Football Week Three: Darien takes on St. Joe’s in a heavyweight bout

Darien’s Cooper Hancock and the Blue Wave will take on the St. Joseph Cadets in a battle royale at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, at SJHS. — Dave Stewart photo

The Darien Blue Wave and St. Joseph Cadets are no strangers with success on the football field. Darien is the three-time defending Class LL champion and is looking to join the exclusive four-peat club this fall, while St. Joseph was last year’s Class S champ and ia a favorite to contend for the Class M title in December.

When the Blue Wave and Cadets clash in a heavyweight bout at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, it will certainly be the centerpiece of the FCIAC’s Week Three Football schedule.

Both teams come into the game at 2-0, winning all of their games in dominating fashion.

Darien defeated its first two opponents by a combined 65-6 score, and St. Joseph beating its opponents by a combined 72-6 score.

St. Joseph moved up to No. 1 in the GameTime CT weekly poll when it defeated New Canaan, while Darien is currently ranked No. 3, with fellow FCIAC contender, the Greenwich Cardinals, at No. 2.

Other interesting games on the slate include New Canaan’s Friday night visit to Trumbull High School, as well as a Saturday afternoon’s Warde at Wilton game, which will be streamed on FairfieldLive starting at 2 p.m.

Here’s a quick look at all of Week Three’s contests.

Friday, Sept. 21

New Canaan (1-1) at Trumbull (1-1), 7 p.m.

The Rams put the sting of their opening-week loss behind them and romped at Dunning Field last week, 42-6 over the Danbury Hatters. QB Drew Pyne and WR Quintin O’Connell were on point in the passing attack, and the ground game was solid as well, led by JR Moore and Drew Guida. Eagles’ head coach Marce Petroccio picked up his first win with Trumbull, 46-7 over Ludlowe, but the Rams are a tall order this week, even at McDougall Stadium.

Brien McMahon (0-2) at Staples (2-0), 7 p.m.

Staples had blasted out to a 2-0 start, outscoring Central and Wilton by a combined score of 72-18. This week, the Wreckers will host a Senators’ team which is still looking for its first points of the season, having been shut out twice.

Ridgefield (1-1) at Central (0-2), ppd to 3 p.m,, Sat.

Saturday, Sept. 22

Norwalk (2-0) at Ludlowe (1-1), Noon

It’s so far, so good for the Norwalk Bears, who are a perfect 2-for-2 this season. Quarterback Kyle Gordon threw three long TD passes last week, connecting with AJ Robinson for 56 yards, Khalil Eason for 27 yards, and Jamal Boyd for 41 yards in a 48-21 win at Westhill. Ludlowe had a huge game from its QB, Colin Wilson in a week one win, as Wilson ran for one scored and threw for two more, but the Falcons couldn’t find their footing last week against Trumbull.

Stamford (0-2) at Trinity (0-2), 1 p.m.

The first of three battles between the three Stamford schools takes place at Trinity’s Gaglio Field on Saturday, with both the host Crusaders and visiting Stamford Black Knights looking for their first win. Trinity has faced the two biggest schools in the state, Danbury and Greenwich, in its two losses, while Stamford followed a heartbreaker against Warde with a 30-point defeat to Ridgefield. One team will finally go home victorious this weekend.

Danbury (1-1) at Westhill (0-2), 1 p.m.

Both teams sport new head coaches this year and are looking to create something for the future. Danbury has split its first two and could set a positive tone for the rest of the season here, while Westhill is looking to get into the win column for the first time.

Darien (2-0) at St. Joseph (2-0), 1:30 p.m.

The game of the week on the FCIAC schedule as the top-ranked St. Joseph Cadets hosting the No. 3 Darien Blue Wave at 1:30 p.m., Saturday.

After beating New Canaan in week one, the Cadets looked sluggish last week, finally running it up in the fourth quarter for a 44-6 win over Warde.

The Wave, meanwhile, had to replace a lot from last year, but still looks every bit the contender. Darien’s defense, led by All-State LB Connor Fay, has allowed just one TD through two games.

A Wave victory could propel Darien back to the top of the state polls, while a Cadet win would solidify St. Joe’s spot in the penthouse.

Warde (1-1) at Wilton (1-1), 2 p.m. – Available on FairfieldLive

An interesting match-up which puts two teams which are always competitive. It will also be available to watch on FairfieldLive by clicking here.

Warde put up a pretty tough fight against St. Joseph before fading down the stretch last week, while Wilton fell to a strong Staples squad, 37-12. Both teams won in week one — Warde in come-from-behind fashion against Stamford and Wilton with a shutout of Brien McMahon.

One team will hop back above the .500 mark and possibly set a tone for the rest of the season. Looking ahead, Wilton will make a difficult road trip to St. Joseph in week four, while Warde will travel to Bridgeport Central.

Ridgefield (1-1) at Central (0-2), 3 p.m.

Always tough at home in Tiger Hollow, Ridgefield scored a rout over Stamford with a 42-12 win last week. Now 1-1, the Tigers will take to the road for a game against Central at Kennedy Stadium in Bridgeport. The Hilltoppers have surrendered 70 points in their first two games.

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