Sports

Déjà Vu All Over Again: Darien Football Edges New Canaan 28-21 for FCIAC Championship

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Leave it to the career state record holder to leave his mark when it counted the most. With Darien leading New Canaan 28-21 in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter of the 2015 FCIAC Championship at Stamford’s Boyle Stadium, Darien defensive end Mark Evanchick dropped Rams quarterback Michael Collins for his first sack of the game, forcing a turnover on downs and all but clinching the conference title for the Blue Wave. The Rams would get one more shot to tie the game, but a New Canaan fumble was recovered by Darien at midfield with 1:08 left in the game, sealing the championship for the Wave. It was the second consecutive year the Blue Wave topped the Rams for the FCIAC title, having won last year’s contest by the same 28-21 score. It was also Darien’s fourth straight Turkey Bowl win, as New Canaan has not won the annual Thanksgiving Day matchup since 2011. “We hadn’t really been tested, but we were tested today,” Darien head coach Rob Trifone told NewCanaanite.com.

Sports

Turkey Bowl Essentials: A Breakdown of the New Canaan-Darien 2015 FCIAC Championship

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When it was generally accepted that last season’s FCIAC Championship would probably be the last in conference history, most agreed that the heart-stopping contest between New Canaan and Darien was a fitting end to a storied history of title games. Fortunately for area high school football players, coaches and fans, the Blue Wave’s 28-21 win over the Rams last Thanksgiving would not be the final chapter—the FCIAC was able to work things out to salvage the conference championship game, the 50th in league history. And wouldn’t you know what two teams would end up facing each other in the Turkey Bowl in 2015? Yep…you guessed it. The stage is set once again as the league’s most bitter rivals will face off Thanksgiving morning at historic Boyle Stadium in Stamford.

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.

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New Canaan Football Tops Ludlowe 42-7, Clinches Berths in FCIAC Championship Game and Class L Playoffs

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The New Canaan Rams scored six touchdowns in the first quarter and cruised the rest of the way en route to a 42-7 victory over the Fairfield Ludlowe Falcons Friday night at Dunning Field. With the win, the Rams (8-0) punched their ticket to the FCIAC Championship game for the third consecutive year, also earning a spot in the Class L State playoffs. “This has been our goal from the beginning of the year,” New Canaan head coach Lou Marinelli told NewCanaanite.com. “To get back to the FCIAC championship game and put ourselves in a position to play for a State, so we’re right where we want to be.” The Rams were led once again by quarterback Michael Collins, who followed up last week’s record-setting performance against Trumbull by completing 12 of 19 passes for 220 yards and five touchdowns against the Falcons (2-6), all in just one quarter of action. New Canaan senior running back Matt Cognetta also had a big night, scoring the game’s first touchdown with a 53-yard run.

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Collins Ties State Record With 9 TD’s as New Canaan Football Trounces Trumbull 69-26

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There’s not a whole lot more you can write about New Canaan senior quarterback Michael Collins that hasn’t already been written. That said, after the Rams’ 69-26 win over Trumbull Friday night, there’s one more accolade that can be added to Collins’ resume… Record-setter. Collins threw an incomprehensible nine touchdown passes, shattering legendary New Canaan quarterback Kurt Horton’s single-game school record of seven set 45 years ago in 1970. In the process he matched a state record for TD passes in a game (tying Bloomfield’s Jason Manson’s mark set in 2000) and moved within one score of tying Matt Milano’s NCHS single-season mark of 42 that was set in 2010.