​I just figured I’d empty out my reporter’s notebook while mulling over whether the Boston Red Sox are turning into Caleb Durbin’s team. The CIAC unveiled its six-division format for the 2026 football season, and our local squads—Norwich Free Academy (Class LL), Valley Panthers Co-op (Class MM), and Killingly (Class SS)—remain in the same divisions as last year, while the Griswold/Wheeler Co-op has moved up from Class S to Class SS. The top eight teams in each division—LL, L, MM, M, SS, and S—will advance to the state playoffs.
NFA proved last year that they’re serious state championship contenders, making a spirited run to the Class LL semifinals. The Wildcats return a talented core, and Friday nights in Norwich are shaping up to be the place to be this fall. In Class LL, championship contenders also include defending state champion Greenwich, the runner-up Southington, New Britain, Staples, and West Haven. The Valley Panthers, a cooperative team comprising Plainfield, Ellis Tech, Putnam, and Tourtellotte, come off a fantastic first season together. They reached the Class MM playoffs before falling to eventual state champion Windsor.
Beyond Windsor, Class MM looks loaded again with St. Joseph, Newtown, Xavier, and Holy Cross ready to contend. ECC champion Killingly has appeared in six state championship games since 2017. The Trailblazers, who graduated 22 seniors, hold banners from 2017 (Class M), 2021 (Class M), and 2024 (Class SS). In Class SS, championship contenders include defending champion Daniel Hand, Class S champion Ansonia, Class M champion Berlin, Joel Barlow, and Jonathan Law.
Here are some key dates for the 2026 football season. OTAs run August 13–15; first practice is August 22; first games kick off September 10–12; state quarterfinals on December 1; state semifinals on December 6; and the state championships on December 12. NFA’s Xavier Sebastian will look for running room after facing Ledyard last season, and the Wildcats open their 2026 campaign at Westerly, Rhode Island, on September 11.
The CIAC released the football schedules for the 2026 season, and here’s a look at a few highly anticipated non-league games for Norwich Free Academy, Killingly, Valley Panthers Co-op, and Griswold/Wheeler Co-op. NFA opens at Westerly on September 11, then hosts Darien, the FCIAC power, on September 18, welcomes Rhode Island state champion Bishop Hendricken on October 2, and hosts Shepherd Hill Regional (Dudley, Massachusetts) on October 9. Killingly’s season begins in Wallingford against defending Class S champion Sheehan on September 11—a rematch of the Trailblazers’ 2024 Class SS championship game win over the Titans. Killingly hosts Woodland on September 18 and finishes the regular season with a road game at North Haven on November 19; they fell to the Nighthawks in the 2022 Class MM state championship game. The Valley Panthers head to Enfield to face CREC (Comp Sci/Aerospace/International/Innovation) on September 19, and they also have a road game to boost their SEO profile.