Connecticut expands high school football playoffs

ciac expands football playoffs
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The Connecticut high school football playoffs are growing by two classifications.

Beginning with this season, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference will crown champs in six divisions, instead of the usual four. The CIAC is adding two new divisions — MM and S — for the upcoming season.

Under the new alignment, eight teams in each division will qualify for the postseason.

The classifications are divided equally by enrollment, however, the CIAC will still designate “schools of choice” to play-up due to their recent playoff success. Teams that have reached the state semifinals at least once during the previous seasons are placed in divisions above their enrollment figures.

St. Joseph and Killingly will play up. St. Joseph will play in Class L, instead of SS. Killingly, a Class S school by enrollment, will play in Class MM.

Below are the new divisions.

2022 CIAC high school football divisions

Class LL (756+ boys enrollment)

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

Class L (611-755 boys enrollment)

Amity
Bristol Central
Cheshire
Conard
Darien
Fairfield Ludlowe
Fairfield Warde
Farmington
Hall
Harding
Maloney
Middletown
Naugatuck
New Canaan
New Milford
Newington
Newtown
Shelton
Simsbury
South Windsor
St. Joseph
VG Techs – Coop: Vinal Tech (Host) & Goodwin Tech
Wilby
Xavier

Class MM (513-610 boys enrollment)

Bassick
Bristol Eastern
Bunnell
Cheney Tech
E.O. Smith
Fitch
Guilford
Hillhouse
Killingly
Masuk
North Haven
Northwest United – Coop: Wolcott Tech (Host), Litchfield, Nonnewaug, Shepaug Valley & Wamogo
Platt
Platt Tech
Pomperaug
Quinebaug Valley – Coop: Ellis Tech (Host), Putnam & Tourtellotte
SMSA Coop – SMSA (Host), Bulkeley, Classical Magnet, HMTCA & University
Stratford
Thames River – Coop: Grasso Tech (Host), Norwich Tech & St. Bernard
Wethersfield
Wilcox/Kaynor – Coop: Wilcox Tech (Host) & Kaynor Tech
Wilton
Windsor

Class M (409-512 boys enrollment)

ATI – Coop: Abbott Tech (Host) & Immaculate
Avon
Berlin
Bethel
Branford
Brookfield
Bullard/Kolbe – Coop: Bullard Havens Tech (Host) & Kolbe Cathedral
Coginchaug/Hale Ray/East Hampton – Coop: Coginchaug (Host), East Hampton & Hale Ray
Daniel Hand
East Haven
East Lyme
Hartford Public
Jonathan Law
Lyman Hall
New London
Notre Dame-West Haven
Prince Tech
RHAM
Rockville
Torrington
Watertown
Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby – Coop: Windsor Locks (Host), East Granby & Suffield
Woodstock Academy

Class SS (344-408 boys enrollment)

Amistad
Bacon Academy
Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton/Lyman – Coop: Coventry (Host), Bolton, Lyman Memorial & Windham Tech
CREC Coop – Civic Leadership (Host), Aerospace & MLC
Cromwell/Portland – Coop: Cromwell (Host) & Portland
Ellington
Foran
Gilbert/Northwestern/Housy – Coop: Gilbert (Host), Housatonic Regional & Northwestern
Granby/Canton – Coop: Granby Memorial (Host) & Canton
Joel Barlow
Ledyard
Lewis Mills
O’Brien Tech
Plainville
Rocky Hill
Sheehan
Stafford/East Windsor/Somers – Coop: Stafford (Host), East Windsor & Somers
Tolland
Valley Regional/Old Lyme – Coop: Valley Regional (Host) & Old Lyme
Waterford
Weaver
Weston
Windham

Class S (Up to 343 boys enrollment)

Ansonia
Bloomfield
Capital/Achievement – Coop: Capital Prep (Host) & Achievement First
Derby
East Catholic
Griswold/Wheeler – Coop: Griswold (Host) & Wheeler
Haddam-Killingworth
Holy Cross
Montville
Morgan
New Fairfield
North Branford
Northwest Catholic
Notre Dame-Fairfield
OSW – Coop: Old Saybrook (Host) & Westbrook
Oxford
Plainfield
Seymour
St. Paul Catholic
Stonington
WCA
Wolcott
Woodland

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About the Author

Jeff Fisher
Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, a partner with NFL Play Football.