Playoff matchups set for Killingly, Thames River

Just thought I’d empty out my reporter’s notebook while thinking that Bill Walton belongs in the college basketball broadcaster's Hall of Fame.

It was great to see the jubilation from the Thames River players and fans on Wednesday night when they heard from PA announcer Bill Donovan that the Crusaders had just clinched a Class MM playoff home game shortly after their big win over Quinebaug Valley.

It has been a dream season for Thames River. It ain’t easy going 10-0. And I’m sure the atmosphere at Grasso Tech on Tuesday (Nov. 29) for the program’s first state playoff game is going to be absolutely electric.

Now comes the sobering reality, one I’m sure Crusaders coach Craig Sylvester and his talented coaching staff has seen on film this weekend: North Haven is going to be the best team Thames River has ever faced in the program’s 12-year existence.

Yup, the fourth-seeded and unbeaten Crusaders will be huge underdogs against No. 5 North Haven (8-2), which competes in the Southern Connecticut Conference and boasts wins against Shelton, Cheshire and Xavier.

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And now comes the best part. Any team that has Ryan Outlow and Seth Cunningham and Justin Outlow and Xavier Jackson and Jaivon Velez carrying the football behind guys up front like David Clang is a team I like and a team other teams should be wary of.

“They seem to have a lot of athletes and I wouldn't put it past them for giving some people some trouble,” Quinebaug Valley coach James Edinger said about the Crusaders chances. “When you have that many good athletes, you can hang with anybody.”

More high school football in the Quiet Corner

On the same night, third-seeded Killingly (9-1) begins its quest for a second consecutive state title with a Class MM quarterfinal round home game against No. 6 Wethersfield (8-2).

This is Killingly’s seventh straight appearance in the playoffs, a truly amazing run for Chad Neal and his players and coaching staff.

After losing to Windham in October, Killingly has reeled off five straight wins while outscoring its opponents 275-45.

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Killingly is looking to extend its streak of six straight trips to the state semifinals against a formidable foe. The Eagles, who compete in the football rich Central Connecticut Conference, boast wins against Windsor and Middletown.

The Quiet Corner will be rockin’ on Tuesday night.

Jim Mora and the UConn Huskies

I hope Jim Mora stays at UConn and turns the Huskies into perennial bowl contenders and perhaps even a national power. What? A national power? That’s right. When a college football team has found the right coach, great and memorable things will happen.

I’ll never forget Tom Coughlin taking the Boston College Eagles to South Bend and upsetting undefeated and No. 1 ranked Notre Dame. Coughlin went on to coach the Jacksonville Jaguars to the AFC championship game before winning two Super Bowls as the head coach of the New York Giants. If Coughlin had stayed in Chestnut Hill, well, hmmm.

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2023 softball championships at UConn

Kudos to the CIAC and UConn for working together to bring the 2023 softball state championships to the Huskies new state-of-the art Burrill Family Field Softball Complex.

“The CIAC is thrilled to offer student-athletes the opportunity to play at UConn,” CIAC Executive Director Glenn Lungarini said. “UConn's staff has been great to work with and share CIAC’s excitement in bringing CIAC State Championships to Connecticut’s premier softball facility. The experiences student-athletes will have at UConn are sure to create lifetime memories and inspire every team on their road to Storrs.”

The CIAC softball state championship games in all classes (S, M, L and LL) are scheduled for Saturday, June 10.

Taylor Swift fans broke Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster couldn’t handle the millions and millions of Taylor Swift fans who flooded the website and caused it to come crashing down on the first day of the tour’s presale. Yup, Taylor Swift fans broke Ticketmaster.

Before my daughter headed off to school that day, she had written her Ticketmaster account and passwords and “verified fans only” passcode on a piece of paper and instructed me to get two tickets for a show at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. I told her climbing Mount Everest might be easier.

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At the end of an agonizing long day in the Taylor Swift world, I somehow got two tickets. Just don’t ask how much they cost. Elvis must be coming back from the dead to be the show’s opening act.

Are penalty kick endings still soccer?

I hate ending any state tournament soccer game with penalty kicks. It was so disheartening seeing the Norwich Free Academy girls soccer team’s loss to Simsbury last month after three excruciating rounds of penalty kicks. I say keep playing until the town comes in and tells you to turn off the lights.

I also don’t like co-champions so the CIAC resorted to penalty kicks to decide their championship games after 80 minutes and two 10-minute overtime sessions can’t produce a winner. Thankfully, only one of the eight state title games - Greenwich’s Class LL win over Hall - was won and lost on penalty kicks.

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“I don't know if I’d call that soccer, that’s the frustrating part,” NFA girls soccer coach Taylor Shannon said about PKs. “It’s not showing what the teams did for the last 90 minutes or so. It’s not proving much. It’s just proving that you can put the ball in the back of the net under pressure in a PK situation.”

Stuck in the '70s

On Nov. 27, 1977, Steve Grogan tossed touchdown passes to Stanley Morgan and Daryl Stingley and the New England Patriots defeated Dick Vermeil’s Philadelphia Eagles, 14-6, at Schaefer Stadium in Foxboro. Ron Jaworski threw a fourth quarter TD pass to Charlie Smith, while Herm Edwards had an interception for the Eagles.

The Patriots failed to cover as 10.5 point favorites.

Jimmy Zanor can be reached at jzanor@norwichbulletin.com. 

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Killingly, Thames River host quarterfinals, Swift breaks Ticketmaster