New Canaan Hopes to Avenge 2005 Loss to East Lyme
December 4, 2009 in New Canaan by timparry
Does one game make a rivalry? New Canaan head coach Lou Marinelli asked East Lyme head coach Paul Teneglia that question from the podium during the CIAC media luncheon on Wednesday.
For Marinelli, the CIAC Class MM semifinal game against East Lyme in 2005 was its last state playoff loss. Marinelli said he remembered that day as the one New Canaan lost at home when a kid kicked a couple of 52-yard field goals.
It was actually a 49-yarder and a 51-yarder by Pedro Belinchon, who had not attempted a field goal all season. But Teneglia, then an assistant coach under Andy Dousis, ordered the field goal attempts.
“That first one was a cannon shot,” Teneglia said. “Andy turned to me and asked what we wanted to do. We didn’t have a great punt team so I figured if we missed a field goal, New Canaan would have the ball at its 20. All the sudden it was three points and everyone was in shock. When we had a chance again, we decided to kick it again.”
But it was running back Tim Allen, with an 84-yard touchdown run late in the game, who gave East Lyme the 20-12 upset win.
“It was a great game, and hopefully it will be a great game this weekend,” Marinelli said.
Rams senior captain Cole Duncan watched the game from the stands, while his brother, Kyle, was suited up for New Canaan.
“I looked at all the seniors on the sidelines and I couldn’t imagine being one of those guys. I don’t want that to happen to me,” Duncan said.
Duncan did get a call Tuesday night from his brother, who is a lineman at Bowdoin College, with one request: Avenge the loss.
“There’s a kid on my brother’s college team from East Lyme, so my brother wants me to win this game so he’ll stop talking smack,” Duncan said.
Tenaglia said he would not allow his kids to say the words “New Canaan” all season, since it may have got them to look ahead and stumble during the regular season. Tenaglia and his staff did get to see New Canaan play on Thanksgiving day, and said he was impressed with New Canaan’s passing attack, led by quarterback Turner Baty and receivers Kevin Macari and Cody Newton.
“Their whole offensive scheme, it’s like a small college the way they run that offense. You can understand why they have won three state championships in a row,” Tenaglia said. “My hat goes off to him, and the job he’s done over there.”
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