News

Bats Silenced: NC Baseball Loses to Rival Darien, 8-0

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It started out as an opportunity for New Canaan Baseball to hand its rival, the Darien Blue Wave, its first loss of the season. But behind a complete-game shutout from starting pitcher Andrew Winsch, and back-to-back homers from shortstop Richard Brereton and first baseman Casey Brown in the sixth inning, Darien (6-0, 3-0 FCIAC) was able to put the Rams (2-4, 1-2 FCIAC) away quietly, 8-0, and claim bragging rights for the rivalry in 2016. “I think Darien came out and did a great job,” Rams Head Coach Mitch Hoffman told NewCanaanite.com. “He [Winsch] pitched well. We did not swing the bats like we were supposed to but it was a good, hard fought game until the end when it just got away from us.” Coming off a win on Wednesday afternoon over Brien McMahon, New Canaan got an early baserunner when Robby Jones laced a single to right field, and stole second during the next at-bat.

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‘A Win’s a Win’: NC Boys Lax Pulls Out Close Contest, 8-7, vs. Fairfield Prep

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Coming off a terrific, 9-8, win over Loyola Blakefield down in Towson, Md. on Saturday, many wondered how New Canaan Boys Lacrosse would follow such a feat when they stepped onto the turf of Dunning Stadium for the first time in 2016. And while it started off great, with five first-quarter goals from five different contributors, 10 penalties and both forced and unforced turnovers pinned New Canaan (2-0) into a nail-biter versus Fairfield Prep (1-1). Ultimately, the Rams were able to thwart the Jesuits’ comeback attempt and leave with an 8-7 victory—thanks in large part to some outstanding goaltending from junior Drew Morris and stellar defense from those in front of him. “Last year we lost a game like that, where we had too many turnovers and penalties, and we were upset with ourselves,” head coach Chip Buzzeo told NewCanaanite.com. “Today the same thing happens and we pull out a win. It’s a good sign that we pulled out the win—especially against another great team like Fairfield Prep. But you’re a hundred percent right.

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Pick Up Your Sticks: 2016 New Canaan Rams Girls Lax Preview

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It’s that time of year, when sports once again are played outdoors. And the New Canaan Rams Girls Lacrosse team is eager to get back at it. Overall, the team’s 2015 season was considered a success, as several dominant efforts led to a final record of 19-4, capped off by a Class M state championship. Yet there were two games against arch-rival Darien that didn’t go the Rams way, including a heartbreaking, 13-12, triple-overtime, defeat to the Blue Wave for the 2015 FCIAC Championship, an instant classic. It’s not a memory that head coach Kristin Woods likes to relive.

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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

Same Bases, New Faces: 2016 New Canaan Rams Baseball Preview

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In 2015, New Canaan Rams Baseball had a crop of senior talent that could be argued as the best in the program’s past decade, with the possible exception of 2007’s class headlined by now Tampa Bay Rays catcher, Curt Casali and the 2013 state championship-winning team led by Andrew Casali and Casey Ouellette. 11 seniors suited up for the Rams last year (15-5, 14-4 FCIAC; made FCIAC and CIAC Class L Playoffs), including regular starters Alex LaPolice (OF/P), David Giusti (P/OF), Brandon Abate (SS), Zack Smith (C), Kyle Levasseur (3B), and Kane Curtin (RF), as well as the oft-called-upon-pitcher, Clark Newlove. And having that amount of veteran leadership allowed the Rams to erase late-game deficits on several occasions, pulling out classic win after classic win — certainly making the 2015 squad one of the more thrilling baseball teams of recent memory. Even so, the byproduct of having such a large, vital senior class one year is that it means the next year will be filled with a lot of fresh faces. Enter the 2016 Rams of New Canaan Baseball.