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This week, New Canaan High School’s football coaches and about 20 varsity players came together to form Ram’s Camp, a week of football-related activities for kids going into 3rd grade through 8th grade. About 80 kids signed up, and their ultimate goal was to be able to know everyone by the time their football season started in the fall.
Four New Canaan High School student-athletes signed letters of intent Wednesday to play sports in college, at an event held in the auxiliary gym and sponsored by the Athletic Department. The ceremony is for senior athletes signing National Letters of Intent or who have received a “likely letter” from an Ivy League school, Athletic Director Jay Egan said. Click through the photo gallery above to view photos of these standout NCHS Rams and their families at the signing, and to read comments from them on next year. Wednesday’s ceremony follows an early signing day in November that saw five NCHS seniors sign letters of intent to play sports in college. The seniors who signed Wednesday are:
Zach Allen—The NCHS football team’s all-time sacks leader, and a co-captain of the state champion Rams this past season, Allen made headlines Sunday when he announced that he’ll attend Boston College rather than Northwestern, as originally planned.
As the FCIAC regular season came to a close last weekend, the New Canaan Rams stood atop the league with a perfect 9-0 record heading into Thursday’s conference championship against Darien. So it comes as no surprise that the Rams lead all schools by having eight players named to the 2014 All-FCIAC first team. QB Michael Collins, WR Alex LaPolice and offensive linemen Jim Keneally and Lucas Niang were named to the first team on offense. The defensive first team honorees were linebacker Zach Allen, defensive backs Michael Kraus and Sterling O’Hara and lineman Malaki Holan. Also receiving a postseason honor was defensive coordinator Chris Silvestri who was named FCIAC Assistant Coach of the Year.
Bo Hickey tribute 8 19 14
New Canaan “Old Timer” Len Paglialunga, a Rams football star in his own right back in the ‘60s, first heard the name Bo Hickey as a teenager. Hickey, a standout Stamford Catholic High School running back, went on to Maryland, the CFL and a single (and outstanding, four TDs) season with the Denver Broncos before injuries sidelined him. He returned to this area and joined the New Canaan High School football coaching staff under Lou Marinelli, and then 20 years ago, took over as head coach of the varsity ice hockey team—a program he lifted to a never-before seen, consistently high-achieving level. On Monday night, Hickey announced that he’s retiring from the position—a fact first reported by Dave Stewart of the New Canaan Advertiser. The news triggered expressions of respect and fond memories from Paglialunga, like so many involved in New Canaan sports.
Perhaps the only thing more gratifying than connecting the past with the present is the connection between the present and the future. And if the New Canaan Rams youth football camp is any indication, the future looks very bright indeed. More than 90 future Rams gathered this past week at Water Tower turf field to receive instruction from current NCHS varsity football players at Rams Camp, a four day instructional program that teaches the basic principles of head coach Lou Marinelli’s system. “As the head coach I like to have a seamless program from third right up through twelfth grade,” Marinelli told NewCanaanite.com. “The terminology is the same.