Eight straight playoff appearances. Seven consecutive trips to the state semifinals. Two state championships . Four state championship game appearances.
The Killingly football program’s résumé over the past eight seasons has rivaled that of state bluebloods New Canaan, Darien, St. Joseph and Ansonia.
“I pinch myself sometimes,” Killingly coach Chad Neal said.
The team’s success, however, came with a big caveat.
The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s “success in tournament” rule came into play for Killingly during the past two seasons. The Quiet Corner school is also considered a “school of choice” because it has a vocational-agriculture program. Thus, Killingly was bumped up to Class MM for 2022, which ended with a loss in the state finals against Southern Connecticut Conference power North Haven.
Killingly was moved up again last season to Class L and the team’s rabid fan base had to be wondering what the heck they were doing at Dunning Field in December going up against Lou Marinelli, the state’s all-time winningest coach, and his defending Class L champion New Canaan Rams in the quarterfinals.
New Canaan, which went on to win the state title, defeated Killingly, 49-14, ending Killingly’s run of seven consecutive trips to the playoff semifinals.
“We’ll play anybody and our kids competed that night,” Neal said. `”We knew how good New Canaan was and Class L was arguably the state’s toughest division. It was a great learning curve going to New Canaan. They got to see the speed. It was very similar to the team we had in 2016. We played Hillhouse (in the semifinals) and they went on to win a state championship that year. They were a really good football team. Our kids got to see the size and speed and the next year we got over the hump and won a state title.”
This season the CIAC has exempted schools with a vocational-agriculture program from its “schools of choice” designation and Killingly earned a huge victory before the season opening kick-off: they were moved down to Class SS.
“That’s where we belong and I don’t think we’re one of the biggest SS schools either,” Neal said.
So long New Canaan and North Haven. Hello Joel Barlow and Sheehan.
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Class SS comprises 23 schools with a boys enrollment between 320-395. Besides Killingly, ECC schools Waterford, Windham, and Ledyard will also compete in Class SS.
Joel Barlow, which has won back-to-back Class SS state championships, visits the Quiet Corner on Nov. 1. Killingly also hosts Class SS contender Sheehan on Sept. 27. Other schools with recent Class SS playoff appearances include Tolland, Weston, Foran, and Granby/Canton.
“Sheehan has been in the playoffs every year and kind of been on the same run we’ve been on and Joel Barlow has won the last two state championships,” Neal said.
Despite the move to Class SS, Killingly’s schedule, which also includes a non-league contest at Guilford and ECC Division I foes Norwich Free Academy, New London, Fitch, East Lyme, and Woodstock Academy, is daunting.
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“I don’t think there is anybody on our schedule we could look at and say that’s a ‘W’. Everyone is a good football program,” Neal said. “But we want that too. We’ll play anybody and we’re not going to back down. If we want to be considered one of the top teams in the state, you have to do that.”
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Killingly High School football making move to Class SS in 2024
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