“Champions all!”

Those two words, written by New Haven Register scholastic sports editor Bill Lush, marked Connecticut’s introduction to the first Register All-State high school football team on Dec. 4, 1932. Eighty years later, the release of the annual team remains the most anticipated feature in the pages of this newspaper.

The first all-state team consisted of only 11 players, of whom Lush wrote “undoubtedly would show an edge over most of the high school combinations in the country (and) discloses no weakness.” The 11 were listed by their offensive positions, leaving a question of how they would perform when on defense. But most, if not all teams of the era had two-way players, so chances are they’d be just fine.

Read Chip Malafronte's complete story.

Not only did Hillhouse’s Bria Holmes become the first girl from Connecticut to be selected to play in the McDonald’s High School All-American Game, she shined in the national spotlight too.

In front of thousands at the United Center in Chicago, Holmes scored 13 points (second-highest total on the team) and added two rebounds and two steals to help the East to a 79-78 win back in March. East coach Anne Long had her on the floor in critical moments down the stretch. She displayed her athleticism, swarmed passing lanes and used her long strides to get to the basket.

If anyone was doubting Holmes, she certainly proved herself against the nation’s best.

Read Chris Hunn's complete story.

The son of a professional fighter, Chad Dawson was born into boxing. Still, based on genetics alone, few could have anticipated his rise to the pinnacle of the sport.

His father, Rick, had a record of 1-6-1 as a lightweight, according to boxing archives web site boxrec.com.

Rick Dawson moved his family, which included four boys, to New Haven from Hartsville, S.C., in the late 1980s. A few years later, his sons began training as boxers. It didn’t take long for Chad Dawson, who trained under Brian Clark at Ring One in New Haven, to show potential. He was dubbed “Bad” Chad as an 11-year old, and as a student at Hillhouse quickly became one of the top amateur fighters in the country.

Read Chip Malafronte's complete story.

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Hillhouse product Floyd Little was arguably the greatest running back in Connecticut schoolboy history.

He was a standout running back at Syracuse University, where he formed a backfield with Larry Csonka and current New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin.

He went on to a terrific nine-year professional career with the Denver Broncos, where he gained more than 12,000 career all-purpose yards and was ultimately — some say belatedly — inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, delivering a stirring acceptance speech.

But perhaps no honor touched Little more than when a glistening, 105,000-square-foot athletic center bearing his name was officially dedicated in his honor on Sept. 15, 2011.

Read Dave Borges' complete story.

Floyd Little official web site

Floyd Little Hall of Fame Speech (YouTube)