3 takeaways from Friday's Connecticut's (CIAC) state championship finals

Masuk and Killingly walked away with state championships on Friday and we have takeaways from the two games

Anthony Oates leads Killingly onto Rentschler Field. / Jimmy Zanor/Norwich Bulletin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) kicked off its high school football state championship games on Friday at Central Connecticut State's Arute Field and UConn's Rentschler Field with two title contests. 

Two champions were crowned, with Killingly defeating Sheehan and Masuk getting by Windsor to notch state title victories.

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High School On SI Connecticut gives you three takeaways from Friday's two state championship games that took place:

1. Killingly defeats Sheehan for Class SS crown behind ground game

Killingly captains Quinn Sumner, Aiden LaMotte, Ryan Webster, and Anthony Oates / Jimmy Zanor/Norwich Bulletin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Killingly just keeps winning state championships and did it behind the legs of running back Hayden Allard, who scored five total touchdowns - four on the ground and one via special teams. In what was a shootout, a 48-33 victory over Sheehan for the Class S state title, they needed every touchdown from Allard they could get it they were going to edge out Sheehan. The victory for the program marks its third state crown since 2017 and fifth overall state title.

2. Masuk caps incredible season with win over Windsor for Class MM title

Killingly senior Terrence Allen makes the tackle against Masuk's Gavin Walker during the CIAC Class MM semifinal Sunday at Morgan Field. Allen / Jimmy Zanor/The Bulletin / USA TODAY NETWORK

To cap an incredible season, the Panthers needed a field goal in the final minutes from kicker Jackson Zylick to lift Masuk to a 24-21 victory over Windsor for the Class MM state championship. Masuk would be led by the play of quarterback Aaron Champagne, who finished the contest completing 15-of-21 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Champagne's performance upended what was a great performance from Windsor running back John Manning, who rushed for over 200 yards on the day. It was a season that Masuk entered into with plenty of questions, but all was answered with the kind of game the Panthers played to the final minutes.

3. Steve Christy returned before 2024 season and wins state championship

Christy was kept away from the Masuk football team for about nearly a year, but his return this 2024 season was awarded in the end with the Class MM state championship. With Christy being under investigation before the season and finally allowed to return when the Monroe Board of Education settled on an agreement to bring back the embattled coach, there was a myriad of questions on how the Panthers would do this season. Christy was validated with a state title in the end, giving Masuk and its football program a fairy tale-like ending.

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveconn