John Berger
Senior Editor
For the first time in seven years, the Rams’ football team will not be playing in the State Championship game. The Rams’ season came to an end on Sunday, Dec. 1, when they fell to Windsor by a score of 27-21.
For the second straight game, the offense was shut out in the first half and New Canaan fell behind 14-0 at halftime. The 14 point deficit turned into a 20 point deficit early in the third quarter when Windsor ran the ball in for a touchdown.
New Canaan showed grit and toughness however, as they rallied to make it a 27-21 game. Junior Cole Turpin caught a 45 yard touchdown pass and senior Louis Hagopian scored on a rushing touchdown. Junior Michael DiCosmo recovered a fumble and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown to make it 27-21. An onside kick attempt was recovered by Windsor in the waning seconds, and the game was over shortly thereafter.
The game featured eight turnovers, with four from each team. Windsor improved to 11-0 on the season and the Rams finished the year with a 9-3 record.
New Canaan made it to the semifinals thanks to a come from behind win over Avon, who features the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year, running back Colin Moore.
After trailing 7-0, New Canaan scored a pair of touchdowns in the second half to take the lead. Due to the fact that holder Casey Ouellette was injured, the Rams coaching staff decided to go for a two point conversion after each touchdown. Both tries were successful, and the second made it a two score game.
Generally a pass-oriented team, New Canaan turned to the ground to get the offense going. “We definitely established the run more in the second half,” senior Graham Thalacker said.
The Rams were very stingy on defense in the second half against Avon, allowing only 15 yards of total offense.
This is unfamiliar territory for New Canaan, as this is the first time that the current players have not played in the State Championship game. With plenty of underclassmen having contributed on this year’s team, New Canaan should be right back in the title hunt next year.
