As I thought I mentioned a few weeks back, BlueStreak Sports Training Offensive Player of the Year Nate Quinn had a reason for not playing last Friday in the Hall of Fame Classic. The recent New Canaan graduate was already enrolled in classes at Brigham Young and working out with the football team.

BlueStreak president Matt Cole told me a few weeks back that Quinn had been invited to walk on as an offensive player. Dave Ruden of The Advocate confirms in an article today that Quinn will try to make the team as a receiver.

This is a good move by BYU. Quinn was already heading there, they liked what they saw on tape, and now BYU can red-shirt Quinn for a season before he goes on his mission with the Mormon church. And it’s a good match for Quinn. It’s a school he’s comfortable with, and he’s proven he’s an athlete who can play on both sides of the ball… did you know, too, that he qualified for National’s this spring in the javelin?

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We’ve seen this happen before: A team has a bunch of talent at the skill positions, but struggles to win games. Case in point: Harding finished atop Elite Passing Academy’s spring 7-on-7 league in 2007, but went 0-10 that season.

The big difference – no pun intended – between winning and losing that season for Harding was the play of its line. You can’t just throw five big guys out there and hope they can give your quarterback time to find receivers.

Lineman looking to improve have their day Friday at the Big Skill Clinic, which is headed up by Warde head coach Duncan DellaVolpe. Keep in mind DellaVolpe was in charge of the offensive line at New Canaan for the past 11 years, and he molded a bunch of talent there that helped quarterbacks like Nate Quinn, Charlie Westfal and Curtis Casali succeed under center (and in the shotgun formation).

The clinic runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at New Canaan High School.

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Brookfield running back-linebacker Trevor Treibt is the BlueStreak Sports Training Fairfield County Player of the Week for his outstanding performance in the CIAC playoffs.

In the Bobcats’ CIAC Class M semifinal win last Tuesday over Avon, Treibt had nine rushes for 75 yards and two touchdowns, eight receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns, 13 tackles, a sack for a safety and was credited for 3 hurries.

Then on Saturday against Ledyard in the Class M championship game, Treibt had 18 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown, and two interceptions.

Three New Canaan players – QB Nate Quinn, WR Kurt Ondash and WR Cody Newton, were the other nominees.

The BlueStreak Sports Training Fairfield County Player of the Week is presented by the FCIAC Football Blog. Players are nominated by coaches and fans, and nominees are voted on by the media.

The following media members voted: Rob Adams (WGCH-AM), Bill Bloxsom (Hersam-Acorn Newspapers), Jon Chik (Norwalk Citizen-News), Zachary Eastright (WSTC-AM/WNLK-AM), Dan Farrand (News-Times), Andy Hutchison (Newtown Bee), John Nash (The Stamford Times), Matt Norlander (New Canaan News-Review), Dave Ruden (Stamford Advocate), Joe Ryan (freelancer), Eliot Schickler (Westport News), Dave Stewart (New Canaan Advertiser), Paul Silverfarb (Greenwich Post), Rob Sullivan (Minuteman Newspapers/Bridgeport Banner), Michael Suppe (Hersam-Acorn Newspapers).

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Here ya go – enjoy!

Matt Levine gave me these unedited interviews with Nate Quinn and Cody Newton from Tuesday’s postgame, and I’m finally getting around to posting them.

Most interesting: Newton unlocks the secrets of preparing for a playoff game, and how his teammates needed to be prepared to play, even if they weren’t in the original starting lineup. Defense wins games, and New Canaan’s needed to be ready.

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Kurt Ondash has been voted the BlueStreak Sports Training Fairfield County Player of the Week for Thanksgiving Week.

The award, presented by the FCIAC Football Blog, went to Ondash for his performance against Darien in the FCIAC Championship Game. Ondash caught three passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns, had an interception, and defended three passes in New Canaan’s 28-20 win in front of 9,500 at Boyle Stadium.

Nine of the 14 media members who had the final ballot voted for Ondash.

Week 12 runner-ups were Giovanny Marmolejos (Central), Mike Pope (Trumbull), Richie Edwards (Trumbull), Matt White (Ridgefield), Nate Quinn (New Canaan), Matt Grant (Greenwich), Frank Wright (Wright Tech/Stamford Academy), and Andrew Fiamengo (New Fairfield).

The following media members voted: Rob Adams (WGCH-AM), Bill Bloxsom (Hersam-Acorn Newspapers), Zachary Eastright (WSTC-AM/WNLK-AM), Dan Farrand (News-Times), Scott Ferrari (Greenwich Citizen), Andy Hutchison (Newtown Bee), Jason A. Intrieri (FCIAC Football Blog Live), Ken Morse (Hersam-Acorn Newspapers), John Nash (The Stamford Times), Joe Ryan (freelancer), Eliot Schickler (Westport News), Dave Stewart (New Canaan Advertiser), Rob Sullivan (Minuteman Newspapers/Bridgeport Banner), Michael Suppe (Hersam-Acorn Newspapers).

