By Rob Gullo and Andy Close
NEFJ Correspondents

It was a wild week across the CIAC, and as such, there’s plenty of movement in the latest rankings.

Three Top 10 teams suffered losses — New Canaan and Greenwich falling for the second time, while New Britain knocked Southington from the ranks of the unbeatens.

Here are the latest rankings:

1. Fairfield Ludlowe (8-0)

A week after taking the No. 1 ranking, the Falcons took care of Trumbull, 40-13, recording its fifth game scoring 40 or more points this season. Ludlowe will have a tough road test this Friday against No. 5 Staples.

2. St. Joseph (8-0)

St. Joseph moved up three spots after handing New Canaan a 21-14 loss this past Friday, making a goal-line stand to secure the win. The Hogs have only given up 54 points this season and host No. 7 Greenwich Saturday at noon.

3. Hand (8-0)

As a result of some of the other games, the Hand Tigers moved up a spot to No. 3. They showed why, as they defeated previously undefeated Lyman Hall 35-13, recording its seventh-straight game of scoring 35 points or more. The Tigers host the other Wallingford high school this Friday, hosting Sheehan at 7 p.m.

4. New Canaan (6-2)

After holding the No. 1 spot for a majority of the regular season, the New Canaan Rams are human and have suffered back-to-back losses to No. 1 Ludlowe and No. 2 St. Joseph. According to Dave Ruden, it’s the first time in 20 years that NC has suffered two straight losses. The Rams are at Wilton this Friday, who is coming off their best game of the season.

5. Staples (7-1)

Since its upset loss to Danbury just under a month ago, the Wreckers have outscored Darien, Wilton, and Norwalk, 93-21, and moved up a few spots in the latest rankings. A big test awaits this week, facing No. Ludlowe this Friday and ending the regular season against Greenwich.

6. Masuk (8-0)

Masuk has scored 40 points more in seven of its eight games, including a recent 47-0 shutout on New Fairfield. The Panthers host New Fairfield at 7 p.m. this Friday.

7. Greenwich (6-2)

Greenwich held the No. 2 spot for a majority of the season but has suffered two losses in the last three games. Perhaps the most surprising score from last week’s slate of football was the Cardinals’ 13-6 loss to Wilton, who were 3-4 entering Friday’s game. Looking to bounce back from their loss, Greenwich will face No. 2 St. Joe’s Saturday afternoon.

8. Pomperaug (7-1)

Pomperaug may have a lighter schedule than much of the list, but they’ve been a scoring machine lately, averaging 51.7 points per game in the last five. They recently beat Weston 70-6. They’ll be on the road Friday at Stratford.

9. New Britain (6-2)

New Britain was in the Top-10 in the early part of the season, but fell out after a 2-2 start with two losses to the No. 1 and 2 teams in the state. Since then, the Golden Hurricanes have won four straight and handed Southington its first loss, 28-27 last Friday.

10. Southington (7-1)

Southington fell down three spots after a 28-27 loss to rival New Britain, which was the team’s first loss of the season. The Blue Knights face another tough CCC opponent in Maloney on the road this Friday, as the Spartans enter on a five-game win streak.

11. Cheshire (6-2)

Since back-to-back losses to Staples and Hand (two Top-five teams), Cheshire has won three straight, outscoring Law, Fairfield Prep, and Sheehan, 95-30. They host No. 20 Guilford on Friday.

12. Darien (5-3)

The Blue Wave have been on a tear recently, with notable wins over Danbury (28-7) and previously No. 14-ranked Ridgefield (34-14), jumping up 13 spots in the latest poll. Darien’s three losses have all been to Top-five teams. They’ll be on the road Saturday at Stamford.

13. Maloney (6-2)

The red-hot Spartans made it five in a row with a 55-40 win over Windsor. The offense has been on fire, scoring at least 42 points in each of those games. A showdown on Friday looms against at home against No. 10 Southington, which is coming off its first loss of the season.

14. Lyman Hall (7-1)

For the first time this season, Lyman Hall tasted defeat, falling to No. 3 Hand, 35-14. The Trojans will look to bounce back on Friday when they host Law.

15. Ridgefield (4-4)

The Tigers are reeling, falling to 4-4 with a 34-14 loss to Darien. All of their other losses are to Top 10 teams — Staples, Fairfield Ludlowe, and Greenwich. They’ll look to bounce back on Saturday when they travel to take on Bridgeport Central.

16. Notre Dame Prep (7-1)

The Lancers are on a roll, notching their second consecutive shutout, 47-0 over Stratford. They’ve scored 40 points or more in six of their seven wins. They are on the road at Bassick on Thursday.

17. Fairfield Prep (4-4)

The Jesuits have now won three of their last four following a 36-14 win over West Haven. This comes on the heels of losing three of their first four games. They are at Shelton on Friday.

18. Wilton (4-4)

Wilton pulled perhaps the biggest upset of the weekend, knocking off No. 7 Greenwich, 13-6. Another daunting task looms on Friday when they host No. 4 New Canaan.

19. New London (8-0)

The schedule hasn’t been incredibly daunting, but the Whalers just keep rolling after a 63-13 win over Woodstock Academy. It’s the fifth time they’ve scored at least 50 points and the third time eclipsing 60. They are at Waterford on Friday.

20. Guilford (7-1)

The Grizziles grinded out a 7-6 home win over Branford. It’s the sixth time this season they’ve held an opponent to single digits. A big test awaits at No. 11 Cheshire on Friday.

21. Naugatuck (8-0)

The Greyhounds just keep rolling along after a 41-12 win over Seymour. It was their fifth straight win by 21 or more points. They hit the road to take on Torrington on Friday.

22. Newtown (5-3)

The Nighthawks are peaking at the right time. They’ve now won four in a row following a 42-14 drubbing of New Milford. They’ll be on the road at Brookfield on Friday.

23. Plainville (8-0)

Ho hum, just another blowout win for the Blue Devils to get to 8-0, 31-6 over Avon/St. Paul. They’ve won seven of their eight games by at least 25 points. They host East Catholic on Thursday.

24. North Branford (8-0)

Another week, another dominant effort from the T-Birds in a 49-24 win over Ellington. They’ve scored at least 38 points in every game this season. They host VRLOL on Thursday.

25. Xavier (6-2)

It’s been a big bounce-back season for the Falcons, and that continued with a 35-0 win over Wilbur Cross/Career, their fourth in a row. They host Notre Dame-West Haven on Friday.