News

Officials: Turkey Bowl Tickets Sell Out in 37 Minutes

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Tickets for the widely anticipated New Canaan-Darien Thanksgiving morning football game sold out in 37 minutes, district officials said. All 2,800 tickets allocated to New Canaan High School had sold out by 12:37 p.m. Monday, while the 1,900 tickets for Darien sold out by 12:05 p.m., NCHS Athletic Director Jay Egan confirmed. Officials landed on that 60-40 split because the Rams are hosting this year’s Turkey Bowl at Dunning Stadium. Individual students and football families were allowed to purchase tickets in advance, Egan said. The 4,700 total tickets sold will accommodate fans who will fill not only Dunning’s regular stands but also 1,000-plus extra seats and an estimated 1,000 in standing room, he said.

News

Officials: No Game-Day Tickets To Be Sold For Turkey Bowl, No Student IDs Accepted

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Citing a desire for safety and smooth operations, officials said Saturday that no game-day tickets will be sold for this year’s Turkey Bowl, the hugely popular rival football game between New Canaan and Darien High Schools held each Thanksgiving morning. Tickets will cost $10, students will need to buy one—no passes or student IDs will be honored—and can be purchased in the NCHS gym foyer from 12 to 5 p.m. on Nov. 21 and 22, and 12 to 4 p.m. on Nov. 23, according to an announcement released by the school’s athletic director. “This year’s game is being hosted by New Canaan High School and will take place in Dunning Stadium, which has significantly less capacity than Boyle Stadium,” according to the announcement.

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.”

***

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.

Around Town

New Canaan-Darien Turkey Bowl: Where Loyalties Lay For Those With Ties To Both Towns

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New Canaan’s rivalry with next-door neighbor Darien finds perhaps its rawest form of expression in the Turkey Bowl, the annual Thanksgiving morning football game between two ultra-competitive and athletic high schools. Set for 10:30 am. this Thursday, at Stamford High School’s Boyle Stadium, the 2015 Turkey Bowl again doubles as the FCIAC championship game (both teams are undefeated this season) and follows a shocking comeback victory for the Blue Wave one year ago. The Rams would regroup and post their own late-game win vs. Darien in the 2014 state final, though many would say there’s something extra-special about the Turkey Bowl itself—a local tradition that sees thousands of NCHS and DHS alumni gather during the family holiday.

News

NCHS Athletic Director: ‘Health and Safety’ Concerns Prompted Football Game Postponement

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New Canaan postponed Friday’s scheduled varsity football game versus Westhill High School solely because of concerns about players’ health and safety, and not to gain a competitive advantage, officials say. Though the Vikings’ head coach filed a formal appeal with the FCIAC accusing the Rams of wrongdoing, New Canaan High School Athletic Director Jay Egan said that “even though artificial turf provides good footing,” a far better option for players—and those who would’ve come to watch the home game at Dunning Field—was to wait for the “next available day.”

“Why go into the driving rain at 45 degrees just to say we played? I personally would not do that just to say that we did it,” Egan told NewCanaanite.com. “It is also my understanding that it is the home team’s call with respect to any athletic contest. I do not think it is by mutual agreement, unless I am missing something on that.”

The Rams defeated visiting Westhill 55-12 on Monday night, following a weekend that saw supporters of both sides take fiercely to Twitter regarding the postponement.