Molly Keshin
Reporter
@mollykCourant
When eating Thanksgiving dinner after the Turkey Bowl, the football team may have lost their appetite for turkey, but they were hungry for revenge. After losing the Turkey Bowl, which was also the FCIAC Championship, 28-21 in overtime due to a late Darien comeback, the Rams were ready to prove themselves in the rival rematch at the Class L Large Championship this past Saturday.
The four senior co-captains, Alex LaPolice, Frank Cognetta, Jim Keneally and Zach Allen feel that whenever they play Darien, they know it is going to be something special. “There’s always the bragging rights that come with a win against a rival,” Frank said. “Both teams want to prove that they’re better than the other. It’s a great feeling when you do and a terrible feeling when you don’t.”
Nonetheless, Jim and the rest of the captains knew that they could not treat this game any differently than the rest of the season. “We always approach games the same way,” Jim said. “We did a little bit less work on new plays and more so perfecting our old stuff, but it was a normal game and that’s the way we like to keep it.”
This past Saturday, December 13, when the Rams arrived at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven, they knew that they had to come ready to play and enjoy what would be the last game of the season. The Rams took the field at 10:30 am and started with an early lead after junior Cass Knox recovered a Blue Wave fumble and junior quarterback Mike Collins soon after connected with senior Michael Kraus for the touchdown.
Darien quickly answered back at the beginning of the second quarter with an efficient opening drive and tied the game at 7. The Rams soon went three-and-out on the following drives, with a Darien interception and several sacks, which seemed to frustrate the Rams’ offensive line. “It was a roller coaster ride coming from the first touchdown, which got us really psyched up,” Jim said. “Then it was a little frustrating because, as the offensive line, we weren’t doing our jobs in the first half as well as we knew we could.”
Despite the defensive efforts of senior safety Sterling O’Hara with an interception at the goal line, Darien was able to pull ahead to a 13-point lead at the end of the first half.
Once the Rams entered the locker room, the captains knew something had to be done to calm the team down and get them back on the right track. Fortunately enough, Cole Harris, one of last year’s captains, came prepared with a few words to say. The captains shared that Cole told them they were missing those tears from the Turkey Bowl and the emotions during the “burning of the shoe,” an end-of-season tradition the team has to reflect on their hard work. “Cole Harris gave us an amazing halftime speech and it really got us going,” Alex said. “We realized that we only had two quarters left, and for us seniors, to ever play football again for New Canaan, so it was a simple as that.”
The team feels that whatever flame Cole sparked in them, definitely made a difference in their performance. Halfway through the third quarter, Mike Collins launched a pass to junior Kyle Smith for a touchdown, leaving the Rams seven points away from taking the lead. The rest of the third quarter was a defensive battle, as neither team scored again, until the fourth quarter when there were a mere seven minutes left in the championship game.
The paths had cleared for Alex LaPolice and he was wide open for the pass from Collins that would give the Rams the lead. Junior kicker Peter Swindell, then gained the extra point that would remain the difference in the game. The Blue Wave attempted to make a comeback, but they did not have the same luck as they did during the Turkey Bowl. After an incomplete pass by the Wave, junior Mike Cognetta quickly followed with an interception. The ball remained in the Rams’ possession as they ran out the clock, and the state title was theirs, with a final score of 21-20.
Even though most of the team experienced a similar situation competing against Darien in a snowy battle for last year’s state title, this year’s seniors feel this is a moment they will never forget. “Your number one goal as a senior is to win a championship, leave your mark and make your own part of the NCFB legacy, and that’s exactly what we did,” Zach said. “I’m always going to miss playing for NCHS, but everything comes to an end, so to have it end this way is incredible.”
Although Alex wished that his final season at NCHS would never end, he is glad the season ended the way it did. “It’s hard to know that I’m never going to play for New Canaan again, I wish it could go on forever,” Alex said. “But to come out on top as State Champions is unbelievable and it’s something I’ll never forget.”
Jim also knows that while ending his career as a state champion is all he could ever ask for, he is going to miss being a part of the football family. “It’s awesome being in a championship, but at the same time knowing I’m never going to put that helmet back on; I’m never going to go out with that same group of guys again,” Jim said. “It’s bittersweet. This was the perfect ending, and it’s something I’ll be talking about forever.”
Frank understands that while all things must come to an end, the memories he has made with the football team are going to be cemented in his mind forever. “I’m always going to remember the fun I had playing alongside some of my best friends that I’ve been playing with since third grade,” Frank said. “I’m going to miss this NCFB family more than anything.”
