After two rebuilding seasons playing an independent schedule, the Plainfield football team has returned to the Eastern Connecticut Conference for the 2024 season.
“I’m excited because it benefits us to play the teams in our league,” Plainfield Athletic Director Tom Hardy said. “Being out of the league was a short term agreement. I felt like our numbers were growing. They're still not as high as, obviously, we would like them but we can be competitive.”
Plainfield replaces Weaver, which has left the conference as a football-only school. The Panthers reentry to the ECC is coming one year earlier than the original agreement in 2021.
“Number one that we looked at was student safety,” said Hardy, who replaced Jan Voland as Plainfield’s athletic director a year ago. “I don’t think that our students are going to be set up in an unsafe environment. Are our students going to compete and are they going to be safe? And the answer was yes to both of those.”
The ECC’s divisional realignment for football went from two to three divisions this fall. The Panthers’ ECC Division III schedule includes home games against Montville, Bacon Academy/Lyman Memorial, and Windham, and road tests against Stonington, and Griswold.
“We were hoping for one more year as an independent,” Plainfield coach Pat Smith said. “It is what it is. It’s the schedule we’ll have to face. I’m not sure if we are there yet at the experience or skill level but we’re working towards that.”
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Plainfield also has ECC crossover games against Division II opponents Woodstock Academy, Ledyard, and Waterford, along with Connecticut Football Alliance non-league games against Quinebaug Valley and East Haven.
“One of the stipulations for us coming back earlier was no crossover games with Division I schools,” Hardy said. “It was so we could have a competitive schedule as we’re trying to increase our numbers and restore the program.”
After playing the 2021 season with just 22 players, Voland, along with Smith, thought the best route to rebuild the program would be to leave the ECC and play an independent schedule against similar size schools. Woodstock Academy had taken the same route in 2016 before returning to the ECC in 2019.
“We’re trying to do what’s best for our kids and our program,” Smith said at the time. “Basically, that’s why we’re here. It’s not about wins and losses. We’re trying to create fair competition for our kids.”
Plainfield did its best piecing together an independent schedule the past two seasons. The first year saw games against fledgling New Haven programs like Amistad and contests against small schools from Rhode Island.
“We know the Stonington’s and the Windham’s and the Bacon Academy's are better games to play rather than traveling outside against teams that are two hours away,” Hardy said. “We’re at East Haven this year but you’re going to have those Alliance games where you travel. As a whole, to be back in the ECC is a better option for us.”
Plainfield’s numbers continued to rise during their second independent year. The Panthers competed against a tougher schedule that included playoff teams Coginchaug/East Hampton and Griswold and finished 5-5.
“Last year was a big step for us,” Smith said. “We played some schools that were very competitive for us and gave us that sense that we can compete but are not always going to win. Going 5-5 with the schedule we had, we were pretty happy with that.”
Plainfield opens its season at home on Friday, September 13 against Quinebaug Valley.
“We’ll be young and inexperienced but we’re building towards something positive here,” Smith said. “We have 44 players in the program right now, which is tremendous considering where we’ve been.”
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The Panthers will celebrate their return to the ECC against Ledyard at Bill Mignault Field on Friday, September 20.
“It’s a tough schedule but we’re where we are supposed to be,” Hardy said. “It’s nice to have a challenge and to rise up and meet that challenge. We have some talented and tough kids on our team. I’m looking forward to it.”
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Plainfield football set for return to the ECC
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