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But it doesn’t seem like any of them apply to the Jonathan Law football team, which was - beyond a shadow of a doubt - the story of 2007 in the SCC. In case you’re just coming back from an extended Thanskgiving vacation, the Lawmen went 9-1, their only blemish to Fairfield Prep, but missed out on the Class M playoffs, in fact, finishing sixth in playoff points with 1230. Truth be told, the way the system is set up, the teams that they defeated just didn’t help Law enough. Branford, Hamden, Derby, Lyman Hall, and Foran all had down years and they dragged the Lawmen down in the playoff points to where they really had no shot heading in to Thanksgiving. However, it’s difficult to explain to a neutral observer or a casual high school football team how Jonathan Law, with a 9-1 record and 1230 playoff points can be sitting home watching the Class M playoffs, while North Haven, with a 7-3 mark and 920 points, played at the Surf Club against Hand on Tuesday night. It becomes even more tough when Law beat North Haven head-to-head in the season’s first week.

Now, before we go any further, this argument has nothing to do with the people at North Haven, or the season the Indians had. To be at 7-3, with the luck and injuries Tony Sagnella and his crew had to deal with (after being 0-10 just two seasons ago with almost the same schedule) is a remarkable achievement and is another of the top stories in the SCC this season.

“This team took every setback they faced and made the best of it. It’s a great group of kids,” Sagnella said after last Wednesday‘s loss to Amity apparently eliminated his team from contention. “This team has always dealt with adversity well and that makes them who they are.”

Sagnella’s attitude after a seemingly crushing loss is everything that is right about high school athletics and explains why - when many people had him pegged for a more “high profile” job - he remains at North Haven. He likes the town, he likes the kids, and sometimes winning and notoriety are not the most important thing when you’re talking about high school athletics. Really, I know it’s a shocking concept, but really. “You would love these kids if you could work with them every day,” Sagnella said. “They’ve earned every victory we had.”

Meanwhile, there is the understandable, but not so subtle argument from Amity, who basically controlled the entire game against North Haven, but didn’t even come close to the playoffs, finishing 6-4. The Spartans had a good football team this season and as coach Mike Devito was quick (a little too quick) to point out, if they played a Division II schedule, they might be playoff bound. And after the New Haven Register’s Mike Pucci (and most of the Elm City Newspapers staff) picked North Haven, Devito was not happy.

“We did not play Foran, Derby, or Sheehan. Does he know that? He’s got to know that,” Devito said. Which is true, but Amity’s enrollment is 608 (boys grades 10-12), putting the Spartans firmly in Division I, while North Haven’s is 448, in the top end of Division II, but there nonetheless. As I’ve pointed out repeatedly, it’s the best system the SCC could come up with, and it’s the most fair.

Which brings us back to Law, which got off to a slow start before beating up on Foran for the third straight year, 42-14. But the playoff points, unfortunately, just did not add up. Weaver won its final two games, Ledyard beat Fitch, and Law couldn’t do anything about it except pack up the equipment and celebrate one of the best seasons in school history.

“We did everything we could, but we just picked a bad year to be good,” quarterback Dave Plaskon told the Connecticut Post. “Nine and one should be enough to get you in most years.” But not in 2007. And the thing is, like many times in life, there is really no one to blame, no great injustice that’s been done by anyone. The system the CIAC currently employs is the most fair they can come up with due to time constraints, Thanksgiving, and a host of other factors. The way the numbers worked out this year, not one but two 9-1 teams in Class M weren’t among the top four, while in Class MM, a 7-3 team headed to the playoffs. Everyone wants an explanation, but sometimes there just isn’t one, except to say, “Life’s not fair.” And, without further ado, here are the SCC Awards for 2007:

Player of the Year Winner: Geoff Schultz, Shelton - Schultz takes home the award for the second straight season, but it wasn‘t easy. However, with the Gaels apparently stumbling after being blown out by Hand and fellow runner Andre Henderson sidelined, Schultz carried the ball 86 times in a two-game span and got Shelton back on track when they needed him most. Schultz finished the regular season with 1,646 yards on a whopping 243 carries, and he is the heart and soul of Gael football.

