Same teams, different results: Staples (in blue) handily beat Greenwich 27-0 on Thanksgiving Day (pictured here), but suffered a 14-0 loss to the Cardinals in Sunday’s state playoff semifinals. / Photo by Andy Hutchison

By Andy Hutchison

WESTPORT — Staples football team’s rematch with Greenwich High on Sunday did not go as well as the Thanksgiving Day drubbing they handed the visiting Cardinals.

This time, the Wreckers fell 14-0 to GHS in the Class LL state playoff semifinals, a reversal of the 27-0 T-Day victory Staples posted less than two weeks earlier.

Greenwich, the tournament No. 3 seed, advances to face No. 5 West Haven, a 42-7 winner over No. 1 Fairfield Prep in the other semi, for the championship Saturday, Dec. 14. The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain.

With the loss, No. 2-ranked Staples saw its tremendous season come to an end. Staples was the defending Class LL football state champion from 2023.

The Wreckers went 9-1 in the regular slate before defeating Manchester in the state quarterfinals last Tuesday.

“Proud of our guys’ effort. Especially proud of the body of work our seniors have put together during their careers,” Coach Adam Behrends said.

Andy Hutchison has been covering school sports — including Staples athletics — as well as news and feature stories in Fairfield County, since the 1990s.

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