2026 CIAC Football Classes Redrawn

The 2026 high‑school football campaign is just two months away, but the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) already reshaped its playoff landscape. On Tuesday, officials announced that four recent state champions will shift divisions, nudging long‑standing powerhouses into new brackets for the coming season.

The CIAC first crowned a football titleholder in 1976 and has refined its structure dozens of times since. After a brief experiment with eight divisions in 2014, the conference settled back on a six‑division model that was reinstated in 2022. Ansonia now leads the all‑time championship table with 22 trophies, closely followed by New Canaan and St. Joseph (16 each), Daniel Hand (15), Greenwich (11) and Bloomfield (10). Darien’s eight titles are spread across five classes, three coming in Class LL and one each in Classes L, M, SS and S.

The realignment adds Ansonia to Class SS, boosting that division’s historic tally to 52 championships. Class L now boasts 46 titles, while Class MM and Class LL sit at 45 and 39 respectively. Class M carries 28, Class S 30, and Class SS’s total leads the conference.

Class LL

Eleven programs have combined for 39 state crowns in Class LL, making it one of the deeper groups. Below are the reigning powerhouses and their title histories.

• GREENWICH: 11 (1981, 1983, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2018, 2022, 2024, 2025)

• NEW BRITAIN: 4 (1992, 2001, 2003, 2008)

• STAPLES: 4 (2002, 2004, 2005, 2023)

• WEST HAVEN: 4 (1986, 1987, 1989, 2002)

• FAIRFIELD PREP: 3 (1977, 1982, 1988)

• GLASTONBURY: 3 (1984, 1989, 2008)

• SOUTHINGTON: 3 (2002, 2004, 2005, 2023)

• TRUMBULL: 3 (1977, 1985, 1986)

• EAST HARTFORD: 2 (1976, 1987)

Class L

Ten teams compete for 46 championships in Class L, a division thick with historic finalists. The following list captures each program’s haul and the years they lifted the trophy.

• NEW CANAAN: 16 (1982, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)

• DARIEN: 8 (1979, 1991, 1992, 1996, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021)

• CHESHIRE: 7 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2009)

• NOTRE DAME:WEST HAVEN: 4 (1991, 2001, 2009, 2022)

• SHELTON: 4 (1988, 1995, 2000, 2003)

• NAUGATUCK: 2 (1981, 1993)

• RIDGEFIELD: 2 (1983, 2002)

• ATI (Abbott Tech/Immaculate): 1 (Immaculate in 1986)

Class MM

Twelve programs hold a combined 45 titles in Class MM, making it a competitive tier with deep tradition. Below are the teams and their championship counts along with the years each was crowned.

• ST. JOSEPH: 16 (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024)

• HILLHOUSE: 6 (1985, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2016)

• XAVIER: 5 (2005, 2019, 2011, 2012, 2014)

• NEWTOWN: 4 (1981, 1990, 1992, 2019)

• MIDDLETOWN: 3 (1984, 1987, 1992)

• HOLY CROSS: 2 (2006, 2011)

• NEWINGTON: 2 (1979, 1980)

• BRISTOL EASTERN: 1 (1988)

Class M

Eleven programs have amassed 28 titles in Class M, a tier known for gritty contests. The following list outlines each team’s championship history.

• NEW LONDON: 5 (1983, 1989, 1991, 1992, 2008)

• BROOKFIELD: 4 (1995, 2008, 2014, 2015)

• MASUK: 4 (1998, 2008, 2010, 2024)

• WEAVER/HARTFORD PUBLIC/CLASSICAL: 4 (Weaver in 1996, 1997, 1999; Hartford Public in 1994)

• FITCH: 3 (1976, 1999, 2000)

• NORTH HAVEN: 2 (2022, 2023)

Class SS

Nine schools have collected 52 championships in Class SS, now boosted by Ansonia’s move. Here’s a rundown of each program’s trophy cabinet and the years they were claimed.

• ANSONIA: 22 (1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1995, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2022, 2024)

• DANIEL HAND: 15 (1976, 1977, 1982, 1984, 1989, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2025)

• KILLINGLY: 5 (1981, 1996, 2017, 2021, 2025)

• LEDYARD: 4 (1986, 1991, 1993, 2007)

• JOEL BARLOW: 2 (2022, 2023)

Class S

Eleven teams have gathered 30 state titles in Class S, a division where familiarity and depth often decide the champion. The list below captures each program’s accomplishments and the years they secured the trophy.

• BLOOMFIELD: 10 (1982, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2015, 2018, 2023)

• SEYMOUR: 4 (1980, 1993, 1998, 2007)

• SHEEHAN: 3 (1985, 2019, 2025)

• EAST CATHOLIC: 3 (1983, 1986, 1987)

• CROMWELL/PORTLAND: 2 (Cromwell/Portland in 2021; Cromwell in 2008)

• CAPITAL PREP/ACHIEVEMENT: 1 (2014)

• VALLEY REGIONAL/OLD LYME: 1 (2014)

The realignment reshapes the competitive picture for the 2026 campaign, giving new momentum to historically strong programs while challenging others to build fresh dynastic streaks. Fans can expect early-season match‑ups that pit storied names like Ansonia, New Canaan and St. Joseph against fresh rivals in their updated divisions, heightening the stakes from the opening week onward.