Did You Hear … ?

Congratulations to the Pauley family on the birth of baby girl Peyton Ann Elaine Joyner. The daughter of Michael Joyner and Lauren Pauley—and granddaughter of recently retired New Canaan Tree Warden Bruce Pauley and his wife, Elaine—Peyton was born at 10:04 p.m. on July 14 at Norwalk Hospital. Lauren Pauley is a 2000 Trinity Catholic High School graduate. The Joyner family resides in Stamford. ***

New Canaan High School 2015 graduate and football standout Zach Allen will wear No.

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

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.

New Canaan’s Top-10 Sandwiches

There is an amazing ratio of sandwiches to people here in New Canaan. So amazing, that a couple of places (most notably the Best Würst and the Forest St. Deli) closed while we compiled this list. It’s important to note that this specific list was relegated to counter service restaurants or delis only. We are well aware of many of the amazing sandwiches that are served at traditional sit-down restaurants here in town.

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

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.

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

 

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.