Molly Keshin
Sports Editor
@mollykCourant
This Thursday, November 26, most people may be found stuffing their faces with turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. However, the New Canaan and Darien football teams will have something else on their plate: the Turkey Bowl. Since its inauguration in 1994, the rivals have met each year in their last regular season game, and this year will be no different.
Historically, the Rams have bested the Blue Wave in the Turkey Bowl, with a record of 13-7-1, but for the past three years, New Canaan has walked off with a loss. In both 2013 and 2014, the Rams have fallen to Darien by a small margin in the Turkey Bowl, only to avenge themselves by defeating the Wave in the CIAC Class L State Final. For the second consecutive year, the Turkey Bowl will also be the FCIAC Championship.
Even though the postseason for the fast few years has been almost identical, senior co-captain Gardner Read feels that the stakes for 22nd annual Turkey Bowl are a little different. “Obviously, it’s a good match up because over the past two years it’s been 2-2, they’ve won the Turkey Bowl and we’ve won States,” Gardner said. “But this year we only play them in the Turkey Bowl because for States, we’re separated by classes since they moved up. This is the only game where we get to beat Darien, so it’s definitely a bigger than the previous years.”
Despite the importance of the showdown in terms of the postseason, head coach Lou Marinelli feels that the tradition of the game holds more significance. “It’s two very proud communities, so I’m sure Darien wants to prove that they’re better than us and we want to prove that we’re better than them, but that’s why you play the game, to find out,” he said. “But our season veterans, are going to put on a good show and be at their best and hopefully Darien will be too, and it’ll just be a great game. At the end we’ll shake each other’s hands and have bragging rights for the rest of our lives. It’s really what high school football should be all about.”
For the senior class, the Turkey Bowl has been a continuous defeat, and Gardner believes that he speaks for the rest of the team when he says that this year is definitely the time to change that. “For the seniors, we haven’t won this game in our high school career,” he said. “So this year, we are looking forward to a win, so we can have a good Thanksgiving instead of a crappy one.”
This season, the Rams offense has dominated, while the Wave’s defense has been recognized as one of the strongest in the league. Coach Marinelli feels that in order for New Canaan to go home with a victory, they have to minimize the errors. “Football is a crazy game and the game is really won or lost in the second half, especially the fourth quarter,” Coach Marinelli said. “The most important thing is to be able to not turn the ball over – no fumbles, interceptions, or stupid penalties. If we can do that, and be able to control the ball, I think we’ll be fine. The key to this game for both teams is the team that turns it over the fewest times will be the winner.”
As the Rams are looking for a win this year, New Canaan community is anticipating a good game. While the hype for the Turkey Bowl is more intense than ever, Coach Marinelli knows that in the end, the team has to treat it like a normal game. “The anticipation for the game is probably worse than the game itself, because you’re playing before a bigger crowd and it’s a lot of excitement,” Coach Marinelli said. “But once the game starts and after about two plays, it’s just like any other game.”
The 22nd annual Turkey Bowl will take place at 10:30 am at Boyle Stadium in Stamford.
