New Canaan Football Wrecks Staples, Improves to 6-0

The big question for the New Canaan Rams heading into Friday night’s matchup against Staples was how would they come out of the gate after a bye week.

It was a question that took all of two minutes to answer.

First, senior co-captain Zach Allen recovered a Staples fumble at midfield on the fourth play of the game. Then–on New Canaan’s first offensive play from scrimmage–junior quarterback Mike Collins hit classmate Matt Cognetta on a 48-yard bomb, setting up a 1-yard Frank Cognetta touchdown. Before most fans had settled into the Dunning Field stands, the Rams had a 6-0 lead, well on their way to a 35-2 shellacking of the Wreckers.

With the win, the Rams improved to 6-0 on the season, while the Wreckers fell to 3-4. The decisive win over a quality program like Staples was even more impressive considering New Canaan was penalized nine times for 92 yards, versus only five flags called on Staples.

“I was proud of our kids in the way they kept fighting,” New Canaan head coach Lou Marinelli told NewCanaanite.com. “They settled in and kept on playing the next play. On a few of the penalties we weren’t sure who did what, we couldn’t get a number on them.  But the kids kept on playing, and I think that’s a sign of a good team–when you don’t let things bother you.”

Despite the fast New Canaan start, Staples was able to keep within striking distance of the Rams through the first quarter. But after a missed field goal attempt by New Canaan in the first quarter was matched by one from Staples in the second, the Rams quickly took advantage of some key Wreckers mistakes.

After what appeared to be a big Staples defensive stop was overturned by a Wreckers holding penalty, Collins hit senior co-captain Alex LaPolice on a 15-yard out pattern on third-and-6. The Harvard-bound LaPolice turned it into a 77-yard touchdown by spinning out of a tackle and outracing the Staples secondary down the sideline. A two-point conversion gave the Rams a 14-0 lead with 8:10 left in the half.

The only blemish of the game for New Canaan came after junior lineman Lucas Niang blocked a 34-yard Staples field goal attempt. On the ensuing possession, with 1:44 left in the half, Wreckers defensive lineman Will Newman dropped Collins in the end zone for a safety. The teams headed into the intermission with New Canaan leading 14-2.

The two teams remained at a stalemate at the onset of the second half. With just under five minutes left in the third quarter, the Rams defense stopped an 11-play 62-yard Staples drive by forcing a turnover on down at the New Canaan 32. The Rams then mounted their next scoring drive.

Mixing runs from senior co-captain Frank Cognetta with some crisp, short passes from Collins, New Canaan’s up-tempo offense moved quickly from its own 32-yard line to the Staples 16. The Rams then set up in a Wildcat formation, with LaPolice taking a handoff from Cognetta up the middle for a New Canaan touchdown and a 21-2 lead with 3:31 left in the third.

After forcing a Staples punt, New Canaan wasted little time getting into the end zone once again. On the fourth play from scrimmage, Collins threw a strike to junior wideout Kyle Smith over the middle for a 53-yard touchdown and a 28-2 lead.

“Collins is great,” senior offensive lineman and co-captain Jim Keneally said. “He’s always had the arm power, he’s always understood the offense. It’s just a matter of getting him into the rhythm. He’s getting going and hitting the receivers in stride.”

“He’s special,” Marinelli said of Collins, who finished the game completing 10 of 16 passes for 273 yards. “He’s getting better all the time.”

New Canaan would add one more score after a great 21-yard punt return by sophomore Ryan O’Connell set up the Rams at the Staples 28-yard line. On the second play from scrimmage, Frank Cognetta scored his second touchdown of the night on a 28-yard run, giving New Canaan a 35-2 and capping the scoring for the game.

The Rams–who seem to be peaking at the right time–will now try to channel the momentum from the decisive win over Staples as they prepare for a huge showdown with conference rival St. Joe’s next Saturday. The winner will have the inside track at a berth in the FCIAC championship game.

The Cadets–led by star running back Mufasha Abdul Basir–will be looking to avenge two 2013 losses to New Canaan, their only defeats of the season, something not lost on New Canaan junior linebacker Cass Knox, who had 12 tackles and a sack on the night.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Knox said. “Last year Mufasha did a great job on the run, and we’re definitely going to have to stop him.”

New Canaan vs. Staples, Oct. 24, 2014. Credit: Terry Dinan	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Staples	0	2	7	6	2
New Canaan	6	8	14	7	35

Scoring:

*NC—Frank Cognetta 1-yd. run (kick failed)
*NC—Mike Collins 77-yd. pass to Alex LaPolice (2-pt. conversion good)
*S—Will Newman safety
*NC—LaPolice 16-yd. run (Peter Swindell kick good)
*NC—Collins 53-yd. pass to Kyle Smith (Swindell kick good)
*NC—F. Cognetta 28-yd. run (Swindell kick good)

Key NC stats:

*Mike Collins: 10-16, 273 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT
*Frank Cognetta: 15 carries, 77 yards, 2 TD's
*Alex LaPolice: 3 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD; 2 carries, 16 yards, 1 TD
*Zach Allen: 14 tackles, fumble recovery, sack (3rd of season, NCHS record 22.5 of career)
*Cass Knox: 12 tackles, 1 sack
*Total yards: New Canaan 431, Staples 170