FCIAC Football Blog

Miss the Warde-Stamford game last Friday? So did most high school football fans, since Greenwich was packed for the epic classic between New Canaan and the Cardinals. Here’s a few random clips from the Warde-Stamford game, for your viewing pleasure.

Sometimes, I write about football. I went to New Canaan to talk with Warde coaches and players about the spread offense it will run this season. Here’s what ran today in the Fairfield Citizen.

Is quarterback Eric Burns running the offense to perfection yet? No, but at New Canaan’s camp on Monday, he didn’t look clueless or confused.

New Warde head coach Duncan Dellavolpe has been the offensive coordinator at New Canaan, and has run this system for three years with the Rams. Right now Warde may be a little bit ahead of that 2006 New Canaan team at this point, for a few reasons.

Reason one: The numbers are smaller at Warde, so there’s more one-to-one coaching going on.

Reason two: The spread is not the new offense on the block like it was in 2006, when new Canaan was among the first in the area to use it. Warde’s offense may have been in a three-back set the past few years, but its defense has had the task of defending the spread regularly – and its scout team had to run it a bit.

By the way – Dellavolpe brought New Canaan receivers coach Joe Bouffard with him. But the way New Canaan was running the offense in camp on Monday, it may not miss a beat.

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.

By Tim Parry

I’ve got my share of scoops over the years, but to get one that concerns the media at FCIAC football games is unreal. Especially since it affects the way Fairfield County media members do their jobs.

It’s about sideline pass enforcement. If you don’t ask a school in advance for a sideline pass, like the one seen above, then you’re not allowed on the sidelines.

Now that’s a great idea. Many times you’ll get to a game and a bunch of people who really should be sitting in the stands are roming the sidelines, putting themselves in danger, and keeping everyone on the field from doing their jobs.And that includes the media.

But guess what? If you’re a member of the media, and you don’t have a sideline pass, you can get the boot.

You don’t believe me? Ask Todd Kalif, who was shooting for the Fairfield Citizen-News, and The Post’s Sean Patrick Bowley, who were at the Warde-McMahon game yesterday. They were both behind the Warde end zone Saturday shooting footage, when the official called time out and had both of them removed from the field.

Both were baffled. So were Matt Doran of The Hour (and his mad-at-the-world photographer, whoever the hell he was), Jon Chik of Norwalk Citizen-News, Autumn Pinette of The Post, and Pat Pickens of the Fairfield Citizen-News.

None of them heard this rule.

And when I asked Tom Renner, sports editor of The Advocate, about the rule last night, it was the first he heard of it. And what makes that crazier is that New Canaan’s security people apparently denied field access to Emery Filmer of The Advocate a week earlier.

Ridiculous.The mainstream media was never told about this rule that affects the way they cover games. And I found out by accident, when I mentioned to a New Canaan staff member that I was covering Ridgefield-New Canaan for The Advocate.

The New Canaan staff member told me each school was alotted 25 sideline passes, not enough for all its coaches, injured players, managers, photographers, etc.

Friday, Mark Rearick let me on the sideline because he knew I was covering the game. And sicne I’ve known him since I was in elementary school, he vouched for me. He was also told that New Canaan loosened its rule a little after last week to allow press members with legitimate identification on the field.

But I had called Warde athletic director Chris Manfredonia in advance the see about getting a pass for myself and a new stringer for the site, former McMahon linebacker Mike Stenger.

No one else called. Manfredonia had three passes remaining and six people requesting them after the officials kicked Kalif and Bowley out of their spots. Kalif negotiated at halftime with the officials, who are the enforcers of the rule, and was told then he could shoot from about 10 yards past the sideline.

So why is the FCIAC enforcing this? Because of a fight last season during the Stamford-Ludlowe game. You can’t tell by my shoddy video, but apparently people who shouldn’t have been on the sidelines were, so even the media has to suffer.

Now I can see the FCIAC wanting to keep sidelines under control. But if you’re going to tell the media they can’t be there, let them know about the rule. Sure, the writers can do the game from the press box (It won’t kill them), and there’s no need to stand on the 47 yard line in front of coaches because it’s the line of scrimmage. But if you want video, and you want decent photos in print or online, then those media members responsible for that need to be there to do their jobs.

I’m in San Francisco for work this week and will actually not be at any games as a working media member. But I’d love to find out what happens this week. Bowley and Doran were ready to protest the ruling, and I think Renner was a little ticker when he heard about it.

But I have a feeling there will be retaliation, and I will never be allowed on an FCIAC sideline again.