor Rosa (eight TD runs!) and Morgan's Drew Nye (7 TD passes!), and so so much more.

JOINING us this week is 9th-year Branford coach John Limone, who talks about his surprising 5-1 Hornets, how he went from QB to head coach in just 10 seasons and some of the help he's had along the way.

But what Limone *won't* talk about are his team's prospects for reaching the school's first state playoff berth since winning it all in 2005, so don't even mention it (although we do our best to try!)

THE RUNDOWN

00:00 -- Opening Montage: No. 1 vs. No. 2 through the years.

2:25 -- It's No. 1 vs. No. 2 again. Winner gets inside track at the final No. 1.

5:35 -- Looking back on No. 2 St. Joseph's 17-14 rally past No. 4 Ridgefield.

7:15 -- Wilton topples No. 3 New Canaan. Are the Warriors for real? Can they finally beat Ridgefield?

12:38 -- No. 4 Greenwich has come all the way back. But can the Cards keep it going against rival New Canaan?

16:48 -- Breaking down the latest GameTimeCT Top 10 Poll.

18:20 -- Jeff Jacobs breaks down No. 1 Darien at No. 2 St. Joseph

30:03 -- McKnight eases Ansonia past Seymour, to 101st victory vs. NVL opponents, Pete gets spooked by Michael Myers in his first trip to Jarvis.

36:17 -- Morgan's Drew Nye torches Coginchaug for 7TDs in Sean's first trip to the Peters Complex.

40:53 -- Other Notable Week 7 performances, including Bristol Central's Victor Rosa going off for eight rushing TDs; Arce, Maloney crush Xavier on the road; Hall and Rockville.

49:52 -- Interview with 5-1 Branford coach John Limone

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Welcome back to the seventh episode of the GameTimeCT Football Pick'Em Podcast.

GameTimeCT producer Pete Paguaga is joined by GameTimeCT producer Sean Patrick Bowley.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices