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On Saturday afternoon, the Tigers travel to Westport for a Week 9 collision of the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference's only remaining unbeaten teams.
"A couple of guys were talking about the game in front of me at the Amaco station," said Petroccio, who knows Ridgefield linebacker Tommy Shaw and recently met two-way lineman Simon Kloeckner at a deli. "It seems like wherever I go people are talking about this game and they've been talking about it for a while."
For good reason. Staples and Ridgefield are one-two in the FCIAC playoff point standings and in the Class L state playoff rankings.
Saturday's winner qualifies for the league title game on Nov. 18, while the loser becomes part of a three-way scramble with Greenwich and Trumbull for the other berth.
With a 105-38 record in 12-plus seasons at Staples, Petroccio has built one of Connecticut's preeminent programs. A graduate of Trumbull High, he played on the Eagles' 1977 state championship team before attending Southern Connecticut.
Sitting in class one day, a transfer student took a desk next to Petroccio's.
It was Ridgefield coach Kevin Callahan.
"I go way back with Marce," Callahan said. "We stay in touch."
Considering what happened last weekend, at least the Tigers should realize that Staples isn't invincible. The Wreckers were wobbling on the ropes, down by 10 to New Canaan with under four minutes left.
"It didn't look good," Petroccio said.
But they showed their championship timber, rallying for a 28-24 victory behind senior quarterback D.J. Stefkovich. He trimmed the deficit with a 1-yard sneak. After Staples' defense held, Stefkovich took his team on a dramatic 68-yard drive in the closing 48 seconds with no time outs, converting a fourth and 10 along the way. A 32-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Bohling with one second remaining completed the stirring comeback.
"I'm glad I go to church every Sunday," Petroccio said.
Said Callahan: "What they did is a reflection of what they are."
They're winners, and champions. Since 2002, the Wreckers are 44-3 with two state titles and one FCIAC crown. Their only losses were to Greenwich (twice) and Shelton (in the 2003 Class L state final).
This season, they're the only team to beat Trumbull, which is the only team to beat Greenwich, the state's former No. 1. They also survived last week's scare against New Canaan, whose only other loss was to Ridgefield, 17-16, when the Rams' two-point conversion pass fell incomplete on the final play of the game.
"One thing we have going for us is we have been in so many big games that we don't get rattled very easily and we won't lose our composure,'' Petroccio said.
It helps having veterans like Stefkovich, who has completed 79 of 90 passes for 1,115 yards and 17 touchdowns.
"I can't coach the things he does," Petroccio said.
The Tigers must also be cognizant of fullback Lonson Becker, halfback Bohling and wing back Bryan Wrapp, who is dangerous both as a runner and a receiver. He has nine touchdown receptions.
"They can do all kinds of things,'' Callahan said. "They're a multi dimensional offense. They're No. 1 in the state for a reason. They have a lot of weapons."
The Tigers will counter with a ballhawking defense led by linebacker Scott Hiller (69 tackles) and tackle Kloeckner (58 tackles).
"They're very big, they're fast and they're aggressive," said Petroccio, who was particularly impressed with Hiller. "That kid is one heck of a football player. He's all over the field. I haven't seen anyone block him yet."
Conversely, it will be up to Staples' defense to contain Tyler Kirchoff (124 carries, 1,096 yards) and Roger Bel (69 carries, 428 yards).
Petroccio called them "probably the best two-back tandem we've seen all year and we've seen some good ones. And their offensive line is so big and they come off the ball, that's an issue for us."
Don't expect the Wreckers to look past Ridgefield, even with Greenwich lurking on Thanksgiving Day. There's simply too much at stake.
"They've also been hearing a lot about this game from around town," Petroccio said, "and they'll be excited, trust me."
NOTES: This meeting could mark the first of three games between these teams over the next few weeks. They could face each other again in the FCIAC final and in the Class L state playoffs. "We've looked at all the scenarios and it's very interesting," Petroccio said. "I don't want to play someone twice, never mind three times. We'll take it as it comes. We'll just have to see what happens Saturday and go from there." Added Callahan: "I really don't want that to happen. I'm just really happy where we are. If we have to play them three times, we'll play them three times.". . . Saturday's game is the Snapple TriState Game of the Week on the MSG Network. For information when the game will be aired, check their website. It will be shown several times during the week.
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