This week has been a two-game break from the NCCC race for Canton (12-1, 7-1 NCCC). Tuesday's game with East Windsor was a non-league game along with Friday night's showdown with Avon in Canton at 7 p.m.
Only one game against each of the NCCC's other 13 teams counts toward the league title. In the case when Canton plays a league opponent twice, it is the second game that counts as the league game.
Beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 6, Canton finishes the regular season with five league games against Tolland, Stafford, East Granby, East Windsor and Avon. Four of the five are on the road, including the regular season finale against Avon on Feb. 21.
But if a team can be considered a championship contender, they win at home and away. Through 13 games, Canton has looked like a contender.
Dwayne Rivers had 23 points while Matt Getz added 14 in a 68-43 win over Ellington as the Warriors outscored the Knights 18-4 in the final quarter.
Earlier in the week, sophomore Chris Robitalle scored a career-high 17 points in a 68-64 win over Enfield. Getz and Rivers had 15 each while Jimmy Purcell added 12.
"I think our unselfish play has been a strength," Canton coach Eric Deegan said. "We've had a few close games. I don't think we've played a full four quarters yet."
After 13 games, Rivers leads the team with a 16.2 average and 11 three-point shots. Getz is averaging 10.0 points while Purcell (7.7), Robitaille (6.8) and McLellan (6.8) and guard Joey Dionne (5.8) are close to each other in production. Each had scored at least 12 points in a game.
Friday night's game with Avon will be a good barometer of where the Warriors are. The other contenders look to be Avon (10-2, 8-0 NCCC), Coventry (8-2, 5-1) and Granby (10-2, 6-1). Canton dropped a two-point decision to Coventry earlier this year, but beat Granby in overtime in Canton.
Deegan said Avon plays 10 players on a regular basis, frequently substituting five at a time. "They press, run and try to wear you out," he said.
The excitement is building. Several students in Deegan's class have been asking when the Avon game is and have promised to be there.
"I'm telling them to take it one game at a time and enjoy the journey," Deegan said. "If we work as we can, things have a way of taking care of themselves."
The last time Canton truly contended for a league championship was in 1982 when it went 8-0 to claim the Northwest Conference Division II title, a league it had also won in 1981 and 1977.
FOOTBALL: In September, Canton High will field its first varsity football team since 1964. In a unanimous vote last week, the Board of Education approved fielding a varsity team. Canton will have varsity and junior varsity teams in the Pequot Conference.
In November, the board had approved a junior varsity squad for this fall. But things changed when Canton got accepted into the Pequot Conference in December. With the success of the club team last year (6-2) and finishing the season with 50 kids, a push was made to upgrade to varsity status.
With no home field, the Warriors are scheduled to play all 10 games on the road, including a game with rival Avon. Depending on the Pequot Conference schedule, there is a possibility of a game on Thanksgiving. League officials are still working out the details of the schedule.
Canton will practice closer to home this fall at DeSimas Field near the high school. A year ago, the team practiced on a short 60-yard field on Bicentennial Field next to the sewage treatment plant near the Farmington River.
The next step on the agenda is to hire a head coach and assemble a coaching staff.
Editor's note: DeSimas Field is named after the author's mother, Catherine deSimas, who served on the Canton Board of Education for 26 years.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: The Warriors (1-13, 0-8 NCCC) were a few minutes away from their second win of the season, but Enfield rallied with nine points in the final two minutes of a 39-32 victory. Canton led for nearly the entire game, but the Raiders rallied behind 13 points from Rachel Zeni to take the victory.
Danielle Coutu had a career-high 14 points in a 60-40 loss to Ellington. Canton was led by Sarah Getz, who scored a team-high 15 points. After 14 games, Getz was the team's leading scorer, averaging 10.9 points a game. She has sunk a team-high 20 three-point shots.
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