The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) has announced the 2023 football playoff divisions for high schools in Connecticut. The divisions are determined by a formula that takes into account a school’s enrollment, recent playoff performance, and strength of schedule.
The top division, Class LL, will feature 23 teams, including defending champion Notre Dame-West Haven. Other teams in Class LL include Bridgeport Central, Danbury, East Hartford, Fairfield Prep, Glastonbury, Greenwich, Hamden, Kennedy, Manchester, New Britain, Norwalk, Norwich Free Academy, Ridgefield, Southington, Stamford, Staples, Trumbull, West Haven, Westhill, and Wilbur Cross.
Class L will feature 23 teams, including Amity, Bristol Central, Conard, Darien, Enfield, Fairfield Ludlowe, Fairfield Warde, Farmington, Hall, Harding, Killingly, Maloney, Naugatuck, New Canaan, New Milford, Newington, Newtown, Shelton, Simsbury, South Windsor, VGW Techs Co-op, and Wilby.
Class M will feature 23 teams, including ATI Co-op, Avon, Berlin, Branford, Brookfield, Bullard/Kolbe Co-op, CREC Co-op, E.O. Smith, East Haven, East Lyme, Hartford Public, Hand, Holy Cross, Lyman Hall, New London, Northwest United Co-op, Prince Tech/Innovation Co-op, RHAM, Rockville, SMSA Co-op, and Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby Co-op.
Class S will feature 23 teams, including Bacon Academy, Bristol Eastern, Cheshire, East Hampton, Ellington, Griswold, Haddam-Killingworth, Hyde, Ledyard, Lyman Memorial, Morgan, New London Tech, Old Saybrook, Plainfield, Stonington, Suffield, Tolland, Valley Regional, Woodstock, and Windham.
The CIAC will also hold a Class S tournament for schools with enrollments of 500 students or fewer.
The 2023 football playoff season will begin in October. The state championships will be held at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on November 11 and 12.
Here are some of the key changes in the 2023 playoff divisions:
- Notre Dame-West Haven has moved up to Class LL after winning the Class M championship in 2022.
- Killingly has moved up to Class L after winning the Class S championship in 2022.
- St. Joseph and Holy Cross have moved up to Class M after winning the Class S and Class M championships, respectively, in 2021.
- Bacon Academy and Bristol Eastern have moved down to Class S after their enrollments fell below 500 students.
The CIAC’s playoff divisions are designed to create competitive matchups and ensure that all schools have a chance to win a state championship. The 2023 season promises to be another exciting one for Connecticut high school football.
Here are some of the factors that the CIAC considers when determining playoff divisions:
- School enrollment
- Recent playoff performance
- Strength of schedule
- Geographic location
The CIAC uses a complex formula to calculate each school’s playoff point total. The formula takes into account all of the factors listed above. The schools with the highest playoff point totals are placed in the top divisions.
The CIAC’s playoff divisions are reviewed and updated each year. The goal is to ensure that the divisions are as competitive as possible.
