Vote: Who was Connecticut's top football performer of the 2024 CIAC state championships?

We give you eight candidates to choose from

Killingly junior Hayden Allard turns the corner during Killingly's 32-26 win over Sheehan at Morgan Field. / Jimmy Zanor/Norwich Bulletin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It’s playoff time in the Constitution State for football and we’ve got your top performers from the gridiron coming at you.

From offense to defense to special teams, we examined each game to give you the top candidates from the state championship round. We ask you, who was the best performer from this past week's state finals at Central Connecticut State's Arute Field and UConn's Rentschler Field?

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

Voting will end on December 31st, 11:59 p.m.

SBLive voting polls are intended to be a fun way to create fan engagement and express support for your favorite high school athletes and teams. Unless expressly noted, there are no awards for winning the voting. Our primary focus is to highlight the abilities and accomplishments of all the athletes and teams included in our poll. You can vote as often as you wish and are encouraged to share our polls with others. The use of voting bots and other forms of automated voting are not allowed. Individuals will be removed from the poll if any form of automated voting can be verified. - SBLive Sports

Here are the nominations:

Hayden Allard, RB, Killingly

I mean, did you think we might not have Allard on here? The Killingly running back has gotten it done all season long and did so again versus Sheehan in the Class SS state championship, scoring five total touchdowns.

M.J. D'Angelo, QB, Greenwich

Greenwich head coach Tony Morello, who rocked a no sleeves look in 20-degree weather, pointed out that D'Angelo isn't your typical Cardinals' quarterback. The signal caller was anything but ordinary in Greenwich's 14-0 win over West Haven for the Class LL crown, rushing for a game-high 202 yards on 18 carries, scoring a touchdown.

Aaron Champagne, QB, Masuk

Needing a superb performance to bring home the Class MM state championship to Monroe, Champagne provided his best for last. The quarterback helped lead Masuk to a 24-21 win over Windsor, completing 15-of-21 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

Jackson Zylick, K, Masuk

What better way to win a state championship then to receive a game-winning kick to send you off into jubilation. Zylick made the walk-off field goal to deliver Masuk a state championship victory over Windsor.

John Manning, RB, Windsor

It was a heartbreaking loss for Windsor against Masuk, with a game-winning kick deciding the game. Despite in the losing effort, Manning rushed for over 200 yards on the day in a standout performance.

Andrew Esposito, QB, New Canaan

Needing two more touchdowns to reach 20 for the season, Esposito was able to do so in a 35-21 win over Darien for the Class L state championship. Esposito threw touchdown passes of 69 and 55 yards in the win.

Quintez Whittle, RB, Ansonia

Whittle could not be stopped in Ansonia's 58-12 rout of Bloomfield for the Class S state championship last week. The 6-foot, 200-pound tailback scored four touchdowns for Ansonia.

HT Jones, QB, St. Joseph

This time last year for Jones, he was playing video games. Now, he's a state champion quarterback for St. Joseph, with Jones throwing for 195 yards, two touchdowns in a 21-20 victory over Brookfield for the Class M state championship.

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