2) Dave Plaskon, Jonathan Law - Plaskon‘s numbers don‘t jump out at you the way that Schultz‘s do and at times he was even overshadowed by some talented players on his own team, but when the Lawmen needed a big play, most times Plaskon was involved, as he rushed for 11 touchdowns, scored four more on returns, and threw for five as Law enjoyed perhaps its best season in school history. Plaskon also averaged more than 11 yards per carry when he did run.

3) Mike Friello, North Haven - He was a very capable receiver for three and a half games, but when he was thrown into the quarterback role when star Jeff Bartek got hurt, many thought it was the end for the Indians. But North Haven beat Cheshire, and it was soon apparent that Friello could do the job both throwing and running, and Friello scored 11 touchdowns rushing to go with his two receiving.

Defensive Player of the Year Winner: Billy Ragone, Cheshire - Ragone was briefly replaced as the starting quarterback, but it never affected his defense, as he had an SCC-high eight interceptions, running three of them back for scores the other way. He came up big in Cheshire‘s biggest wins, against Fairfield Prep, West Haven, and Notre Dame, as the Rams might have been the conference‘s best team at the end of the season.

2) Richard Leighton, Hand - Leighton was a sack machine for the Tigers this season, coming up big against teams like Amity and West Haven, and helping to lead Hand to a somewhat improbable 10-0 regular season in the minefield that is Division I.

3) Massengo Kabongo, Fairfield Prep - He was almost impossible for opposing teams to deal with, and will take his trade to Maryland next season. His sheer size made it difficult for opponents, but his speed also makes him special. He was a little absent, though, in Prep‘s two losses: against Shelton and Cheshire.

Coach of the Year Winner: Steve Filippone, Hand - A year after their first losing season as members of the SCC, it appeared that Hand might be ready for a few years in the middle of the Division I pack. However, Filippone and the Tigers had other ideas, not only returning to the Class MM playoffs, but posting an undefeated season as the school with the smallest enrollment in Division I.

2) Mark Robinson, Jonathan Law - He came a long way from the guy that looked like he was out of a job after a 2-30 stretch that ended in 2004. It’s unfortunate that Law’s 9-1 mark wasn’t enough to put them in the playoffs, but it doesn’t take away from the huge turnaround. His passion was contagious, and there wasn’t a team in the league that played harder than Law in 2007.

3) Tony Sagnella, North Haven - You can debate until next season whether or not North Haven belonged in the playoffs, but the fact that a team slated to be in the middle of the pack loses its quarterback, one of its stars, then runs off a bunch of wins to finish 7-3, and he most certainly deserves to be in the discussion here. And the future looks bright.

Stories of the Year Winner: Jonathan Law- They weren‘t always humble, they weren‘t always conventional, and they didn‘t always do things by the book, but the Lawmen and coach Mark Robinson made things a lot of fun this season in the SCC. And the fact that they don‘t get to show the rest of the state their brand of football is just a shame.

2) Emergence of Nick Merullo - You don‘t like to put too much pressure on a 15-year-old kid, but you could tell in warm-ups before his first start that this was not an ordinary quarterback. He‘s still unbeaten as a starter heading into the playoffs, and he‘ll be fun to watch in his last two years at Hand.

3) Spread offense - More and more teams came out in a shotgun-like formation called the spread and by next year even more teams will have likely gone to it as well. After a few years, it‘s likely that the defense will catch up, but for now, the advantage appears to go to the offense.

Team of the Year Winner: Jonathan Law - Yes, these awards do get repetitive sometimes, but you can‘t deny Law its just rewards. We‘ll see whether the Lawmen can maintain their level play after some of their bigger-named seniors graduate next spring and they get some tougher crossovers to maneuver through. Law at Shelton, anyone?

2) Daniel Hand - Yes, I was the one that picked them dead last in their division, and all they went on to do was win every game that they played this season, some of them very entertaining encounters. We‘ll have to see if they can dodge two more bullets and take home yet another state title.

3) Cheshire - How do you not put a team on here that started out its season by losing to Hamden (1-7-2), but ended the season by beating up on Southington (9-1). Throw in there a beating of Fairfield Prep (8-2), and you‘d figure the Rams were playoff bound. But some stumbles along the way left Cheshire at 6-4, and hoping that they open with Hamden again next season.

