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

2015 New Canaan Football Preview: Rams Look to Fill Big Shoes, Defend State Championship

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Every year, the New Canaan Rams football team faces the same question: How will you replace last year’s graduates? And every year, the answer remains the same: Next man up. Few would disagree that elements of last season’s state championship team are irreplaceable—most notably All-State receiver Alex LaPolice and CT Gatorade Defensive Player of the Year Zach Allen. Both figure to be immediate-impact players at their respective post-NCHS, Division I programs, with Allen at Boston College and LaPolice at Harvard. That said, New Canaan head coach Lou Marinelli has the luxury of benefitting from his own creation—a factory-like feeder program in a football-crazy town, which can make even the biggest shoes seem fillable.

Around Town

New Canaan Rams Name 2015 Football Captains

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The first major step toward the defense of their Class L-Large state title was taken last night as the New Canaan Rams announced their captains for the 2015 season at their end of year banquet. Mike Cognetta, Mike Collins, Cass Knox and Gardner Read were selected by their teammates to lead the team next season as the Rams will try to win their third consecutive state championship. Collins had an exceptional season at quarterback – his first as a Rams starter – displaying a strong arm and an ability to read the opposition’s coverage that seemed to improve with each game. In 12 games under center for the Rams, Collins completed 154 of 283 passes, good for a completion percentage of 54%. His 2,624 passing yards was the 6th highest total in school history, and his 32 touchdown passes was the 4th best.