Is Respect Enough For New London Football?

Of all the CIAC state football runners-up Saturday at Rentschler Field, New London emerged with its dignity intact.

New Canaan, gunning for its fifth straight state title, lost in Class L to Masuk, 50-20. Ansonia , shooting for its 17th state crown, allowed 49 points to lose by three touchdowns to St. Joseph-Trumbull in Class S. New London commanded respect after its 7-0 loss to Hillhouse in Class M.

The Whalers gave a good account of themselves and Eastern Connecticut Conference football in general. The two teams showed defense still exists in scholastic football, especially when the teams are evenly matched.There's no shame in losing by a touchdown to a worthy foe. Only one problem here with this statement. Defending ECC Pride and defending Whaler Pride are two totally different animals.

Many in Whalerville feel that playing well and coming close, i.e. moral victories, don't rate highly in New London sports lore. Not at a school where the standard of major sport excellence is state titles, not ECC titles or state final appearances.It's the same story at all wonderfully-successful programs like E.O. Smith soccer, Ansonia football, Greenwich swimming, Darien lacrosse and volleyball and currently Danbury wrestling. Good is not regaled. Great is.

Unfortunately, the image of Garrick McQueen failing to make an over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone is this game's signature play. It was the antithesis of perhaps New London's most historic pass two years ago when McQueen caught the "Hail Mary" deflection to score a 70-yard touchdown and beat Montville on the last play of the game.

This Whaler team carried large expectations into 2010. They returned their entire backfield, most receivers and quality linemen from a 10-1 squad last year in coach Jeff Larson's first season.

But it was hardly a storybook season from start to finish. Cannamela Field's renovation, expected to be finished by the season opener, was delayed because of faulty construction of the Field Turf. The Whalers were forced to scramble to find home games, playing two games at Coast Guard and agreeing to play two at Waterford High.

A 21-19 loss to a strong Montville team started the season on the wrong foot. New London played solid if not over-the-top spectacular football to win the next eight games before losing its Thanksgiving Game to NFA on its first game at Cannamela, which was declared playable just days before. New London practiced all season on a grassy-turned-dirt patch of field behind the gym.

Toward the end of the season, the NLHS community was rocked when six teenagers with NLHS ties were arrested as suspects in the murder of Matthew Chew. One suspect was reportedly related to a current Whaler. Everyone on the team knew the suspects. It was not an easy time.

Larson called New London's season "a great feat" considering all the adversity the team and school faced.Here's our view. New London was a very good, but not great team this year. The '08 team that beat Seymour in the Class SS final was much more talented with five Division I recruits (Tyler Major-UMass, Anthony Schiavone-Iowa, Rich Vitale-Stony Brook, Jordan Reed-Florida, and Division I recruit-to-be Casey Cochran.)

To win 10 games and romp over two squads in the playoffs was an accomplishment. Perhaps New London deserves props for advancing to the finals while two teams it lost to lost in their semifinals. There's something to be said for teams that know how to win. New London is one of those, just not in the final game this year.

It was a turbulent  season, yet despite the empty feeling of finishing second, New London further cemented its status as the ECC's dominant football program into the new decade.

In what can now be called the New London Football Renaissance, the period after Jack Cochran's arrival in 2005, New London has reached five playoffs in six years, winning an '08  title and making the finals in '05, '07 and  2010.Perhaps  a little perspective is necessary. Despite the sting of losing out on a sixth state title, the Whalers are back in the state playoff business. Back after a stretch of mediocrity between the Buonocore era (1969 to 1998) and Renaissance. The program rests in solid shape under Larson, who is 20-4.

You can't win a state title if you're not in it, and New London looks likes it's going to be in it for some time to come.