Sports

Despite Season-Opening Loss, New Canaan’s Zach Allen Stars for Boston College Football

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Boston College suffered a heartbreaking 17-14 defeat to Georgia Tech on Saturday, as the Yellow Jackets scored the game-winning touchdown with just 35 seconds left to win the game. Despite the devastating loss, Eagles fans watching the nationally-televised game played in Ireland at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium can take some solace when considering the play of BC’s defensive unit—a unit that led the nation in lowest yards allowed per-game last season. And a unit which this season features 2014 New Canaan High School grad and former Rams star, Zach Allen. Listed as a backup defensive end on BC’s depth chart entering Saturday’s season-opener, Allen had a significant impact while seeing substantial time on both sides of the D-line. The 6’5″, 272-lb.

News

New Canaan’s Lou Marinelli, Wilky Gilmore To Headline Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016

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Two New Canaanites who have made indelible marks on the town will be honored as inductees into the Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame, officials said Wednesday afternoon. New Canaan High School head football coach Lou Marinelli and former New Canaan High School basketball student-athlete Wilky Gilmore headline the class of 2016, officials with theFairfield County Sports Commission announced at the University of Connecticut’s Stamford campus. “It means I’m getting old,” a smiling Marinelli told NewCanaanite.com when asked what the honor meant to him. “When you turn around and see the people who are in this [Hall of Fame], it’s humbling and I’m honored. I’ll be the first one to tell you, though, we couldn’t have built the program that we have without help from the assistant coaches that I’ve had, the administration, and more importantly the kids at New Canaan High.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that there’s a 15-year-old football phenom in New Canaan who’s been offered a college football scholarship at Florida State University. Quarterback Drew Pyne is 15 years old and six-foot-one and 170 pounds, according to the Sentinel’s Chris Hays. He plans to start playing at New Canaan High School in Lou Marinelli’s program starting next year, Shays reported in a blog post. The teen (see video above) is from an established football family and his father, a prominent figure in the sports business world, confirmed the flattering offer from FSU in the article though he did not wish to speak on-record about it, according to Hays. ***

Frank Maltese, popular conductor of the 7:56 a.m. “gentlemen’s train” out of New Canaan, had this to say following publication on NewCanaanite.com of an article about his retirement at the end of next month: “To the people that took an interest in me and who gave me the gratification of putting me into the New Canaanite paper, I would like to thank you.”

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Police have been called twice in the pre-dawn hours during the past two weeks on reports of barking dogs on Bridle Path Lane, at 3:28 a.m. on March 27 and then 4:32 a.m. on March 30.

Sports

Collins, Niang Sign National Letters of Intent

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New Canaan High School seniors Michael Collins and Lucas Niang signed their National Letters of Intent to play at the college level during National Signing Day on Wednesday. Joined by more than 50 friends and classmates in the NCHS auxiliary gym, plus three TV crews and multiple local media outlets, the midday ceremony was run by NCHS Athletic Director Jay Egan. Collins will head to the University of Pennsylvania while Niang is bound for Texas Christian University. Several administrators and teachers there as well, including Principal Bill Egan, longtime Phys Ed teacher Priscilla Schulz and Assistant Principal Ari Rothman. Collins—who signed what could be called a “likely letter” in that although Ivy League schools offer no athletics scholarships per se, can issue agreements signifying their commitment to admitting a recruited athlete—had arguably the most prolific season at quarterback in New Canaan High School history, setting a state record with 54 touchdown passes this year and also tying a single-game state record when he threw nine TD passes in a 69-26 win over Trumbull on November 6, 2015.

Sports

New Canaan Football Outlasts North Haven 42-35 for Third Straight Class L Crown

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It was billed as a matchup of two heavyweights with polar opposite styles—the 21st century run-and-gun spread offense of the No. 6 New Canaan Rams versus the old-school ground-and-pound, Single-wing formation of the top-seeded North Haven Indians. It turned out to be North Haven’s passing that kept the game close, but it was New Canaan’s ground attack that ultimately won it. Led by senior running back Matt Cognetta’s 225 rushing yards and two touchdowns, the Rams outlasted the Indians 42-35 in a classic Class L championship showdown at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven—one that had just about everything and anything you could have asked for from a high school football game. “It was a great football game to be at,” Marinelli told NewCanaanite.com.