Doug Reilly
Senior Editor
Hopes of a fifth State Championship in six years came to an end on Saturday, December 10th, as the Rams came out on the wrong side of a 34-10 affair, being dominated on both sides of the ball by second-seeded Daniel Hand. Two unbelievable comeback victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals set up a championship game battle with the Tigers, a rematch of last year’s semifinal game, in which the Rams eliminated Hand 39-21. On this night, however, the Rams couldn’t muster up any more magic, and their season came to an unfortunate end with the loss.
Hand, coming off their semifinal thrashing of Masuk, controlled momentum from the very beginning. On the Tigers’ first offensive play from scrimmage, senior running back Kevin Frey bolted through the Rams’ defense for a 70-yard touchdown before anybody could really catch their breath. New Canaan was forced to play from behind, leading to 63 pass attempts from senior captain Matt Milano, who threw for 357 yards and one touchdown. Despite the big game from Matt, the Tigers’ zone defense, which dropped eight players into coverage, kept the Rams in check.
It took until there was just 1:36 left in the first half for the Rams to get on the board, capitalizing on an interception from senior captain Bobby Distler with a 26-yard field goal from senior Collin Shapiro, the hero in the Rams’ semifinal victory over Windsor. The field goal cut the deficit to 14-3, but Hand stormed down the field and scored with just five seconds remaining in the half. The PAT attempt hit the left upright, but Hand still held a comfortable 20-3 lead at halftime.
The dagger came on the Tigers’ first possession of the second half, a 70-yard drive capped off by a 28-yard touchdown run by Nicholas Vitale, his second of the day, on a perfectly-executed end-around reverse play, making it 27-3 Hand early in the third quarter. The high-powered Rams offense that had had such success all season couldn’t get much going on the Daniel Hand defense that held them to just 22 yards rushing. In the Rams’ previous three games, starting with Darien, their State quarterfinal matchup with New London and last week’s semifinal battle with Windsor, a solid, effective running game helped balance the offense and lead to clock-control and ultimately three victories. What made the Tigers’ defense so dominant in this game was their ability to drop eight into pass coverage and rely on the three down linemen, who acted as a brick wall against New Canaan’s running backs, to stop the run.
The Rams’ finally made a splash with their first and only touchdown late in the third quarter on a 30-yard touchdown from Milano to junior Duke Repko, bringing the score to 27-10. Hand responded their next possession though, creating a seemingly insurmountable deficit for New Canaan, on a one-yard run from Matt Walsh in the fourth quarter.
Hand’s CIAC Class L Championship victory completed a perfect 12-0 season, and gave the Tigers their 10th state championship in history.
Matt Milano finished his stellar career with another 300-yard passing game and holds all major passing records at NCHS. Senior Peter Kraus led the Rams receivers with 10 catches for 132 yards, with seniors Connor Kilbane and Patrick Newton, and Duke Repko racking up yards for the Rams’ offense. The season came to an end for the Rams, posting an 11-2 overall record. It was an emotional end to the year that featured so many unbelievable performances and victories from Lou Marinelli’s Rams.
Photos by Kelly Saiz
