Sports

New Canaan Rams Football Routs Ridgefield in Season Opener

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For a team with so many question marks heading into its 2015 season opener, the New Canaan Rams sure did have a lot of answers Friday night at Ridgefield High School’s Tiger Hollow Stadium. The reloaded Rams (1-0) scored on their first offensive possession and never looked back en route to a 45-17 rout of the Tigers in a game which showed the Rams haven’t skipped a beat from last season’s state championship run, despite significant personnel changes on the field and on the sidelines. “Going into this, I was scared to death,” New Canaan head coach Lou Marinelli told NewCanaanite.com. “We hadn’t practiced well. I don’t know if they were tired of just practicing without a game, but we looked sloppy and I couldn’t sleep last night.”

Marinelli should be able to catch up on his Z’s after the opening-night win, especially considering the performance of senior co-captain Michael Collins.

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.

News

Flag Day: New Canaan Overcomes Penalties, Warde for Football Program’s 500th Win

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In a game where the officials threw more flags than New Canaan quarterback Mike Collins threw passes, the Rams defeated the Fairfield Warde Mustangs 35-14 at Tetreau-Davis Field. The Rams were called for an eye-popping 19 penalties for 186 yards, including several personal fouls – two of which led to a New Canaan assistant coach’s ejection from the game. The penalties almost overshadowed some impressive individual performances in New Canaan’s win, the 500th in the football program’s rich history. Senior co-captain Frank Cognetta– in his second game back from a foot injury – scored three touchdowns while younger brother Matt had the other two New Canaan scores as the Rams improved to 4-0 on the season. Warde fell to 2-2 with the loss.

News

Mr. 300: New Canaan Beats Greenwich for Marinelli’s Milestone Win

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On picture perfect day in front of a packed Homecoming crowd, the New Canaan Rams not only bested rival Greenwich on the gridiron—head coach Lou Marinelli also notched a milestone win in one of the most illustrious careers in New Canaan sports history. Kyle Smith caught five passes for 122 yards and a touchdown and also had an interception that set up New Canaan’s first score, as the Rams defeated Greenwich 35-20 Saturday afternoon at Dunning Field. The win was the 300th career victory for Marinelli, who saw his team improve to 3-0 on the season. “I’ve been looking forward to playing for coach since third grade,” Smith told NewCanaanite.com. “It’s all I wanted to do.