News

Four New Canaan High School Seniors Sign on National Letter of Intent Day [SLIDESHOW]

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Four New Canaan High School student-athletes signed letters of intent Wednesday to play sports in college, at an event held in the auxiliary gym and sponsored by the Athletic Department. The ceremony is for senior athletes signing National Letters of Intent or who have received a “likely letter” from an Ivy League school, Athletic Director Jay Egan said. Click through the photo gallery above to view photos of these standout NCHS Rams and their families at the signing, and to read comments from them on next year. Wednesday’s ceremony follows an early signing day in November that saw five NCHS seniors sign letters of intent to play sports in college. The seniors who signed Wednesday are:

Zach Allen—The NCHS football team’s all-time sacks leader, and a co-captain of the state champion Rams this past season, Allen made headlines Sunday when he announced that he’ll attend Boston College rather than Northwestern, as originally planned.

News

New Canaan’s Zach Allen De-Commits from Northwestern, Commits to Boston College

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New Canaan’s Zach Allen—Connecticut’s Gatorade Defensive Player of the Year and one of the most sought-after football recruits in the nation—has de-committed from Northwestern and will instead sign his National Letter of Intent this Wednesday to play football at Boston College, the high school senior said. “First off, I would just like to thank Northwestern just for considering me,” Allen told NewCanaanite.com. “For me it came down to playing close to home so that all the people who made this possible—my family and friends—could come see me.” Allen, New Canaan’s all-time leader in sacks, was a co-captain on the 2014 squad that won the school’s second consecutive state championship this past December. Allen had 102 tackles, 13.5 sacks and 2 INTs—including a pick-six. He also caught three touchdowns while lining up as a tight end, fueling some to speculate that he might be playing tight end in college.

Local People

Lou’s Winners: Marinelli on the Super Bowl

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New Canaan football head coach Lou Marinelli is coming off a historic year which saw not only his 300th career win as a head coach, but also his second consecutive state title. The championship was the 10th crown in Marinelli’s storied career at the helm of the Rams, so we thought there was no one better to weigh in on this weekend’s marquis event—Super Bowl XLIX, pitting the defending champion Seattle Seahawks against the New England Patriots. Thanks to Coach Marinelli for taking the time to talk and allow us to pick his brain about the big game. If you’re Seattle head coach Pete Carroll, what do you do to prepare for Tom Brady and the Pats? Go to church a lot.

Faces of New Canaan

Faces of New Canaan: Ronnie Roganti

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We’ve wanted to track down Ronnie Roganti for a while for an installment of “Faces of New Canaan.” A high school senior, Ronnie has been a fixture on the sidelines at every football game for the last two years—home and away, postseason included. He’s a gifted photographer with a knack for getting to the right spot for the big play (see photo at right, for example). What we didn’t know until we sat down to talk to Ronnie (interview transcribed in full below) was how big a part New Canaan Rams varsity football coach Lou Marinelli played in Ronnie’s foray into sports photography. We’ll let Ronnie tell that story in his own words, and just mention one more way that the New Canaan football program—and Ronnie is not a player—has helped shape his experience here in town. A native of Westchester whose family moved here when he was in the fourth grade, which he spent at West, Ronnie also volunteers with special needs kids through a program an assistant coach on the football team at the time put him onto.

News

‘There’s No Better Ending’: New Canaan Football Overcomes Darien to Win Class L-Large State Title

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On Thanksgiving Day, the Darien Blue Wave stunned the New Canaan Rams, turning a two-score halftime deficit into a 28-21 win to steal the FCIAC Championship. Two and a half weeks later it was the Rams who turned the tables on Darien. Trailing Darien 20-7 at halftime on Saturday morning, New Canaan scored 14 unanswered points in the second half en route to a 21-20 win to capture the Class L-Large state championship at West Haven High School’s Ken Strong Stadium. The win marked the second consecutive state title for the Rams, and the 10th for head coach Lou Marinelli, who handed the previously unbeaten Blue Wave (12-1) their first loss of the season. “It doesn’t get any better than this,” Marinelli told NewCanaanite.com on a windswept field packed with jubilant New Canaanites, moments after the big win.