Games of the Year Winner: Shelton 26, Fairfield Prep 21, Week 3 - For sheer spectacle, this game was it. An estimated crowd of 7,000 packed Finn Stadium after Prep had beaten Shelton last year and Prep‘s Ryan Nolan said “Shelton should be afraid of us.” The Jesuits actually held the lead for most of the contest, but when push came to shove Geoff Shultz and Andre Henderson carried the Gaels back and Schultz‘s touchdown with just over a minute left was the game-winner.

2) Hand 41, West Haven 40, Week 8 - This matchup - winner in this category in 2005 and 2006 - wasn‘t too bad in 2007, as West Haven scored with just 22 seconds remaining to grab a 40-34 lead and seemingly a massive upset. But Hand came down the field in just two plays, including a hook-and-lateral play that picked up a huge chunk. Dylan Taylor barely made it in on the game‘s final play, as the cardiac Tigers had done it once again.

3 (tie)) Jonathan Law 28, North Haven 27, Week 1 AND Hand 22, Notre Dame 20,

Week 7 - Couldn‘t really decide between these two games, both of which were significant at the end of the season. Law scored in the final two minutes to upend North Haven, avenging a tough loss in 2006 and setting the tone for the rest of the season, while Hand had to come back (stop me if you‘ve heard this before) in the final seconds on a Merullo to Taylor pass to stay undefeated in the first game at Veterans Field in West Haven.

Best team to start 2008 Winner: Cheshire - Should we try this again next season? Billy Ragone and a big cast of characters return from a team that was very hot at the end of the season, but they‘ll have to get off to a much better start than they did this year to have a shot at returning to the playoffs for the first time this century. Expect to see more of Todd Heritage, a junior, in 2008.

2) Amity - Again, the law of averages kick in here, but the Spartans may return the conference‘s best thrower in Billy Choinere and the best runner is Jason Royster. That should be enough to push them toward the top of Division I, but as we‘ve seen, sometimes looks can be deceiving.

3) Notre Dame - The Green Knights also return a very good quarterback in Conor Kinary and a top runner in Travis Hurd, and they were close against some of the best teams in the league this year. But they‘ll have to stop the inconsistency that seems to plague them year in and year out.

EXTRA POINTS: Thanksgiving was a day of revenge for a teams that haven‘t enjoyed too much success in their final game of the season lately. Cheshire‘s upset of Southington was the Rams‘ first win in the rivalry since 2000, although they had been close the last few years. Fairfield Prep took care of West Haven handily, but it was the Jesuits‘ first win over the Westies since 2000. Alas, it wasn‘t enough to get them into the playoffs as Bridgeport Central edged them out for the final playoff spot in Class LL. Sheehan beat Lyman Hall for the first time since 1998, which is somewhat hard to believe, while Middletown - out of the much-maligned Nutmeg Conference - is going to the playoffs after beating Xavier for the first time since 1999 …

The weather held off for the first time in three years, with the only downside being the fog that rolled in over Woodbridge for Wednesday night‘s game between Amity and North Haven, although both teams said it didn‘t affect the play on the field. The game will be back in the morning next year when the series shifts to North Haven.

GAME OF THE WEEK Class LL Final, Saturday, TBA -- We‘re hoping that Shelton can get past Southington to make this a Greenwich vs. Shelton showdown, possibly a 7 p.m. tilt at West Haven‘s Ken Strong Stadium, where Shelton opened the campaign. The Gaels will be rather big underdogs, but remember when Andre Henderson and Geoff Schultz are healthy, they are as good as anyone, and if they can find a way to make a couple of stops, they‘ll be right in the game until the end.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK Billy Ragone, Cheshire -- Ragone, who will return next season, ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, was 5-for-9 passing for 86 and a score, and returned an interception for a touchdown as Cheshire ran past Southington 35-19 in the Apple Classic, which has become of the more entertaining rivalries in the area the last few years.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 1904 - Date of the first meeting between Shelton and Derby, with Shelton’s 49 points last week against Derby being the highest total ever in an increasingly lopsided rivalry. But, on the bright side, Bill Hayes scored a rushing touchdown, the first by a student from O’Brien Tech, as they had a co-op with Derby this season.

