Darien's football players celebrates their 42-7 victory over Fairfield Prep in the Class LL championship game Saturday, December 11, 2021, at Trumbulll High School's McDougall Stadium in Trumbull, Conn.
Erik Trautmann Hearst Connecticut MediaDarien's football team finished the season where it started: No. 1.
Despite a new coach and the uncertainty of missing the 2020 season due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Blue Wave started the season 9-0, avenged their only loss of the year in the state playoffs and defeated Fairfield Prep handily, 42-7, for their fourth Class LL championship in six years and finish the season No. 1 the final GameTimeCT / New Haven Register Top 10 football poll, also for the fourth time in six years.
“It is a great feeling to be recognized as the No. 1 team,” said Darien head coach Mike Forget, who won his first state championship in his first, official season as the team's head coach. “They worked diligently to prepare themselves for the playoffs after the Turkey day loss. They would not be denied.
Darien finishes the season 12-1. It's only loss was to arch rival New Canaan, 12-7, on Thanksgiving. But the Blue Wave virtually removed the blemish by avenging that loss convincingly, 24-10, in the semifinals.
Darien's overwhelming victory over Fairfield Prep in the championship game, in which the defense allowed just one first down in the first half, 52 total yards through three quarters and didn't allow a point until a minute remained, seemed to cement the team's status.
“It’s a fantastic feeling,” said Darien senior Tighe Cummiskey, who rushed for 188 yards in the championship. “Obviously, this is the last time putting on the pads, and this was the only way we were going to go out. Coming into this game, we refused to do anything but win. We came out, we played hard, and we earned what we got.”
Though it wasn't unanimous, Voters overwhelmingly agreed all but one of the 22 poll voters gave Darien their first-place votes.
Maloney, which won the Class L title 35-21 over Windsor for its first football championship, finishes second -- the highest finish in school history. Its previous best was a fifth-place finish in 1961.
Class LL runner-up Fairfield Prep finished No. 3, moving up one spot. The SCC champion Jesuits finished 11-2, their highest ranking since finishing No. 2 in 1988. Prep avenged its only regular season loss by beating Greenwich
Class LL semifinalist New Canaan, the only team to beat Darien this year, finished the season 10-2 and ranked No. 4. Class L runner-up Windsor (11-2) finished No. 5 and St. Joseph, which lost to Windsor in the L semifinals, came in at No. 6 after being ranked No. 3 to start the postseason and No. 2 for most of the year.
Class M champion Killingly -- which, at 12-0, was one of two unbeaten teams this season -- finished No. 7, its highest ranking since finishing No. 5 following its unbeaten 2017 Class M title.
Class LL semifinalist Shelton (9-3), finished ranked No. 8. Class S champion Cromwell/Portland, which scripted the program's first unbeaten season and was the only team to win 13 games this season, makes its poll debut and finishes ranked No. 9. This is the second time Cromwell's finished ranked, following an appearance at No. 7 following its 12-1 Class S championship in 2008.
Greenwich, a 7-4 Class LL quarterfinalist, wraps up at No. 10. All four of the Cardinals' losses were playoff teams and finished in the Top 10 -- Fairfied Prep, New Canaan, St. Joseph and Shelton.
