Donovan West, Reporter
@DWest_courant
The football team’s season thus far has been a story written by dominant defense, and an offense that has taken advantage of provided opportunities. Posting four shutouts in eight games, and only allowing 21 points the first six games of the season, the team continues to rely on the defense ahead of a pivotal matchup with Darien that will determine the winner of the FCIAC East division, and state playoffs rapidly approaching.
After previously suffering their lone loss of the season to St. Joes, the team rebounded with two straight wins over Fairfield Ludlowe and Warde, to push their record to 8-1 ahead of the rivalry game with Darien.
On November 12, the team traveled to face 5-3 Fairfield Warde, looking to maintain stride with Darien in the FCIAC East standings. The team cruised to a 41-14 win, behind impressive performances from Hunter Telesco and Cooper Smith, pushing their record to 6-1.
On November 4, in a matchup against 4-4 Ludlowe, the team defended their home turf with a 42-20 win. The game saw an emergence of the team’s passing game, accompanied by the consistent Ram’s defense, contributing to the teams win.
However, the team suffered their first loss of the season on October 28, losing 27-14 to St Joes. The loss moved the team’s record to 6-1, falling behind Greenwich and St Joes in the FCIAC standings. St. Joes was 5-1 at the time, number six in the state, and represented the Ram’s toughest test to date.
The game started as a defensive battle, tied at zero heading into the 2nd quarter. Soon after the quarter started, senior Matt Salmini returned a pick to the house, giving New Canaan a 7-6 lead going into halftime. After halftime, Hunter Telesco punched in a touchdown via the ground game, and the Rams had a 14-13 lead at the end of the third quarter. However, the fourth quarter got away from the Rams, as St Joes outscored New Canaan 14-0.
Prior to the loss, the boys added another win to their resume on FOctober 21, defeating previously 5-1 Wilton in blowout fashion, 45-0. The emphatic win pushed the team to a perfect 6-0 record behind three straight shutouts by the defense. The game had been circled on the team’s calendar all year, wanting to avenge last year’s 20-17 home loss to Wilton.
After the first few minutes of the game, the Rams had a 7-0 lead, but Wilton was creeping into Ram’s territory. However, things quickly changed as senior Tucker Milligan intercepted the ball and returned it 99 yards, a new school record, the other way for an NC score. Defensive coordinator Chris Silvestri said, “To be able to see that we had our back against the wall and that you can make plays gave our kids confidence going forward.” New Canaan never looked back, finishing with 45 points, including three touchdowns from the defense.
The team now turns their attention to the Turkey Bowl, against rival Darien, in their last game before the CIAC tournament begins. The coaching staff and team has fully bought in, with high hopes of finishing the season well. This idea was encompassed by Coach Silvestri. He said, “This team has a chance to leave a mark on the program, and be remembered for some real good football. I just hope they can continue, and take it one day at a time, one game at a time.”
