NEW CANAAN - Football might be the ultimate team sport, and in 2013 the ultimate team was the New Canaan Rams.
New Canaan scored 654 points and held their opponents to 207. The Rams average margin of victory was almost 30 points per game. Their 14 wins were the most by any New Canaan football team in school history. They won both the FCIAC and the state championship and avenged the one loss of the season by obliterating Darien in the Class L title game.
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Even so, what impressed me about the Rams this season was not just what happened on the field and in the box score. It was also about I saw in practice. What I saw before the games and on the sidelines during the games. What I heard after the games from coaches and players.
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This was a “team” in the purest sense. Quarterbacks and running backs crediting the offensive line with their success. The offensive line crediting the defense for setting them up with field position. Defensive players crediting the coaches for their preparation. Coaches crediting the team. And so on, and so on…
The team as a whole was a microcosm of its captains. They had the passion of Cole Harris, the warrior mentality of Connor Buck, the fundamental determination of Michael Root and the discipline of Joao Rocha rolled up into one tightly-knit machine.
Every game had a different storyline with a different hero stepping up each week. Harris getting things started against Hand. Zach Allen dominating Staples. Frank Cognetta putting away Wilton. Nick Cascione haunting St. Joe’s. Alex LaPolice destroying Darien in the Snow Bowl.
It was a season of incredible plays and big-time moments, where all hyperbole was cast aside like an O-lineman trying to block Connor Buck. You almost had to remind yourself that these were 16 and 17 year-old kids.
With that said, it isn’t very often that you put 90 high school kids together on a team and have everything go well.
But this was no ordinary team. And these were no ordinary kids.
“They all look out for one another,” said New Canaan head coach Lou Marinelli on Saturday after winning his state-record ninth CIAC championship. “I’ve had kids come up to me on the sidelines and they say ‘coach, so-and-so needs to get in, it’s his last game, take me out.’ It’s a very special group of kids.”
As for being the greatest New Canaan football team ever, well…let’s just say it’s unfair to compare teams from different eras. Here is what I know. You have the great Joe Sikorski teams of the late 60’s with Len Paglialunga, Lem James, and Peil Pennington. You have the tremendous Bob Lynch teams of the early 70’s with Kurt Horton, Pete Demmerle and Dennis Paglialunga.
And now you have the 2013 New Canaan Rams.
-Terry Dinan
The 2013 FCIAC and Class L State Champion New Canaan Rams are:
# NAME
1 Michael Root (C)
2 Cole Harris (C)
72 Joao Rocha (C)
99 Connor Buck (C)
3 Jack Gilio
4 Frank Cognetta
5 Graham Wagner
6 Teddy Bossidy
7 Alex LaPolice
8 Robby Paul
9 Cole Turpin
10 Alexander Dobbin
11 John Turner
12 Osaze Wilson
13 Bobby DiRocco
14 Carson Armstrong
15 Nick Cascione
16 Mike Collins
17 Jeremy Singh
18 Kevin Arnone
19 Liam Harris
20 Kyle Smith
21 Michael Kraus
22 Trevor Daniels
24 Max Wilson
25 Cass Knox
26 Justin Meichner
27 Sterling Guynn
28 Teagan Saitta
29 Ben Otis
30 Peter Swindell
31 Mike DiCosmo
33 Peter Benko
34 Kyle Crowley
35 Seth Neeleman
36 Jake Horstmeyer
37 Rafael Lovas
38 Matthew Cognetta
39 Michael Cognetta
40 Sam Larson
41 David Noonan
42 Teddy Dumbauld
43 Sterling O'Hara
44 Zach Allen
45 Morgan Carson
46 Will Arliss
47 Chris Andrews
48 Thomas Williams
49 Matthew Demko
50 Logan Ritch
51 Beau Santero
52 Chris Keeffe
53 Paul Corapi
55 John Hetherington
56 Andrew Chalon
57 Jack Hoelzer
58 Ryan Rigione
59 Michael Donnelly
60 Josh Herrmann
61 Jake O'Neill
62 Aidan Donovan
63 Casey Herzog
64 Ryan McKenna
65 Tim Condon
66 Ryan Becker
67 Jim Keneally
68 Matthew DeMattia
70 Brandon Pak
71 Eddie Piotroski
73 Matt Hall
74 Lucas Niang
75 Brendan McManus
76 Malaki Holan
77 Parker Lynch
78 Gardner Read
79 Kieran Schaney
80 Trey Gesing
81 Brian Maccalla
82 Jarett Torromeo
83 Clayton Burt
84 Adam Ruth
85 Sean Jensen
86 Anthony Pirrone
87 Luke Salvati
88 Andrew Jahns
89 Gunnar Magnus
90 Chris Roman
92 Jed Fuller
93 Finn Brannan
98 Luke Montgomery
Head Coach:
Lou Marinelli
Assistant Coaches and Staff:
Frank Arcamone
Bill Brown
Harry Catanzaro
Dante Correnty
Sean Donovan
BJ Jones
Bill Kurtz
Steve Lauten
John Marinelli
Mary Miller
Dac Newton
Michael Perri
Hank Rowett
Stan Sarafin
Daron Shepard
Chris Silvestri
John Silvestri
Scott Stone
