New Canaan Edges Hand in Football Opener

It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t easy. But when the smoke cleared, the only thing that mattered to the New Canaan Rams was the final score.

In a game filled with mistakes and missed opportunities on offense, the Rams did their best Houdini impression and escaped Strong Field at the Surf Club in Madison with a 21-14 win over the Daniel Hand Tigers in the 2014 season opener.

The Rams defense – which was a big question mark coming into this game after being decimated by graduation – stepped up when it was needed the most, twice stopping Hand drives deep inside New Canaan territory with the game on the line in the second half.

“I think they did a hell of a job for being new and undersized and for Chris Silvestri just taking over as the defensive coordinator,” New Canaan head coach Lou Marinelli told NewCanaanite.com. “I think they were tremendous today. That’s a good football team over there, so I’m glad to get out of here alive.”

Senior co-captain Zach Allen shared his coach’s exhilaration.

“You can’t put it into words,” Allen said. “We’ve been preparing for this day since the day after last year’s state championship.”

The Rams picked up where they left off last year, opening the game with a quick hold on defense and an equally fast scoring drive on their first possession. New Canaan converted a huge play when, facing a fourth-and-13 from the Hand 38, junior quarterback Mike Collins hit Allen across the middle for a 31-yard completion and a Rams first down. Three plays later Collins hooked up with co-captain Alex LaPolice for a 12-yard TD. After the extra point was blocked, New Canaan had a 6-0 lead with 8:57 left in the 1^st quarter.

The Rams wasted little time getting to the end zone again, as the defense forced Hand to punt. New Canaan junior Kyle Smith set the Rams up with great field position with a 23-yard return to the Hand 37. A LaPolice run and a Sterling O’Hara reception put the Rams at the Tigers 23, where Collins found senior Michael Kraus for the second New Canaan touchdown of the night. A failed 2-point conversion kept the score 12-0 with 5:43 left in the opening quarter. And after New Canaan’s defense again forced Hand to punt, the Rams seemed well on their way to an easy win.

New Canaan was driving deep into Hand territory when a Rams fumble on the Tigers 19-yard line halted any further momentum. The teams traded punts early in the 2^nd quarter, when Hand finally mounted a scoring drive of their own. Moving 81 yards in 11 plays and helped out by a 15-yard personal foul penalty, Hand got on the scoreboard via a 1-yard TD run by Reid Sweitzer. New Canaan led 12-7 with 6:54 left in the half.

Three plays into the ensuing Rams drive, the Tigers recovered another New Canaan fumble on the Rams 35-yard line. Three plays later, Hand QB Nick Van Dell hit a wide-open Andrew Fitzgerald for a 39-yard TD, and a 14-12 lead with 5:20 left in the 2^nd quarter.

The Rams countered with a drive of their own, mixing short passes from Collins with solid gains from junior running back Matt Cognetta as they moved deep into Hand territory. New Canaan got as far as the Tigers 9-yard line, but a 26-yard FG attempt sailed wide and New Canaan went into halftime trailing 14-12.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” Marinelli said. “But it’s because we’re so young. If we can keep getting better, I think we can have something special.”

The Rams would show glimpses of that special something in the second half, particularly on defense.

New Canaan came out of the intermission with a scoring drive that would ultimately turn the tide of the game. Collins completed passes to Smith for 20 and 43 yards as the Rams drove to the Hand 12-yard line. A quick screen to LaPolice turned into a 12-yard TD and an 18-14 New Canaan lead with 10:32 to go in the 3^rd quarter.

Hand would eventually mount a drive that took them to the Rams 14-yard line, but a huge defensive stop forced a turnover on downs. And after Hand picked off a Collins pass on the first play of the fourth quarter, the defense would be tested again.

It was a test they passed…with flying colors.

Backed up to their own 20-yard line, New Canaan was able to force yet another turnover on downs with 9:09 left to play, highlighted by a bone-crunching tackle for a loss by defensive lineman Malaki Holan. And when Hand had seemingly stopped New Canaan’s next offensive possession, a costly 12-men on the field penalty gave the Rams a new set of downs with 7:41 left in the game.

The Rams were able to drive to the Hand 1-yard line, but a penalty and a run for a loss dropped them back to the 7. New Canaan settled for a 24-yard FG from sophomore Jack Hoelzer, extending their lead to 21-14 with 3:38 left.

On the ensuing Hand drive, two solid runs put the Tigers at their 39-yard line. Van Dell then moved into Rams territory with a QB keeper on what seemed like a huge gain.

Enter Alex LaPolice.

The Harvard-bound senior stripped the ball from Van Dell, where it was scooped up by junior Mike Cognetta. A blocking penalty was all that prevented a resulting Rams touchdown with 2:35 left to play. And although New Canaan could not capitalize with a score–a muffed snap led to another missed FG–the game was all but over. One final defensive stand resulted in another turnover on downs, and the Rams ran the remaining time off the clock for a tough, hard-earned win on the road.

“We found a way to pull it out,” said LaPolice, who finished the game with a team-high 8 catches for 71 yards and 2 TD’s. “I’m so happy to get this one off our chest. We went into this game as the profound underdog. Everyone was saying ‘who knows about New Canaan’s defense’ and we had a second half shutout. It’s a testament to our coaching staff and our hard work. I’m so excited about the future and so happy about the win.”

Here come the Rams. (Terry Dinan photo)	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
New Canaan	12	0	6	3	21
Daniel Hand	0	14	0	0	14

Scoring:

*NC – LaPolice 12-yd. pass from Collins (kick failed)
*NC – Kraus 23-yd. pass from Collins (pass failed)
*H – Sweitzer 1-yd. run (Tyler Phan kick)
*H – Fitzgerald 39-yd. pass from Van Dell (Phan kick)
*NC – LaPolice 12-yd. pass from Collins (pass failed)
*NC – Hoelzer 26 FG

Key NC stats:

* Mike Collins: 21-42, 259 passing, 3 TD’s, 1 INT
* Matt Cognetta: 20-101 rushing
* Alex LaPolice: 8-71 receiving, 10-36 rushing, 2 TD’s
* Michael Kraus: 6-65, 1 TD
* Hand was 0-4 on 4th down conversions
* NC held an 18-13 edge on first downs

 

The Rams take on Bassick in their home opener at Dunning Field on Friday, 9/19 at 7pm.