Newington eliminated from playoff hunt
By Brendan Loy
Masuk's 17-14 victory over Newtown, combined with losses by East Hartford (to Manchester) and Windsor (to Bloomfield), have mathematically eliminated Newington from playoff contention before the Indians even take the field against Wethersfield in their annual Thanksgiving Day rivalry tomorrow morning.
Including "bonus points" from games that affect the playoff contenders' strength of schedule, Masuk, currently ranked #4 in Class L, is guaranteed to finish with a point average of no worse than 124, while #5-ranked Newington's maximum possible average is 123.
In addition to being stuck behind Masuk, the Indians also cannot leapfrog #1 Bunnell or #2 Staples, even if either loses tomorrow. Bunnell can finish with an average of no worse than 145.6; Staples is guaranteed at least a 123.3 average. #3 Conard, which has finished its season, can do no worse than its current 126 average.
So the Indians are out of the state championship hunt. That sucks. With star tailback Nathan Pagan a senior, you had to think, or at least hope, that maybe this was their year. But as it turns out, their one loss of the season -- a 31-6 setback at undefeated Class M power Bristol Eastern on October 20 -- was too much to overcome, as too many other Class L teams finished either unbeaten or with one loss, and all of them had stronger schedules than Newington.
But there's still plenty to play for tomorrow. The Wethersfield game is always important, regardless of any outside implications, and in this case the Indians are looking for their first victory at Wethersfield since 1993, as I mentioned previously. Also, with a win, Newington would finish the season 9-1 -- their best season, judging by win-loss percentage, since they won the state championship at 11-1 in 1980.
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