News

Reloaded and Ready: 2016 New Canaan Boys Lax Preview

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It was a season that many of those who either were part of, or witnessed, the 2015 New Canaan Boys Lacrosse team (13-3, 10-1 FCIAC) will not soon forget—a year that culminated in a Class M State Championship. On a team that had 23 seniors, including All-American attackmen Michael Kraus and Justin Meichner; outstanding defensemen in Frank Cognetta, Logan Hart, Sterling O’Hara, Liam Harris, and Chris Keeffe; midfielders Owen Toland and Max Begoon, as well as face-off specialist, Teddy Dumbauld, the 2015 Rams were blessed with some of the finest senior talent in the history of the boys lacrosse program. But while those guys will be missed by their former coaches and teammates, Rams Head Coach Chip Buzzeo has his 2016 roster reloaded and ready to repeat. “It was great to end last year with a state championship,” Buzzeo told NewCanaanite.com. “We’re going to miss those guys.

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.

Sports

Bounceback: New Canaan Football Defeats Windsor 21-6 in Class L Quarterfinals

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The New Canaan Rams bounced back from last Thursday’s loss to Darien in the FCIAC Championship with a 21-6 win over previously unbeaten Windsor High School Tuesday night in the Class L quarterfinals. Showing a mental and physical toughness at a rainy, cold Jack O’Brien Stadium, the No. 6 Rams (9-1) overcame the weather, key injuries and potentially big turnovers in a matchup of defending state champions. The No. 3 Warriors (10-1) came into the contest having won 22 consecutive games dating back to last season when they took the Class L-Small title.

Sports

Déjà Vu All Over Again: Darien Football Edges New Canaan 28-21 for FCIAC Championship

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Leave it to the career state record holder to leave his mark when it counted the most. With Darien leading New Canaan 28-21 in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter of the 2015 FCIAC Championship at Stamford’s Boyle Stadium, Darien defensive end Mark Evanchick dropped Rams quarterback Michael Collins for his first sack of the game, forcing a turnover on downs and all but clinching the conference title for the Blue Wave. The Rams would get one more shot to tie the game, but a New Canaan fumble was recovered by Darien at midfield with 1:08 left in the game, sealing the championship for the Wave. It was the second consecutive year the Blue Wave topped the Rams for the FCIAC title, having won last year’s contest by the same 28-21 score. It was also Darien’s fourth straight Turkey Bowl win, as New Canaan has not won the annual Thanksgiving Day matchup since 2011. “We hadn’t really been tested, but we were tested today,” Darien head coach Rob Trifone told NewCanaanite.com.

Sports

Turkey Bowl Essentials: A Breakdown of the New Canaan-Darien 2015 FCIAC Championship

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When it was generally accepted that last season’s FCIAC Championship would probably be the last in conference history, most agreed that the heart-stopping contest between New Canaan and Darien was a fitting end to a storied history of title games. Fortunately for area high school football players, coaches and fans, the Blue Wave’s 28-21 win over the Rams last Thanksgiving would not be the final chapter—the FCIAC was able to work things out to salvage the conference championship game, the 50th in league history. And wouldn’t you know what two teams would end up facing each other in the Turkey Bowl in 2015? Yep…you guessed it. The stage is set once again as the league’s most bitter rivals will face off Thanksgiving morning at historic Boyle Stadium in Stamford.