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Health & Fitness

Blue Thursday: Darien Shocks #1 New Canaan in 2013 Turkey Bowl

NEW CANAAN - A huge crowd packed into the stands watching bitter rivals go at each other. Frigid air making for perfect football weather. Hard hits, long completions, bruising running. A back-and-forth, nail-biter of a game with all the drama you could stand.

 

It was everything you’d want in a football game.

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Literally coming down to the last second, a desperation drive by the New Canaan Rams came up 9 yards short, as the Darien Blue Wave came out on top, 28-24 in a classic 2013 Turkey Bowl. The loss was the first for the Rams in what to this point had been a dominant season.

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“For Darien to come in and beat us on our own field like this, it’s hard to do,” said New Canaan head coach Lou Marinelli, who saw his team drop to 11-1 on the year. “I give credit to them.”

 

Led by game-MVP Silas Wyper’s 3 TD’s, all on 1-yard plunges, the Blue Wave were able to overcome a 24-21 4th quarter deficit, driving 66 yards in 17 plays, aided by a roughing the passer penalty on 4th down. A 1-yard TD run by Jay Harrison gave Darien a 28-24 lead with 58 seconds left in the game, which would hold up as the final score.

 

The win was the second straight victory for the Blue Wave in their storied rivalry with New Canaan, which goes back to 1928. Despite the loss, New Canaan still owns a 48-35-2 edge over Darien in head-to-head matchups. The two teams may yet meet again as both squads qualified for the Class L State playoffs.

 

Things started out brightly for New Canaan, who came into the game ranked #1 in the state. On the first play from scrimmage QB Nick Cascione hit Alex LaPolice for an 80-yd. TD strike. New Canaan had a 7-0 lead before many fans had taken their seats. It was the second straight game the Rams scored a TD on their first offense snap, having previously done it in the FCIAC championship game against St. Joe’s last Friday.

 

After exchanging punts and interceptions for the rest of the 1st quarter, Darien was able to break through. Highlighted by 28-yard passes from Wyper to John Reed and Nick Lombardo, the Blue Wave QB was ultimately able to punch in himself from the 1, tying the game at 7 apiece with 6:20 left in the half.

 

Darien seemed to have all the momentum after Miles Ridder picked off a Cascione pass, positioning the Blue Wave at the New Canaan 30-yard line. But after a Lombardo TD was nullified by a holding penalty, a 33-yard FG attempt by Daly Hebert sailed wide, and the Blue Wave came away with nothing.

 

On the ensuing drive Cascione led New Canaan to another score, covering 80 yards in 8 plays, including a beautiful 39-yard catch by Cole Turpin that set New Canaan up at the Darien 19. With 9 seconds left in the half, Cascione ran it in from the 2 for a 14-7 New Canaan lead.

 

Darien came out of the intermission seemingly recharged. A 63-yard Wyper-to-Lombardo hookup set the Blue Wave up at the New Canaan 5. Three plays later Wyper had his second TD of the day, as his 1-yard dive knotted the score at 14.

 

After holding New Canaan to a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, Darien’s Mark Evanchick blocked Bobby DiRocco’s punt and set the Blue Wave up on the New Canaan 15-yard line. Three straight runs by Wyper resulted in another Darien TD, and the Blue Wave had a 21-14 lead with 7:27 left in the 3rd quarter. For the first time this season New Canaan was trailing to a team in the second half.

 

The Rams would cut the Darien lead to 21-17 courtesy of a 31-yard FG from Peter Swindell. And after senior captain Cole Harris recovered a Wyper fumble on the ensuing Darien drive and returned it to the Blue Wave 18 yard-line, New Canaan looked to be back in business.

 

John Reed’s touchdown-saving tackle of Harris would loom large, however, as New Canaan was unable to move the ball. A fake FG was stopped well short of a first down, and Darien took over possession leading 21-17 as the teams headed to the 4th quarter.

 

On the second play of the ensuing drive, New Canaan found the big play they were looking for.

 

Junior DE/LB Zach Allen ripped the ball from Wyper’s hands as he sacked the Darien QB, and ran untouched for a shocking 33-yard strip and score. It was Allen’s school-record 18th career sack, and it gave New Canaan a 24-21 lead with 11:09 left in the game.

 

After the teams traded punts on their respective offensive series, Darien had the ball with 7:48 left in the game. After driving to the New Canaan 27-yard line, Wyper was sacked by Rams senior captain Connor Buck at the 29. Facing fourth-and-9, Wyper looked to Griffin Ross along the right sideline. When the pass was broken up it looked like New Canaan would regain possession on the turnover on downs. But a roughing the passer penalty gave Darien a first-and-10 at the Rams 14.

 

Six plays later, Harrison’s run gave Darien a 28-24 lead with less than a minute left in the game. New Canaan had 79 yards to go with 2 timeouts remaining.

 

Cascione quickly moved New Canaan down the field, including a 17-yard pass to Kyle Smith on third-and-5 to the Darien 33-yard line with :27 left on the clock. A 7-yard Cascione scramble on fourth-and-1 set up New Canaan with a first-and-10 on the Blue Wave 17 with 5.7 seconds left. On the next play, a pass interference call moved New Canaan to the Darien 9, with :01 left on the clock. As time expired, Cascione looked to Cole Turpin in the front corner of the end zone, but Ross was able to get a hand in to break up the pass. As the ball hit the turf, Darien began their celebration.

 

“You can’t make any excuses,” said Marinelli. “They came in, they took it to us and they won.”

 

-Terry Dinan

 

                                    1          2          3          4          TOT

DARIEN                       0          7          14        7           28

NEW CANAAN              7          7          3          7           24

 

NC – LaPolice 80-yd. pass from Cascione (Swindell kick)

D – Wyper 1-yd. run (Hebert kick)

NC – Cascione 2-yd. run (Swindell kick)

D – Wyper 1-yd. run (Hebert kick)

D – Wyper 1-yd. run (Hebert kick)

NC – Swindell 31-yd. FG

NC – Allen 33-yd. fumble recovery (Swindell kick)

D – Harrison 1-yd. run

DARIEN (10-1) 

NEW CANAAN (11-1)

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