Welcome to the GameTimeCT Athlete of the Week where we look to honor student-athletes from across Connecticut each week during the high school sports seasons.
Each week, the GameTimeCT staff will select five athletes competing in boys high school sports and five competing in girls sports as finalists. We will then turn the process over to the fans to vote for who they think should win the title of GameTimeCT Athlete of the Week. Voting will begin Tuesday morning and close Thursday night at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be announced each Friday by around noon.
Dixon has been known for his game-changing plays on offense this season, but in the Class LL finals, he changed the game with his defensive plays. The senior had three interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. He had five catches for 61 yards in Greenwich’s 37-17 win over Fairfield Prep to win the Class LL title.
David Cassetti
Football | Ansonia
Pete Paguaga/Hearst Connecticut Media
Carrying the load
The senior carried the load, rushing for 171 yards on 34 carries. He threw a touchdown pass on a trick play, made key stops on defense and scored the two-point conversion to give the Chargers the lead for good in their 28-21 win over Bloomfield in the Class S championship.
Ty Groff
Football | New Canaan
Contributed by team
Super Special Teams
The state’s leader for career field goals lived up to the title with three field goals in the Class L championship. He also helped engineer a late scoring drive that led to the game tying touchdown. He scored 10 of New Canaan’s points in a 16-13 win over Maloney to capture the Class L title.
Adam Pandolfi
Football | North Haven
Joe Morelli/Hearst Connecticut Media
Running Wild
Pandolfi rushed for 107 yards, on just 13 carries, and scored two touchdowns to hope North Haven beat Killingly, 51-34, in the Class MM championships, capturing the program’s first state championship
Matthew Piechota
Football | Notre Dame-West Haven
Mike Madera/For Hearst Connecticut Media
Championship Performance
The senior stepped up when his team needed him the most. He was 17-of-24 for 221 yards and three touchdowns to lead NDWH to a 35-8 win over Berlin in the Class M finals.
Danny Shaban
Football | Joel Barlow
Pete Paguaga/Hearst Connecticut Media
One final run
The senior capped his career with another incredible performance. Shaban rushed for 175 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Falcons to their first state title, a 61-6 win over Valley Regional/Old Lyme in the Class SS championship.
Editing by Dan Brechlin, Sean Barker and Sean Patrick Bowley. Produced by Pete Paguaga. Design and development by David Deloso / Hearst DevHub and Danielle Rindler / Hearst DevHub. Project management by Brittany Schell / Hearst DevHub.