NewCanaanite.com (https://newcanaanite.com/were-on-that-mission-new-canaan-football-dominates-wilton-16618)
The captains take the flip. Credit: Terry Dinan
The captains will be sure to "reflect" on a special 2014 season. Credit: Terry Dinan
Matt Cognetta breaks a tackle. Credit: Terry Dinan
LaPolice on his way to TD #3. Credit:Terry Dinan
Red Out for Bussey's Bomb Squad. Credit: Terry Dinan
Kyle Smith picks up big yardage behind the blocking of Zach Allen. Credit: Terry Dinan
Alex LaPolice with a carry. Credit: Terry Dinan
Alex LaPolice lines up. Credit: Terry Dinan
The O-Line. Credit: Terry Dinan
Honoring Mikey Czech. Credit: Terry Dinan
Jennifer and Steve Czech. Credit: Terry Dinan
Adam Ruth splits out wide with James Crovatto taking the snap. Credit: Terry Dinan
Jarrett Torromeo sports the Mikey Czech Foundation logo. Credit: Terry Dinan
Alex LaPolice with a stiff-arm. Credit: Ronnie Roganti
Scenes from New Canaan vs. Wilton, Nov. 7, 2014. Credit: Ronnie Roganti
Cass Knox (#25) and Peter Benko (#24) had shining performances in NC's win against Wilton. Credit: Ronnie Roganti
Alex LaPolice had a game most football players can only dream about Friday night against Wilton. What made it even more special was that he did most of his damage in just one quarter.
New Canaan’s senior co-captain took the opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown and added two more touchdowns on receptions as the Rams dominated the Warriors in every facet of the game en route to a 47-7 win at Dunning Field.
“He makes things happen and he makes me look smart,” New Canaan head coach Lou Marinelli said of the Harvard-bound LaPolice. “He’s done a great job all year. The senior class in general had a chip on their shoulder to be able to do what the kids did last year, and we’re on that mission.”
New Canaan outgained Wilton 457 to 185, with most of it coming in a first half that saw the Rams put up 40 points. LaPolice led the offensive juggernaut with three receptions for 66 yards and was a perfect 5-for-5 passing out of a Wildcat formation for 36 yards.
Junior quarterback Mike Collins threw with deadly efficiency, completing seven of nine passes for 154 and three touchdowns–in less than one half of playing time–as the Rams continuously picked Wilton’s defense apart.
“It was awesome,” LaPolice told NewCanaanite.com. “I think we’re getting better and better–offensively, defensively, special teams–we’re finally putting things together and we’re improving each week.”
After LaPolice’s kickoff return gave the Rams a 6-0 lead, the New Canaan defense forced a Wilton three-and-out. On the ensuing New Canaan possession the Rams showed a variety of different offensive formations as they moved quickly to the Warrior 16-yard line. On third-and-13 Collins threw a fade pass to the corner of the end zone where LaPolice made a beautiful leaping catch for a touchdown and a 13-0 New Canaan lead with 7:50 left in the first quarter.
The Rams defense then once again forced a Wilton punt, and once again LaPolice made the Warriors pay. On third-and-10, Collins hit the wideout on a short post route. LaPolice spun out of a tackle and outran the Wilton secondary down the left sideline for a 42-yard touchdown. New Canaan led 20-0 with 3:29 to go in the first quarter.
New Canaan added a 20-yard field goal from junior Peter Swindell in the second quarter, giving them a 23-0 lead with 9:27 left in the half. On Wilton’s ensuing offensive possession, running back Patrick Ryan’s fumble was scooped up by junior safety Mike Cognetta who returned the ball 36 yards for a New Canaan touchdown and a 30-0 lead.
Later in the second quarter Collins found junior receiver Kyle Smith over the middle for a 59-yard touchdown, extending New Canaan’s lead to 37-0. Swindell added a 28-yard field goal just before the half to make it 40-0 Rams.
The Rams would add to their lead in the second half, as sophomore backup quarterback James Crovatto and senior running back Teagan Saitta hooked up for a 57-yard catch-and run TD on the first play of the fourth quarter, giving New Canaan a 47-0 lead. Wilton would answer with a 21-yard Joe McFadden touchdown run to make it 47-7, which held up as the final score.
With the win, the Rams improved to 8-0 on the season, 7-0 in the FCIAC, while Wilton fell to 3-5 (1-5 in the FCIAC). Fellow conference front runner McMahon (7-1; 7-0 FCIAC) kept pace with New Canaan by defeating Ridgefield Friday night, and undefeated Darien (8-0; 7-0 FCIAC) has a favorable Saturday matchup against Harding, so the FCIAC championship picture is not any clearer this week. That said, Marinelli and company are only concerned with next week’s matchup against a much-improved Trinity Catholic team. With a win, the Rams will earn a berth in the championship game.
“The last time we played there we lost in overtime,” Marinelli said. “It’s going to be tough, but if we can win that one and see how the whole thing plays out with the FCIAC championship–we’d love to get back there.”
“There’s no time to plateau, there’s no time to peak,” LaPolice said. “We’ve just got to keep getting better.”
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| New Canaan | 20 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 47 |
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New Canaan had a special halftime presentation honoring Mikey Czech, who passed away at age 11 in 2008. Czech would have been a member of the NCHS senior class of 2015. Czech’s father Steve spoke to the crowd after a tribute to his son played on the Dunning Field video board. For more on Mikey Czech’s story, please click here.
