By Michael Letendre
The CIAC finally announced the winter scholastic sports schedule for boys and girls basketball and boys swimming on Wednesday as practices are underway for the programs.
Those winter slates are going to be extremely local with the Bristol squads competing against the usual teams of the CCC South division with a drizzling of games against opponents from the North and West.
However, the squads from Bristol will not be traveling across the Connecticut River for the first time ever over its scholastic history due to the effects of COVID-19.
All basketball games, for both boys and girls, will be played on the same dates and for now, the Central/Eastern contests take place on February 12 and then again on March 11 at the exact same time.
And those hardwood contests all commence at 6:45 p.m. and each school plays six games at home and another six on the road.
For the Bristol Central boys team, who went 17-5 overall last season, the program has an extremely busy first week of action.
On Tuesday, February 9, the Rams open up at home from the Charles C. Marsh Gymnasium against Avon while squaring off against city rival Bristol Eastern on the road three days later.
Over a three game stretch in mid-March, Central is home for Plainville (March 8), Eastern (March 11), and New Britain (March 15) before tangling with Lewis Mills (March 18) to close out the regular season.
The Lancers (6-14 in 2019-20), drew a tough Farmington squad to commence the season on February 9 from the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium.
Eastern plays three of its first four games at home and then finishes the campaign on March 18 against New Britain.
On the girls end, Bristol Central (6-15 overall) and Bristol Eastern (18-6) both qualified for postseason play in the Class L bracket and are looking to do some damage along the way of the shortened season.
Central opens on the road against Avon on February 9 and then makes its home debut on February 12 versus Eastern in a city series bout.
The Rams also have home dates against Plainville (February 19), New Britain (February 23), Farmington (March 1), Southington (March 4) and Lewis Mills (March 18).
And then the Lancers storm the road to open the season against Farmington (March 9) and Central before playing against Plainville on February 16 from the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium.
From February 23 through March 11, Eastern plays five out of six contests from home with a March 11 date at Central in the mix.
The plan is to have some sort of postseason tournament at the conclusion of the regular season but there will not be any official state tournament championship for the second straight year.
On the boys swimming front, the squad will once again be comprised of all three schools in town (as of Wednesday night, the CIAC website said that all home meets will take place from the Bristol Eastern front field instead of the Dennis Malone Aquatic Center. Swamp swimming at its finest…) with seven total meets on the docket.
All meets commence at 3:45 p.m. for all swimming contests.
Middletown will be as far as the Bristol trio travels with road dates at Avon and Meriden mixed in.
Bristol opens the 2021 swimming season at home versus Farmington on Wednesday, February 10.
Here is a look at the schedule for all five public school programs in town. Because of the pandemic, the schedule is highly fluid and subject to change:
Bristol Central Boys Basketball
Date Opponent Location
Tuesday, February 9 vs. Avon Charles C. Marsh Gym
Friday, February 12 at Eastern Thomas M. Monahan Gym
Tuesday, February 16 vs. Southington Charles C. Marsh Gym
Friday, February 19 at Plainville Ivan Wood Gymnasium
Tuesday, February 23 at N. Britain New Britain H.S.
Friday, February 26 vs. Lewis Mills Charles C. Marsh Gym
Monday, March 1 at Farmington Farmington H.S.
Thursday, March 4 at Southington Southington H.S.
Monday, March 8 vs. Plainville Charles C. Marsh Gym
Thursday, March 11 vs. Eastern Charles C. Marsh Gym
Monday, March 15 vs. New Britain Charles C. Marsh Gym
Thursday, March 18 at Lewis Mills Lewis Mills H.S.
Bristol Eastern Boys Basketball
Date Opponent Location
Tuesday, February 9 vs. Farmington Thomas M. Monahan Gym
Friday, February 12 vs. Central Thomas M. Monahan Gym
Tuesday, February 16 at Plainville Ivan Wood Gymnasium
Friday, February 19 vs. Southington Thomas M. Monahan Gym
Tuesday, February 23 at Lewis Mills Lewis Mills H.S.
Friday, February 26 at N. Britain New Britain H.S.
Monday, March 1 at Avon Avon H.S.
Thursday, March 4 vs. Plainville Thomas M. Monahan Gym
Monday, March 8 at Southington Southington H.S.
Thursday, March 11 at Central Charles C. Marsh Gym
Monday, March 15 vs. Lewis Mills Thomas M. Monahan Gym
Thursday, March 18 vs. New Britain Thomas M. Monahan Gym
Bristol Central Girls Basketball
Date Opponent Location
Tuesday, February 9 at Avon Avon H.S.
Friday, February 12 vs. Eastern Charles C. Marsh Gym
Tuesday, February 16 at Southington Southington H.S.
Friday, February 19 vs. Plainville Charles C. Marsh Gym
Tuesday, February 23 vs. N. Britain Charles C. Marsh Gym
Friday, February 26 at Lewis Mills Lewis Mills H.S.
Monday, March 1 vs. Farmington Charles C. Marsh Gym
Thursday, March 4 vs. Southington Charles C. Marsh Gym
Monday, March 8 at Plainville Ivan Wood Gymnasium
Thursday, March 11 at Eastern Thomas M. Monahan Gym
Monday, March 15 at New Britain New Britain H.S.
Thursday, March 18 vs. Lewis Mills Charles C. Marsh Gym
Bristol Eastern Girls Basketball
Date Opponent Location
Tuesday, February 9 at Farmington Farmington H.S.
Friday, February 12 at Central Charles C. Marsh Gym
Tuesday, February 16 vs. Plainville Thomas M. Monahan Gym
Friday, February 19 at Southington Southington H.S.
Tuesday, February 23 vs. Lewis Mills Thomas M. Monahan Gym
Friday, February 26 vs. N. Britain Thomas M. Monahan Gym
Monday, March 1 vs. Avon Thomas M. Monahan Gym
Thursday, March 4 at Plainville Ivan Wood Gymnasium
Monday, March 8 vs. Southington Thomas M. Monahan Gym
Thursday, March 11 vs. Central Thomas M. Monahan Gym
Monday, March 15 at Lewis Mills Lewis Mills H.S.
Thursday, March 18 at New Britain New Britain H.S.
Bristol Central/Bristol Eastern/St. Paul Catholic Boys Swimming
Date Opponent Location
Wednesday, February 10 vs. Farmington Dennis Malone Center*
Wednesday, February 17 at Platt/Maloney Platt Pool
Wednesday, February 24 at Avon Cornerstone Pool
Wednesday, March 3 vs. Southington Dennis Malone Center
Friday, March 5 vs. Plainville Dennis Malone Center
Wednesday, March 10 at Middletown Middletown H.S. Pool
Wednesday, March 17 vs. Lewis Mills Dennis Malone Center
