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It had to come to this. It had to come full circle. The New Canaan 4th grade Black team started the year with a tough opening day loss to the Wilton White 4’s at Fujitani Field back in September. Two months later, the two teams squared off again, this time with the FCFL Championship on the line. The second time around, the results would be different.
By Ted Sihpol
New Canaan 3rd Grade Red and Black teams finished off their seasons with a coveted FCFL Dual Championship last weekend. NC 3rd Grade Red 12, Wilton White 6
As the autumnal moon rose in the cold November sky, so rose the ire of New Canaan’s Third Grade Red football team. Eager to push ahead in an epic battle against a Wilton team of mighty character and keen mental fortitude, the two would meet at the storied Fujitani Stadium – filled just shy of capacity with dedicated and adoring fans. Most often a match up of these proportions is only seen in decades old rivalries, but with a long and arduous season nearly behind them, the two teams stood ready at the helm to best the storm that would propel one of them to the placid sea of victory. Guided by Head Coach Bill Bryant and his lucky handkerchief, Red’s captains for the night Billy Heyn, Sam Besesi, and Gray Tamasco chose to defer and would call on their defensive squad to mount a mighty front in the battle that would follow.
[The following youth sports game summaries, write-ups and photos were submitted by parents of the New Canaan Soccer Association and New Canaan Youth Football. Please forward your own write-ups to editor@newcanaanite.com for publication on the site and visibility in our daily newsletter, Facebook page and Twitter feed.]
Football: New Canaan Black 7 Support Childhood Cancer Program
New Canaan 7 Black recently took up a collection to support Circle of Care, for the organization’s Bags of Love program. Following a child’s cancer diagnosis, families are immediately sent to the hospital to begin treatment procedures, most of which require hospitalization. Often, parents don’t even have time to grab a toothbrush, let alone their child’s favorite thing to comfort them. While Circle of Care works with children and families in a number of ways to directly support them during their cancer treatment, their Bags of Love help meet the immediate needs of newly diagnosed children as soon as they reach the hospital—it’s one of the first things waiting for them, to let them know they’re not alone, and to offer them some practical support. The collection drive NC 7 Black helped them fill those bags with much-needed items. Find out more about Circle of Care here.
[The following video—featuring Christopher Canet #7 and Dukes Plum #11—and game summary with photos were submitted by New Canaan Youth Football. Please forward your own write-ups to editor@newcanaanite.com for publication on the site and visibility in our daily newsletter, Facebook page and Twitter feed.]
NC 6 Red boys football game on the practice field at West Point
Thanks to Darien Coach Steve Cavoli and New Canaan Coach Mike Graham—who graduated USMA at West Point in 1992—Darien White squared off with NC 6 Red team on a soggy Saturday morning up at West Point. Couple of fun facts: Steve played on the Army 150-lb. football team. Both of their fathers were Army officers.
After scoring only 6 points in a Week 1 loss to Wilton White, the fans who braved the rain last Saturday at Water Tower Turf Field assumed it would simply be a matter of time before the New Canaan Black 4’s offense would wake up. They just probably didn’t think it would happen so soon…or so often. New Canaan (1-1) scored a touchdown on its fifth offensive play of the game and never looked back on the way to a decisive 32-21 win over the Wilton Blue 4’s (1-1). After the defense held Wilton to a 3-and-out on the game’s first series, New Canaan quarterback Ty Groff scored the Black 4’s first touchdown, following the great block of center Colin Perkins for a 1-yard plunge and a 6-0 lead. Perkins had a career-defining game, not only snapping the ball flawlessly in adverse conditions, but also contributing several touchdown-saving tackles in extended action on defense.