Defending Class L Champions Top Weekly Football Poll

Defending Class L champion Daniel Hand was a runaway leader in the weekly Connecticut high school football poll of the state's sports media members. The Tigers collected first-place nods from 22 of the 24 voters to easily outdistance defending Class M titleholder St. Joseph, which garnered the other two top votes.

Here are the top 10, as well as all other teams collecting votes.

1. Daniel Hand
2. St. Joseph
3. New Canaan
4. Greenwich
5. Darien
6. Shelton
7. Newtown
8. Bloomfield
9. Southington
10. Fairfield Prep

Also receiving votes: Ansonia, Platt, Sheehan, Cheshire, Masuk, Norwich Free Academy, Ridgefield, Killingly, Newington, Berlin, Naugatuck, Windsor, Middletown, West Haven, Glastonbury, Maloney, Notre Dame-West Haven, Woodland, North Haven, Rockville, Granby/Canton, Weston.

Voters: Bill Bloxsom, Hearst Connecticut Media; Sean Patrick Bowley, GameTimeCT; Bryant Carpenter, Record-Journal of Meriden; Ryan Chichester, Bristol Press/New Britain Herald; Gerry deSimas Jr., Collinsville Press; Mike DiMauro, The Day of New London; Erik Dobratz, WTNH-8; Scott Ericson, Stamford Advocate; Michael Fornabaio, Connecticut Post; Ned Griffen, The Day of New London; Mark Jaffee, Republican-American of Waterbury; Ryan Lacey, Danbury News-Times; Mike Madera, Walter Camp Football Foundation; Kyle Maher, Journal Inquirer; Shawn McFarland, Hartford Courant; Joe Morelli, New Haven Register; Keith O’Brien, GameDay CT Sports; Pete Paguaga, GameTimeCT; Dave Phillips, Shoreline Newspapers; John Pierson, WTNH-8; Dave Ruden, The Ruden Report; Rich Zalusky, The Chronicle of Willimantic; Jimmy Zanor, Norwich Bulletin; Joe Zone, WFSB-3.