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By Tim Parry

OK, I have no quotes transcribed, no video processed (though I’ve watched my wife perform alongside Miley Cyrus in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade several times over), and like most people today I’m just wiped out.

But my biggest takeaway from New Canaan’s 28-20 FCIAC Championship Game win over Darien: Don’t give the Rams the ball deep in its territory with a lead to protect or the need to score.

We’ve seen it happen several times before, and we saw it again today: New Canaan marched 80 yards in five plays to score what actually held up as the game-winning touchdown.

Frank Granito blocked a 30-yard field goal attempt by John Gardner with 5:30 left in the game.

What followed was a 15-yard run by Sean Simmons, a one-yard gain by Chris Sciaretta, a 10-yard pass from Nate Quinn to Cody Newton, a 26-yard run by Simmons, and a 28-yard touchdown run by Sciaretta.

That gave New Canaan a 28-14 lead with 3:54 left in the game. And the score was needed, as Darien scored at the buzzer on Matt Wheelock’s six-yard shovel pass from Matt Wheelock to Corey Caputo.

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By Tim Parry

Another Staples-New Canaan epic is in the books, and again, the road team prevails. New Canaan escaped with a 21-20 win, the result of a Staples extra point that sailed wide left.

So New Canaan improves to 7-0 overall and 6-0 in the FCIAC, and is in the driver’s seat for a championship game berth.

But Staples, at 5-2 and 3-2 in the FCIAC, seems to be the team to beat now. In my opinion, the Wreckers were the better team, and had that extra point been a success, had a legitimate shot to win in overtime.

The reason? Staples figured out the Rams defense, which is something other teams haven’t yet this season. It’s diverse rushing attack kept New Canaan on its heals most of the game: Tae Dangerfield and Robert Toole pounded the ball up the middle, Josh Henry and Tyler Healy on the outside, and quarterback Brandon Pacilio with the keepers. And the run set up the pass, which was tough to do on a windy day.

Now New Canaan’s offense was all Nate Quinn. He ran for 76 of the Rams 104 rushing yards, and fought windy conditions to complete 20 of 32 for 213 yards.

The turning point: Early in the fourth quarter, tied at 14, Staples sends Kevin Clark out for a 27-yard field goal attempt into the wind. New Canaan calls time out, and Staples instead decides to go for in on fourth down. Pacilio fumbled the snap, and New Canaan linebacker Brandon Leeming recovers. New Canaan then went 85 yards on the game-winning drive.

“I’ve got to be proud of the way our kids played,” Petroccio said. “Nobody, and I mean nobody, gives us any credit around here. That’s the number-two team in the State of Connecticut, and we’re just lowly Staples, and we did a great job against them.”

Staples is on the rise. Now they have slight hopes left for an FCIAC playoff berth, but can also play the spoiler role. If they play against Darien in two weeks like they did yesterday against New Canaan, maybe the FCIAC standings get shaken up a bit (though Darien may still hold enough tie-breakers to get into the championship game).

Now I don’t see New Canaan losing to Bassick this Friday, and the Rams should, on paper, defeat Trinity Catholic and Wilton to clinch a championship game berth. But that’s the problem with on-paper. The Rams barely survived Staples, so who is to say the Crusaders or Warriors don’t catch New Canaan sleepwalking?

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First up: New Canaan wide receiver Kurt Ondash, who at 110 yards receiving per game, is near pace to break a 39-year-old school record held by the late Peter Demmerle for yards in a season. But breaking the record, Ondash says, is far from his mind:

Next up, Rams quarterback Nate Quinn with postgame comments after New Canaan blanked Norwalk 25-0:

You can see all these videos and more at the bottom of the FCIAC Football Blog home page…

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By Tim Parry

Are there any New Canaan doubters left? Maybe not after what the Rams did to Ridgefield last night.

Even after a week when many were thinking New Canaan could only throw the ball, and that its defense would have a tough time shutting down Ridgefield quarterback Matt White, the Rams were dominant in a 40-13 win at Dunning Stadium.

And this came six days after New Canaan defeated Trumbull 41-13.

White was rattled by some unfamiliar defensive formations and was picked off four times. He completed just nine of his 27 pass attempts.

And Chris Sciarretta carried 13 times for 98 yards, while Sean Simmons gained 83 yards on seven attempts.

The question is, does this make New Canaan the front-runner for the chance to dethrone FCIAC champion Greenwich (who lost its first in-state game since Thanksgiving 2006 since I started writing this), or will homecoming Saturday be another disaster for the Rams?

Kurt Ondash – who had six catches for 165 yards against Ridgefield and 296 yards in just two games – was on FCIAC Football Blog Live this morning, and shared his thoughts. Click here to listen.

