Setting the CIAC playoff table ahead of Thanksgiving Week | The Meat Grinder (S7, E11)

The Meat Grinder

It's Week 11 — the last weekend of the 2024 high school football season before our favorite time of the year, the grand Thanksgiving week finale. And you know what that means! It's time, at last, to take a detailed dive into the CIAC football playoff picture heading into Thanksgiving Week.

Half of the 2024 field is set: Twenty-four teams have (unofficially) qualified for 48 spots across the six playoff divisions. Those include Fairfield Prep, which rallied from 15 points down to all but dash North Haven's dreams of a three-peatwhile solidifying its place in the Class LL race; and Brookfield, which marched past rival Masuk to stay unbeaten and clinch its first playoff berth in six years.

We'll take a deep look at who's still alive and who needs what to secure one the remaining 24 spots heading into the final week. That includes Manchester, which rode Emmanuel Sampel and Joe Mugovero to a comeback victory over New Britain, drawing the Red Hawks oh, so closer to a return trip to the Class LL playoffs.

And it includes the likes of Hillhouse and East Haven, who will play Friday in a game that to decide whose Thanksgiving Day game will mean more than just bragging rights.

All this, plus the latest GametimeCT top 10 poll, a recap of Choate's NEPSAC Bowl championship victory over Brunswick to complete yet another unbeaten prep school season.

You won't want to miss this episode.

Join us, won't you?

RUNDOWN

0:00 — Introduction: Brookfield, Prep clinch playoff berths

1:54 — It's Almost Playoff Time!

8:14 — Fairfield Prep rallies past North Haven, into LL playoffs

16:01 — The Week 11 GameTimeCT Top 10 Poll (Nos. 10-8)

17:49 — Brookfield marches past Masuk, into Class M playoffs

24:42 — The GameTimeCT Top 10 Poll (Nos. 6-1)

27:47 — Class LL playoff outlook (Manchester rallies past NB)

31:25 — Class L playoff outlook (bottleneck after No. 6)

33:33 — Class MM playoff outlook (8-1 Wethersfield must win)

36:41 — Class M playoff outlook (East Haven can join race)

39:47 — Class SS playoff outlook (Ellington must win twice)

41:48 — Class S playoff outlook (NWC vs. East is key)

46:18 — Choate beats Brunswick in NEPSAC Bowl, finishes unbeaten again

51:45 — Shout outs!

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