Around Town

New Canaan’s Zach Allen Sets NCHS Career Sack Record

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It was inevitable that it would happen. No one could have guessed it would happen this soon. Coming into this season tied with Connor Buck for the all-time NCHS record for career sacks at 19.5, senior co-captain Zach Allen wasted little time separating himself from his former teammate. In Friday’s season opener against Daniel Hand, on the second defensive series of the 2014 season, Allen exploded off the right side of the line and quickly closed in on Tigers quarterback Nick Van Dell, who was moving to his right. Before Van Dell could get rid of the ball, Allen had him in his clutches and quickly spun him 365-degrees to the Strong Field turf.

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New Canaan Edges Hand in Football Opener

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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.

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New Canaan Rams 2014 Football Preview: ‘Enjoy the Ride’

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It’s going to be a tough act to follow. A year removed from one of the most dominant football seasons in the program’s rich history, the New Canaan Rams will get their 2014 season underway against Daniel Hand on Sept. 12. That being said, the first challenge for the defending FCIAC and Class L State Champions will be putting the past behind them. “We lost 28 seniors and to show you the quality of that class, 14 of them went on to play at another level,” Rams head coach Lou Marinelli told NewCanaanite.com.

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VIDEO: Thank-You to Bo Hickey, Retiring NCHS Ice Hockey Coach

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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.

Sports

New Canaan Football’s Present and Future Connect at Rams Camp

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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.