West Haven Football Preview: Schedule, Key Players and Season Outlook
- Dominic Konareski
- 20 minutes ago
- 2 min read
West Haven Football is back and all geared up for their 2026 season. With OTAs beginning on August 13th, the Blue Devils will be more than ready for their home opening kickoff for Week 1.
The Blue Devils come into the 2026 season with Tom Unger as head coach, after spending 2025 in the interim role. Unger’s career head coaching record consists of a 32-51 record, overall though Unger had been the Devils’ assistant coach for nearly a decade. 2026 will mark the first time for Unger that he had the ‘head coach’ title next to his name since 2014.
2025 saw the Blue Devils end their season after the 10th game, a 5-5 record would mark their worst season since 2019. In what was a ‘rebuilding year’ for a team trying to find their new identity after the last of the upperclassmen from back-to-back state championship appearances left due to graduation, West Haven still managed a top-20 ranking at season’s end. The Blue Devils ranked 19th in the state at the conclusion of 2025, and come into 2026 with a 15th place slot, according to MaxPreps.
2026 Captains of the Blue Devils squad were officially named in early June. West Haven will be led by Caden Stanley (ILB, Y/H), Rida Saanon (RT/NG) and Darryl “Boom” Small (RB/SS). Stanley sports jersey No.24, with Saanon and Small using Nos.
77 and 10.
The West Haven Blue Devils 2026 season consists of five home and five away games, with the team opening 2026 at Ken Strong Stadium on September 11th, against Cheshire.
FULL SCHEDULE
Week 1 vs Cheshire (Sept. 11)
Week 2 @ Norwalk (Sept. 18)
Week 3 @ Law (Sept. 25)
Week 4 vs Fairfield Ludlowe (Oct. 2)
Week 5 vs Guilford (Oct. 9)
Week 6 BYE
Week 7 @ Sheehan (Oct. 23)
Week 8 vs Hand (Oct. 30)
Week 9 @ Fairfield Prep (Nov. 6)
Week 10 BYE
Week 11 vs New Britain (Nov. 20)
Week 12 @ North Haven - THANKSGIVING GAME (Nov. 26)
This marks another season in which the cross-town rivalry matchup between West Haven and Notre Dame-West Haven will not be played. The two last faced each other on November 3rd, 2023, which resulted in a 46-6 Blue Devils win. The Blue Devils are riding a three-game winning streak against NDWH dating back to October of 2021, if the two ever face each other again.
The Blue Devils also have key long-time rival Hillhouse off their schedule, with the historic rivalry not being played since 2022.
Overall, West Haven will go into the 2026 season looking to improve on their 5-5 record and make the playoffs after narrowly missing it in 2025.
FULL PREDICTIONS
Week 1 vs Cheshire (Sept. 11) L
Week 2 @ Norwalk (Sept. 18) W
Week 3 @ Law (Sept. 25) W
Week 4 vs Fairfield Ludlowe (Oct. 2) W
Week 5 vs Guilford (Oct. 9) L
Week 6 BYE
Week 7 @ Sheehan (Oct. 23) W
Week 8 vs Hand (Oct. 30) L
Week 9 @ Fairfield Prep (Nov. 6) L
Week 10 BYE
Week 11 vs New Britain (Nov. 20) W
Week 12 @ North Haven - THANKSGIVING GAME (Nov. 26) W
PROJECTED RECORD: 6-4
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