Guilford and Lyman Hall are 5-0. Their Friday night showdown is decades in the making.

WALLINGFORD - Guilford and Lyman Hall have spent the week getting ready. Thanks to a bye, Guilford has had two.

Then again, measuring Friday night's high school football game between Guilford and Lyman Hall in terms of weeks is, well, kinda weak. This is a meeting two generations in the making.

You have to go back to 1993 for the last time Guilford stood 5-0 halfway through a football season and back to 1985 for Lyman Hall. Is it a stretch to wonder if some players on those teams and the classmates who doted upon them are now doting grandparents? (We're looking at you, Trojans.)

It's no stretch to say Guilford at Lyman Hall (6:30 p.m. kickoff) is one of the top games in a Week 7 chock full of showdowns. Three feature undefeated teams. The FCIAC has No. 1 New Canaan at No. 2 Greenwich. The SWC has No. 10 Masuk at No. 8 Pomperaug.

And the SCC has Guilford at Lyman Hall.

Unlikely names atop the marquee, to be sure. Unlike their FCIAC and SWC counterparts, neither Guilford nor Lyman Hall is ranked in the GametimeCT state poll. Neither has the same playoff pedigree. Guilford went to the postseason last year for the first time since its run to the 1993 Class MM state final. Lyman Hall last went in 2010, snapping a 25-year drought that stretched back to the Class M state championship season of 1985.

Years and numbers: Lyman Hall senior wide receiver Logan Michaels did a quick calculation. "I was 1," Michaels said of Lyman Hall's 2010 trip. "Yes sir, it's been a long time."

Players on both teams can appreciate the back story and where 2026 is lining up in their respective archives. Eyes, however, are focused on play books more than history books. The bell has rung for Current Events, and the Grizzlies and Trojans are present, pencils sharp, homework done.

"We understand the magnitude of this game," said Lyman Hall senior quarterback Ryan Casey. "It's a great opportunity for this school, this program, and I couldn't be more excited."

"This is definitely going to be a big game, probably the biggest one for us," remarked Guilford senior linebacker Bryce Perry. "This is like a playoff, make-or-break type of game. We're really prepared. I'm ready to see the boys go at it."

Lyman Hall stands No. 1 in the Class M playoff rankings. Guilford is No. 2.

Lyman Hall holds the top rung thanks to the record of its vanquished opponents. Ledyard (4-1), New Milford (4-1), Branford (4-2), Hamden (2-3) and Hillhouse (2-4) are a combined 16-10. As GametimeCT's Dave Stewart points out,  those 16 opponent wins are the highest in the state.

Comparatively, Guilford's fallen foes are 10-16: Xavier (4-2), Rockville (3-2), Amity (1-4), Brookfield (1-4) and West Haven (1-4).

That said, Guilford's 35-24 victory two weeks ago at Class LL West Haven, a perennial power in the midst of a down year, made a statement. So did the four games prior, for that matter. The Grizzlies allowed just 13 points and shut out Xavier and Brookfield.

Lyman Hall has been winning by an average score of 36-12, Guilford by a count of 29-7.

Lyman Hall has been getting it done behind the legs and left arm of Casey. The fourth-year QB, with a 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame that would hardly look out of place on a college field, has thrown for 1,113 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 366 yards and nine touchdowns.

Guilford also has a QB Ryan pressed into varsity service at a young age. Sophomore Ryan Lynch has thrown for 637 yards and six TDs.

Guilford's calling card, though, is in the run game. Junior RB Shane Connelly is in the midst of a breakout season with 883 yards and 14 TDs on 126 carries.

Line play has been key for Guilford on both sides of the ball. The defensive front is active. Chase Hall (4), Jayden Gravel (4) and Obi Obuekwe (3) have combined on 11 sacks.

"There's much respect for them as a team. Defensively, they're holding teams down," said Lyman Hall coach C.J. Monroe. "So it's quite a challenge, one that we're ready to face."

Ditto for the Grizzlies. They've had two weeks to pore over the tendencies of Casey and his mates.

"The bye week helps because we've been studying their film; we've been practicing for their offense and their defense," said junior lineman Ty Ludington. "The coaches are definitely hyped up; the boys are hyped up. It's always a good matchup with them, and it's usually a tough game, too."

Ludington is being polite. Guilford has beaten Lyman Hall four years running, and handily at that: 48-8 in 2025, 41-0 in both 2023 and 2022, and 44-7 in 2022. Lyman Hall last prevailed, 20-14, in 2019. An island in the stream. Guilford has won 11 of 12 since Lyman Hall's 35-12 triumph in 2010.

The 2026 combatants read all that as ancient history.

"The last 3-4 years we've played really well against them for whatever reason," said Guilford coach Brian White. "It's not really a knock on them in any respect. We kind of had some of the best games of the season against them on those days, which is great because they've been a pretty talented group."

For their part, the Trojans feel better prepared, physically and mentally, this time around.

"This year we're a hell of a lot better team than we've been in the past," Casey said. "Last year, they were a hell of a really good team and we didn't come to that game prepared ... Guilford's a great team; I have a lot of respect for them. But if everybody comes ready to play and we play tough, I have no doubts we can stay in this game and win this game."

A year ago, Guilford's Week 9 romp snapped a seven-game Lyman Hall win streak. A Thanksgiving loss to Sheehan followed and knocked LH out of the postseason. At 7-3, the Trojans had their best record since the 8-3 playoff run of 2010, but to no avail. They look for the story line to change.

"We want the playoff spot," Logan Michaels said. "The standard isn't just a winning season anymore."

This article originally published at Guilford and Lyman Hall are 5-0. Their Friday night showdown is decades in the making..