Greenwich and Darien were voted No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, to lead a contingent of four FCIAC teams in the 2022 GameTimeCT Preseason Top 10 Football Poll.
There were three FCIAC teams among the top four as New Canaan was ranked No. 4 behind third-ranked Fairfield Prep in the poll voted on by 24 media members and released Sept. 6.
The high school football season begins this Thursday, Sept. 8.
Greenwich, which returns solid, experienced offensive talent led by senior quarterback Jack Wilson, received 17 first-place votes and 661 polling points to finish 61 points ahead of Darien (600), which received five first-place votes.
Greenwich’s Cardinals finished 7-4 last year after their 21-14 loss to Fairfield Prep in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Class LL Football Playoffs.
Darien won the Class LL title with an impressive 42-7 victory over Fairfield Prep in the championship game. Coach Mike Forget’s Blue Wave finished 12-1 and No. 1 in the Final 2021 GameTimeCT Top 10 Football Poll.
Fairfield Prep, which finished 11-2 last year, received one first-place vote and 536 polling points in this preseason Top 10 poll.
New Canaan finished 10-2 after its 24-10 Class LL semifinal loss to Darien. The fourth-ranked Rams got 479 points, 60 points more than No. 5 Windsor (11-2 last year).
Killingly was ranked No. 6 and the recipient of the other first place vote and 388 polling points. Killingly had an undefeated 12-0 season last year and was the Class M state champion.
Seventh-ranked Maloney won the Class L state title to finish 12-1 last year. Shelton, 9-3 last year, was ranked No. 8.
Trumbull (7-3) was voted No. 9 as that fourth FCIAC team among the Top 10 and Southington (8-3) was 10th.
The voters each selected their top 15 teams in the state, in order, with the points tabulated on a 30-28-26-24-22-20-18-16-14-12-11-10-9-8-7 basis. Consequently, with the varying voting selections inherent with a preseason poll, there were 36 teams which received votes.
The FCIAC had two teams among the 26 total in the “Also receiving votes” category. St. Joseph, 10-2 last year, received the 15th most polling points and Ridgefield (5-5) got the 16th most.
The 16 FCIAC teams are involved in 15 opening games from Thursday through Saturday. Three of those games are Thursday night, followed by a loaded Friday night of 10 games, and concluding with a pair of Saturday afternoon games.
St. Joseph hosts second-ranked Darien this Saturday, at 1:30 p.m., in the only game featuring two FCIAC teams playing each other.
Listed below is this week’s slate of the season openers involving FCIAC teams, in order of when the kickoff times are scheduled:
Thursday
Bridgeport Central at Bullard/Kolbe, 6 p.m.
Brien McMahon at Glastonbury, 6 p.m.
Fairfield Ludlowe at Hall, 7 p.m.
Friday
Fairfield Warde at Pomperaug, 6:30 p.m.
Trumbull at Masuk, 7 p.m.
Conard at Staples, 7 p.m.
Wilton at Norwich Free Academy, 7 p.m.
Ridgefield at Shelton, 7 p.m.
Danbury at Warren Harding, 7 p.m.
New Canaan at Xavier, 7 p.m.
Westhill at Bassick, 7 p.m.
Greenwich at Newtown, 7 p.m.
Hamden at Norwalk, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Stamford at Wilbur Cross, 1 p.m.
Darien at St. Joseph, 1:30 p.m.