On the first day of football practice at Masuk High School, Panthers coach John Murphy circled the date of Dec.  11 on the calendar.

"It was the date of this year's state tournament championship," Murphy said. "Now we're there and we have to finish what we started."

Masuk (12-0) takes on New Canaan (11-1) Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Class L title game at Rentschler Field in East Hartford  It is perhaps the season's most eagerly anticipated matchup, as the powerful Panthers will be looking to end the Rams' four-year reign as state champions.

With a victory, New Canaan will make history by becoming the first FCIAC team to win five consecutive football state championships. The state record is six in a row, set by Cheshire from 1989-94.

Just two weeks ago, however, it appeared the Rams might not even make it into the tournament. They needed a win over rival Darien in the Turkey Bowl  just to get in.

The Rams have won  three straight "must" games, following the 42-14 victory over Darien with victories against Naugatuck (21-12) and Hand (39-21) in the playoffs. 

Just as Masuk's  41-0 semifinal win over Darien featured teams with different strengths and styles, Saturday's game will have a lot of similarities.

Masuk and New Canaan are quick-strike teams. They each put up big numbers, predicated on strong passing, but with better than average running games as well.

There are some statistics that jump off the page when comparing the teams. 

In the CIAC team statistics,  which list the top 25 in each category, Masuk and New Canaan rank first and second, respectively, in passing, receiving, scoring and total offense.

In the individual categories, quarterbacks Casey Cochran (Panthers) and Matt Milano (Rams)  also are first and second in passing.

Masuk's Colin Markus is eighth in rushing, while New Canaan's Kevin Macari (Rams)  is second in receiving and the Panthers'  Thomas Milone sixth in that category.

In scoring,  Markus ranks fifth and Macari sixth, while in total offense, Cochran is second and Milano third.

The 41 points Masuk tallied against Darien were the fewest points the Panthers have scored all season. Hard to believe, but they've surpased 40 points nine times,  and scored in the 50s twice and once in the 60s.

Masuk also can play defense, shutting out six of its 12 opponents.

Of course, the Rams are no slouches when it comes to offense, averaging almost 39 points per game.  

Cochran, a junior, has a number of receivers he uses. In the win over Darien, he connected with seven different  receivers.

"Cochran is a terrific player but make no mistake, he has some terrific support,"Darien coach Rob Trifone said.  "Their line protects him very well and they have a lot of good athletes that can catch the ball. Colin Markus is a terrific runner as well."

Darien sacked Cochran only once and rarely  pressured him. Senior co-captain Jeff Wright and junior Eric Turner lead a group of excellent linemen.

Cochran, who reportedly has received an offer from Boston College,  recently was voted the Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year. Without the threat of a pass rush, Cochran had a field day against Darien.  If the Rams don't at least pressure him they could be in for a long day.

Still, New Canaan's offense doesn't back down from anyone, and Masuk has to be worried about 6-2, 212-pound receiver Kevin Macari, who has been a one-man gang in the playoffs with seven touchdowns and  now 22 for the season.

Milano, also a junior and a first-year starter, has exceeded all expectations. He is one of the most accurate passers in the state and showed an ability to read defenses and manage an offense as the season progressed.

His favorite target is Macari,  a speedster who has great hands and runs excellent routes. No one's been able to stop him yet.  In his spare time, Macari plays corner, and returns punts

Like Masuk, New Canaan has balance and depth. Senior Conor Hanratty, (6-5, 310) plays right tackle on offense and goal-line defense. He's got quick feet for someone so big and is headed to Notre Dame next September.

Hanratty leads a group that also includes left tackle Jack Atchue (6-6, 275) that has been more than solid in the run and pass game. 

While the Milano-Macari combo is the most explosive, Milano has a lot of options as well. Connor Kilbane, Willie Gould, Patrick Newton and Cameron Armstrong lead a strong group of receivers.

Conor Goodwin Joe Costigan, Willie Gould lead a group of running  backs.  The Rams will be spending a good deal of practice time this week on handling the no-huddle offense the Panthers often use.

Still, coach Lou Marinelli isn't that concerned with it because other teams – like Daniel Hand – run it as well as the Rams themselves.

"We will run 10 consecutive no-huddle plays at a  fast pace with a clock on it, so we should be ready for it and ready to use it, ourselves," Marinelli said.  "Our biggest concern is to hold their scoring down."

But from Masuk's side, it'll  face the same task since New Canaan can score in bunches, too.

 "Ideally,  we'll try to control the ball and keep Masuk's defense on the field longer than they'd like to be," Marinelli added.

 Here's some good news for players and fans for Saturday's game:  the weather forecast calls for partly sunny with a high near 40, not bad for December in New England.