Following Friday's 49-0 victory over Seymour, New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli told his football team the preseason officially is over. Starting next week with St. Joseph, the Rams face a considerably more difficult schedule.
 
"Our kids came out, and they took care of business, and they methodically went down (the field),"  said Marinelli, whose team improved to 5-0.
 
"Everything is really coming together," added running back Conor Goodwin, noting this point of the season is a perfect time, considering the upcoming slate, which includes games against Greenwich, Bridgeport Central and Darien -- three teams who have a combined two defeats this season. 
 
The Rams will need more performances like the one Goodwin gave against the Wildcats, as the senior led a ground attack that enabled New Canaan to control the tempo of the game.
 
The weather was definitely a contributing factor for the Rams tactics, as the cold, rain, and wind made it hard for Matt Milano to throw the ball as effectively as he might have wanted to. Luckily for New Canaan, the running game this year is at a point it never reached last year, due in large part to the massive offensive line.
 
"Our line is incredible," Goodwin added. "We want to send the message out that we have a ground game."
 
The Rams' first score came as a result of that rushing attack. After some sloppy early play by both teams (a turnover on downs and two fumbles),  New Canaan finally was able to punch it in late in the first quarter, as Kevin McDonough run up the gut from one yard out for a 7-0 lead.
 
McDonough followed that up on the Rams' next possession with a similar run after a workman-like New Canaan drive,  which included a 17-yard scamper from Milano and a few solid gains from Goodwin. The only blemishes on the drive were the penalties, with the Rams shooting themselves in the foot numerous times but relying on their superior athleticism to cover up those errors.
 
"We need to come out strong next week and eliminate some of the mistakes," Goodwin said. "It's something we're going to need to work on in practice."
 
The Rams continued their offensive onslaught in the second quarter, going up 21-0 on a beautiful pass in the front corner of the end zone to Connor Kilbane. The referee hesitated to call the TD at first, but Kilbane's great footwork kept him in bounds.
 
"(Milano) is getting better every week," Marinelli said.
 
After yet another defensive stop, the Rams were on the move again toward the end zone. Milano hit receiver Peter Kraus on an out pattern to the right side, where he was hit hard by a Wildcat defender. The hit knocked Kraus out with a knee injury, and the training staff is unsure as how seriously the junior signal-caller is hurt.
 
Despite the injury, the Rams kept the drive alive, which ended with a Goodwin touchdown and a 28-0 lead at the half.
 
New Canaan picked up right where it left off in the first half, scoring once in the third quarter on another long march, which culminated with Milano's 10-yard TD strike to Goodwin.
 
Thereafter, Marinelli sent in his backups, but New Canaan got two mores scores on TD runs of 48 yards by Dylan Leeming and 23 yards byHunter Budd.
 
While the offense scored almost enough points to earn Marinelli a suspension (a win by 50 or more and it's automatic), the real story of the game was the defense. Seymour could barely move the ball against the Rams. Marinelli isn't quite sure yet how good they are, but concedes that they may be something special.
 
 "We think we're pretty good, but we'll find out in the weeks to come how good we are," he said.