FCIAC Football Blog

Developing story, because the FCIAC Football Blog was not there (shame!). The Blue Wave of Darien have knocked off Greenwich, 31-25, ending the Cardinals winning streak of 14 in-state games, including four CIAC Class LL playoff games.

SUNDAY UPDATE:
The press clippings are out. And Kudos to Sean Patrick Bowley of The Post. He was taking a day off and decided to check out McMahon vs. Warde for a bit. And when I got a text from Big Mike with the 27-7 halftime score, he jumped into The Post’s News Chopper and parachuted into the Darien High parking lot.

No, seriously, he drove, and somehow blindly found Darien High. And here’s the story Bowley filed: Darien Shocks Greenwich 31-25. And here’s the stuff he filed for his blog.

Jesse Quinlan was also there, naturally, for Greenwich Time. Here’s what he filed: Darien stuns two-time FCIAC, LL champion Greenwich as Cardinals’ comeback falls short. A lot of detail here about the game… great in-story sidebar about Darien linebacker Mike Gasparino’s father playing at Greenwich with Steve Young.

QUICK THOUGHTS:
What does this all mean for the FCIAC and CIAC Class LL races? Right now, it’s just one game. Greenwich’s next opponent, McMahon, did just enough to win yesterday at Warde, but game Staples a complete four quarters a week earlier. So let’s see which McMahon team comes out to play.

But a 1-1 Greenwich means the state pollsters will almost certainly knock the Cardinals out of the top-10. Will those voting stand up and recognize Darien? The Blue Wave is now 2-0, they are a small school that knocked off a giant, so why not? Because I don’t have a vote (not even in the Bill Gonillo Five, I gave my vote to Jason Intrieri).

A comment did come in talking about this setting up a New Canaan-Darien Thanksgiving Day FCIAC Championship Game. As intriguing and now as possible as it sounds, we all have to remember it’s just two weeks into the season. Anything can happen over the next eight that can determine whether the game will be played at Boyle Stadium or Dunning Stadium.

Take injuries: Hopefully Darien TE Brian Kosnick’s elbow isn’t seriously hurt, and New Canaan can find a way to stay healthy (not that we want to see any player on any team get injured). Take the media: The more people read how great their team is, the more cocky they can get. Side note here – I had both Nate Quinn and Kurt Ondash tell me in postgame interviews on Friday that they don’t read what the papers say. I’m sure they’re staying away from this site, too, since my numbers have dipped a bit.

Are we ready to say Greenwich is dead? No, I’m sure they will come out firing on all cylinders next week. Matt Grant told Quinlan that the Cardinals did not come to play until the fourth quarter.

And when Jason Intrieri and I were talking to WGCH-AM’s Rob Adams on-air during FCIAC Football Blog Live (it’s toward the end of the show, we’ll make a clip later), we kind of caughta vibe that everything in Greenwich was hunky dorey, and maybe a little too much so.

We know Rob is a good well-liked guy, and if he asked any player at the Cardinals’ team breakfast if they wanted to, they’d say yes (And thanks for getting us Ricky Riscica). But the atmosphere Rob was describing seemed more like a group getting ready for a carnival than a football game.

After the show, Jason and I sat on his deck, and thought about it. We both had a feeling that surging Darien would win.

Albonizio Voted FCIAC Football Blog and BlueStreak Sports Training Coach of the Year
FCIAC Football Blog readers voted online to choose Greenwich head coach

BRIDGEPORT and STAMFORD, CT – Richard Albonizio has been voted FCIAC Football Blog and BlueStreak Sports Training Coach of the Year. Albonizio, head coach of the FCIAC champion Greenwich Cardinals, received 46% of the votes, and Lou Marinelli, head coach of the New Canaan Rams, was the runner-up with 40%.

“On behalf of BlueStreak Sport Training, we want to congratulate Coach Albonizo for being voted as our Coach of the Year,” says Matt Cole, president of BlueStreak Sports Training. “Going undefeated in the FCIAC, and also in the State of Connecticut, is a huge accomplishment. We are happy to recognize Rich Albonizo for this enormous feat.”

The Cardinals finished the season with a 12-1 record, its only loss coming against Naples, FL. That Naples team has advanced to the Class 3A title game, which will be played Saturday at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

The vote, conducted online at the FCIAC Football Blog (http://fciacfootballblog.com), attracted 471 voters over a three-day period, and only one vote was allowed per IP address.

BlueStreak Sports Training is the licensed provider of the highly effective training protocols developed by Athletic Repulic. BlueStreak was founded in 2004 by JetBlue Airways Founder and Chairman David Neeleman, and the former President of MSG David Checketts, to help meet the training demands of individual athletes and athletic organizations. The elite training facility located at 80 Largo Dr. in Stamford provides the best environment to help you reach your maximum potential as an athlete.