So, is New Canaan able to reload year in and year out because of the players, the coaches, or a little bit of both? Share your thoughts below:

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By Tim Parry

Thanks for the day off, everyone. Abbi went peacefully at about 8:45 a.m. and we had a fantastic final night together. She did have an accident in the middle of the night, and must have know something was up because we didn’t scold her for it (even if she did pee on one of Ursula’s shoes!).

But yesterday made me realize something very important about the FCIAC Football Blog. While high school football may be life for those players and coaches (and some parents), it’s a great escape from reality for the rest of us.

Sure, I’d love to make six-figures with the FCIAC Football Blog… but that’s not reality. Four-figures isn’t even reality. Unless some people want to buy some real estate on the site. The site is about the people who are high school football in Fairfield County, and it’s a great escape.

I won’t reveal the true identification of the comment posters. But I can tell you that they include investment bankers who are dealing with turmoil on Wall Street, commuters dealing with $4 a gallon fuel prices, and businessmen hoping customers will open their wallets again. And the readers: It’s a range of those clipping coupons to help make ends meet, to the Metro-North riding zombies hoping an olive shortage doesn’t affect their martinis.

Bottom line is we all need a diversion from reality, and I’m glad I can help.

So let’s talk football.

• I’m looking forward to the Platt Tech-Wright Tech/Stamford Academy game today at the old Rippowam High School. The tech schools don’t get any respect. And even though Bullard-Havens made the CIAC playoffs last season, they were still laughed at. This year’s Bluuard-Havens team didn’t really impress me when I saw it lose to Barlow. But I’d love to see how like teams do against each other. In that case I guess I’m not giving them any respect either, but hopefully they will prove me wrong… after all, Wright Tech/Stamford Academy defensive tackle Steve Lesperance did a great job in the Hall of Fame Classic shutting down Ansonia Mr. Everything Alex Thomas…
• Okay, I’m sure this will end up on the New Canaan locker room wall… but the Rams will have a tougher time with Ridgefield. Chris Sciarretta was held to 28 yards on the ground, and you have to think Ridgefield can shut down the New Canaan running attack. And you also have to think Nate Quinn won’t see Kurt Ondash as wide open against the Tigers as he was Saturday…
• I didn’t do a poll to see who would win tonight’s Ludlowe-St. Joseph game. But based on the comments to an earlier post, readers think it’s either going to be a blowout for St. Joseph or a close game for Ludlowe. A Ludlowe player asked me yesterday if I thought they had a chance to win. My answer: I think the Falcons have a good shot. They have to want it more that St. Joseph does, and they have to play for four quarters. If the Falcons give up after halftime, the Cadets, Hogs, whatever they really are, will have a fun bus ride home…
• Pomperaug lost a tough one to Windham in Week One, and it doesn’t get easier as they face Bunnell. This will be the first time the SWC sees Pomperaug in the spread formation, and the question of course will be this: How well will they execute it? Not a single press clipping I’ve seen indicates if the spread is being used part- or full-time. But the box scores show Pomperaug scored each of its touchdowns in the 22-21 loss on the ground. Still doesn’t tell me much.

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New Canaan quarterback Nate Quinn is the Week One recipient of the BlueStreak Sports Training Player of the Week award, which is presented weekly by the FCIAC Football Blog.

Making his first offensive start for the Rams against Trumbull on Saturday, Quinn completed nine of 17 passes for 255 yards and six touchdowns. New Canaan defeated Trumbull 41-13.

Quinn will receive his award from BlueStreak Sports Training president Matt Cole Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. at New Canaan High School at the upper field.

Players are nominated both by football coaches representing teams in Fairfield County. A mimimum of five nominees from a weekly fan poll are also included on a ballot, and the Player of the Week is then selected by members of the Fairfield County sports media community.

Fairfield Ludlowe placekicker Sean Anderson was the runner up. In addition to a pair of extra points, he nailed a 29-yard field goal as time expired to lift Ludlowe over heavily-favored Norwalk 17-14.

The Week-One nominees also included George Benitez (Darien), Tae Dangerfield (Staples), Marcus Dixon (Stamford), Chris Evans (Stamford), Mike Graham (McMahon), Mike Grant (Greenwich), Brian Kosnik (Darien), Colin Morris (St. Joseph), Kurt Ondash (New Canaan) and Chris Sloat (Bunnell).

The following media members voted: The following media members voted: Rob Adams (WGCH-AM), Bill Bloxsom (Hersam-Acorn Newspapers), Dan Farrand (News-Times), Scott Ferrari (Greenwich Citizen), Andy Hutchison (Newtown Bee), Jason A. Intrieri (FCIAC Football Blog Live), Ken Morse (Hersam-Acorn Newspapers), Tim Murphy (Hersam-Acorn Newspapers), John Nash (The Stamford Times), Matt Norlander (New Canaan News-Review), Dave Ruden (Stamford Advocate), Paul Silverfarb (Greenwich Post), Rob Sullivan (Minuteman Newspapers), Michael Suppe (Hersam-Acorn Newspapers).

Photos of Nate Quinn by Dave Stewart/New Canaan Sports Photography

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