2005 Class MM Football Playoffs |
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Scoring summaries and game stories courtesy of The Hartford Courant, Bristol Press, Connecticut Post, Danbury News-Times, Manchester Journal Inquirer, Middletown Press, New Britain Herald, New London Day, New Haven Register, Norwich Bulletin, Stamford Advocate, Torrington Register-Citizen, Waterbury Republican-American.
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Final Class MM Playoff Point Rankings | Class MM Regular Season Results
Class MM Rosters:
Branford*
| Coventry/Windham Tech*
| East Lyme*
| New Canaan*
FINALS
| Sat., 12/3, 2:00 p.m. at Ken Strong Stadium, West Haven [Driving Directions] |
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |||
| #1 Branford (10-2-0) | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |||
| #3 East Lyme (8-4-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | |||
| Final | ||||||||
First Quarter
B-Jim Balzano 1 run (Andrew Whitney kick)
B-Balzano 22 run (Whitney kick)
Fourth Quarter
EL-Matt Walker 4 run (Kyle Weiss kick)
Team records: EL 8-4; B 10-2.
WEST HAVEN -- Quarterback Jim Balzano rushed 29 times for 102 yards and both touchdowns for No. 1 seed Branford, which held off No. 3 East Lyme 14-7 Saturday afternoon to claim the Class MM state football championship at Ken Strong Stadium.
Mike Mortali rushed for a game-high 104 yards on 21 carries to earn game MVP honors for the Hornets (10-2). Balzano scored both touchdowns in the opening quarter and the defense held on for the win.
Matt Walker scored the only touchdown for East Lyme (8-4) in the fourth quarter. Branford held the Vikings to no pass completions as East Lyme quarterback Brian Walker went 0-for-5 with an interception.
Branford held East Lyme to 24 total yards in the opening half.
SEMIFINALS
| Tues., 11/29, 6:30 p.m. at Branford [Driving Directions] |
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |||
| #4 Coventry/Windham Tech (7-4-0) | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 12 | |||
| #1 Branford (9-2-0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 | |||
| Final | ||||||||
Second Quarter
C/WT-Buckler 75 pass from Tomlinson (kick failed)
B-Balzano 8 run (Whitney kick)
Fourth Quarter
B-Balzano 6 run (kick failed)
C/WT-Buckler 6 pass from Tomlinson (run failed)
BRANFORD -- Mike Mortali ran for 103 yards, Jim Balzano had 100 yards rushing and the Branford defense stopped Nick Underhill's two-point conversion run with six seconds left as the top-seeded Hornets defeated No. 4 Coventry/Windham Tech 13-12 in the Clas MM semifinals at the MacVeigh Complex.
Branford (9-2) will return to the Class MM final despite returning only one starter from its 2004 team which fell to Pomperaug-Southbury in the MM final.
Derek Tomlinson threw touchdown passes of 75 and 6 yards to Mike Buckler for Coventry (7-4).
| Tues., 11/29, 6:30 p.m. at New Canaan [Driving Directions] |
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |||
| #3 East Lyme (8-3-0) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 20 | |||
| #2 New Canaan (7-4-0) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 12 | |||
| Final | ||||||||
NC - Mike Palladino 39 FG
EL - Pedro Belinchon 51 FG
EL - Belinchon 49 FG
EL - Matt Walker 1 run (Kyle Weiss kick)
NC - Will Finan 61 punt return (kick failed)
EL - Tim Allen 83 run (Weiss kick)
NEW CANAAN -- Pedro Belinchon kicked field goals of 51 and 49 yards and Tim Allen sealed the game with an 83-yard touchdown run, as No. 4 East Lyme upset No. 1 New Canaan, 20-12, in the Class MM semifinals.
Belinchon pulled East Lyme even with a 51-yard early in the first period and gave the Vikings (8-3) the lead for good with a 49-yarder later in the period.
New Canaan (7-4) rallied from a 13-3 deficit in the fourth period, climbing to within a point after Will Finan's 61-yard punt return for a touchdown with 3:12 left. But Mike Palladaino's missed extra point kept the Vikings in the lead.
Allen's 83-yard run came with a minute left as East Lyme was within a first down of running out the clock.
Allen finished with 134 yards. Xerxes Baccus and Matt Walker combined for 69 rushing yards. New Canaan quarterback Curt Casali finished 6-for-24 for 49 yards, while John Aldrich had 88 yards on 19 carries.
Palladino kicked field goals of 39 and 38 yards.