Launched in October 2005, the FCIAC Football Blog is the cornerstone of an online community for high school football players, coaches, and fans in Fairfield County, CT. In addition to the blog, the community includes a web log about the South West Conference (SWC Buzz), a message board, and an Internet radio, Live From the FC, on BlogTalkRadio.com.

New Canaan quarterback Charlie Westfal and Greenwich linebacker Jonathan Meyers have earned Player of the Year honors from the FCIAC Football Blog and BlueStreak Sports Training.

Westfal is the Offensive Player of the Year. The Rams quarterback narrowly missed breaking the school’s single-season passing record with his 375-yard performance in the CIAC Class MM championship game. He completer 187 of 287 passes for 2669 yards and 25 touchdowns, and carried the ball 93 times for 400 yards and 10 scores.

“I’m overjoyed to hear that Charlie has been chosen as Offensive Player of the Year,” says New Canaan head coach Lou Marinelli. “I’ve known him since he was in the fourth or fifth grade, and was watching him get beaten up as an unknown sophomore while he was running the scout teams, and never once had he begged out and quit. He’s played in pain, and done whatever he’s had to for us to win. And I think that’s made him the player he is today.”

Meyers is the Defensive Player of the Year. He had 97 solo tackles, one interception for a touchdown, 11 sacks, and three fumble recoveries. And many weeks this season, Greenwich head coach Rich Albonizio points out, Meyers was only needed on defense for half a game.

“Jonathan is a leader in every sense of the word. He has great grades, is a blue chip athlete and he has empathy for people,” Albonizio says. “Jonathan is humble about his talent and a person that enhanced my life. I think of Jonathan as a son. He is a credit to his family, school, and community.”

BlueStreak Sports Training is the licensed provider of the highly effective training protocols developed by Athletic Repulic. BlueStreak was founded in 2004 by JetBlue Airways Founder and Chairman David Neeleman, and the former President of MSG David Checketts, to help meet the training demands of individual athletes and athletic organizations. The elite training facility located at 80 Largo Dr. in Stamford provides the best environment to help you reach your maximum potential as an athlete.

Launched in October 2005, the FCIAC Football Blog is the cornerstone of an online community for high school football players, coaches, and fans in Fairfield County, CT. In addition to the blog, the community includes a web log about the South West Conference (SWC Buzz), a message board, and an Internet radio, Live From the FC, on BlogTalkRadio.com.

New Canaan lineman Steve Johnson, Rams tight end Ryan Kilbane, and Greenwich all-purpose player Jimmy Dunster have been named the FCIAC Football Blog and BlueStreak Sports Training Players of the Week for the CIAC Playoffs.

The players were nominated by their coaches, and voted on by representatives of both sponsors.

Johnson received the award outright for the CIAC semifinals round. Kilbane and Dunster are co-recipients for their performances in their respective championship games.

In New Canaan’s Class MM semi-finals win over Middletown, Johnson fulfilled a lineman’s dream. He recovered a first-quarter fumble in the end zone for the Rams opening touchdown. Then he blocked a bunt that went through the end zone for a safety.

In the Class LL championship game, Dunster sparked the Cardinals be returning the second half kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown. He then added touchdown runs of six and three yards. The six-yarder came on a broken play, as he recovered a fumble on the Shelton side of the field, reversed his field and followed his blockers for the score.

Kilbane scored the first and last touchdowns for the Rams in the team’s come-from-behind win over Daniel Hand. The first came on a 6-yard pass from Charlie Westfal just 1:12 in the game. The second on an 11-yard pass from Westfal with 2:32 left to play to clinch the title.

Greenwich center Chris Bisanzo has been named the FCIAC Football Blog and BlueStreak Sports Training Player of the Week for his performance against Naples, the ninth-ranked team in the State of Florida, on Nov. 9, 2007.

Bisanzo, who had been nominated by Cardinals head coach Rich Albonizio two other times this season, graded out at 95% against the Golden Eagles. In layman’s terms, that means he was beaten by a Naples defender once every 20 plays, and had a near perfect night protecting quarterback Tucker Stafford.

Week 9 nominees included:

• Mike McKnight, Ridgefield: 21 carries, 148 yards, 2 TDs against Wilton
• Nick Piccirillo, St. Joseph: Completed 14 of 23 passes for 202 yards and two TDs against McMahon in his first game back from injury
• Josh Kozel, Staples: 87 rushing yards and 15 tackles vs. New Canaan