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Quarterback Finn Signer of the Brunswick School passes during the 11th Annual Grip It and Rip It competition on Saturday July 7, 2018 at New Canaan High School in New Canaan, Connecticut.Quarterback Finn Signer of the Brunswick School passes during the 11th Annual Grip It and Rip It competition on Saturday July 7, 2018 at New Canaan High School in New Canaan, Connecticut.Photo: Gregory Vasil / For Hearst Connecticut Media
For the 13th year, New Canaan High School will host a Grip It and Rip It 7-on-7 football tournament when 32 teams meet on Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13.
The tournament had originally been set at 34 teams, but five teams dropped out and three have been added: Trinity Catholic/Wright Tech co-op, Bridgeport Central, and “Newich” — a team of younger players from Greenwich and New Canaan created to even out the field.
More changes could come before the tournament gets underway on Friday.
The tournament will feature three of Connecticut’s four defending state champions: Greenwich (Class LL), Daniel Hand (L), and Bloomfield (S), along with four other state semifinalists from last fall: New Canaan, Fairfield Prep and Newtown (LL), and Windsor (L).
New Canaan won last year’s tournament, going 11-0 and beating Archbishop Stepinac (NY), 25-13, in the final.
Six Connecticut conferences will be represented (FCIAC, SCC, SWC, CCC, NCCC and FAA) and the field includes seven out-of-state teams.
Teams will be divided into eight groups of four teams each for pool play. Every team will play four games during pool play, facinf every team in their group and one team in a crossover game..
Games begin at 1:30 p.m., Friday.
Teams will then be seeded based on Friday’s results, with a double-elimination tournament beginning at 8:30 a.m., Saturday.
The Groups
Group 1 (Dunning Field, early games, 1:30-4:10)
- New Canaan
- John Jay
- Newtown
- Newington
Group 2 (Dunning Field, early games, 1:30-4:10)
- Central
- Bloomfield
- Staples
- New Fairfield
Group 3 (Dunning Field, late games, 4:10-6;30)
- Greenwich
- Suffield
- Darien
- Rye
Group 4 (Dunning Field, late games, 4:10-6;30)
- Iona Prep
- Stamford
- Trumbull
- Bunnell
Group 5 (Water Tower Turf, early games, 1:30-4:10)
- Cardinal Hayes
- Warde
- Westhill
- Fairfield Prep
Group 6 (Water Tower Turf, early games, 1:30-4:10)
- Daniel Hand
- Choate
- Ludlowe
- Brookfield
Group 7 (Water Tower Turf, late games, 4:10-6;30)
- Shenendowa
- Hall
- Trinity Catholic/Wright Tech
- Spring Valley
Group 8 (Water Tower Turf, late games, 4:10-6;30)
- Stepinac
- Windsor
- Norwalk
- Newich (combined team of Greenwich and New Canaan underclassmen)