FINAL POWER RANKINGS

1) Hand (10-0, Last Week 1) -- Despite victory, Filippone not happy, looking toward Saturday.

2) Shelton (9-1, LW 2) -- Would really like to get some revenge for last year against Southington.

3) Fairfield Prep (8-2, LW 3) -- Really played well at end of year, just wish they had Cheshire back.

4) Jonathan Law (9-1, LW 4) -- Sometimes things just don‘t work out the way they should.

5) Cheshire (6-4, LW 6) -- Might be heard from next year, but have to get out of the gate running.

6) Amity (6-4, LW 9) -- Future also looks fairly bright in Woodbridge with Choinere and Royster.

7) Hillhouse (7-3, LW 7) -- Defense did the job in Elm City Bowl for second straight year.

8) North Haven (7-3, LW 5) -- No need to apologize for going to the playoffs for the first time.

9) Xavier (5-5, LW 8) -- Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the SCC by losing to Middletown.

10) Notre Dame (5-5, LW 11) -- Almost let Hamden hang around too long in the Green Bowl.

11) Guilford (5-4-1, LW 13) -- These Indians won’t be any easier to play for Division II next season.

12) Wilbur Cross (3-6-1, LW 10) -- Acquavita has to figure out a way to get a little more offense.

13) West Haven (3-7, LW 12) -- Were never competitive against Prep, lots of work to do for Westies.

14) Hamden (1-7-2, LW 14) -- 0-16-2 against anyone not named Cheshire in last two years. Amazing.

15) Derby (3-7, LW 15) -- New rumors of Raiders going to about four different conferences.

16) Sheehan (3-6-1, LW 17) -- Ran the ball right down Lyman Hall‘s throat and rolled to victory.

17) Foran (2-8, LW 19) -- Had a lot more fight than last year, which bodes well for success in ‘08.

18) Lyman Hall (3-7, LW 16) -- Seemed like they had a little more in the tank than showed at the end.

19) Branford (2-7-1, LW 18) -- Tough, tough season for Hornets, but they‘ll have a lot of people back.

20) East Haven (0-10, LW 20) -- More than doubled their point total for the season on Thanksgiving. FINAL POWER RANKINGS – 2006

1) Shelton (8-2, Last Week 1) -- Could the No. 4 seed be the team to beat in Class LL?

2) West Haven (9-1, LW 3) -- Possible final with Masuk would have interesting storylines.

3) Cheshire (7-3, LW 4) -- Rams can‘t wait to start 2007 with what they have coming back.

4) Hillhouse (9-1, LW 5) -- Looks like Acs will need their defense to carry the load.

5) Fairfield Prep (8-2, LW 2) -- Was Greenwich who knocked them out last time in playoffs.

6) Xavier (6-4, LW 7) -- Last two wins might be big for their program heading to next year.

7) Wilbur Cross (5-5, LW 6) -- Have to think Wanzie is a bit disappointed to finish 5-5.

8) Notre Dame (5-5, LW 9) -- Like Cross, Green Knights can‘t be too happy to be 5-5.

9) Jonathan Law (6-4, LW 11) -- However, Lawmen overjoyed to finish with winning mark.

10) Guilford (5-5, LW 15) -- Big win in finale, but the most inconsistent team in the SCC.

11) North Haven (7-3, LW 13) -- Any time you increase win total by 7, it‘s a great year.

12) Branford (6-4, LW 10) -- Three-game losing streak sends the Hornets plummeting.

13) Hand (4-6, LW 8) -- Now all SCC teams have at least one losing record since 1994.

14) Amity (4-6, LW 12) -- Might have to throw the whole drawing board out and get new one.

15) East Haven (4-5-1, LW 16) -- We‘ll see if they can build on best season in quite awhile.

16) Sheehan (3-6-1, LW 14) -- Sure thought this would be the year they would beat Lyman Hall.

17) Lyman Hall (2-8, LW 19) -- Upset win could be a building block as we head toward 2007.

18) Hamden (1-9, LW 17) -- Just glad to see this season finally come to a close.

19) Derby (1-9, LW 18) -- 25 fourth-quarter points made the Shelton game look tight.

20) Foran (0-10, LW 20) -- 410 points allowed the most in Connecticut, nowhere to go but up.