NEW CANAAN - For the second consecutive week, the New Canaan Rams played their “Game of the Season”.
And for the second consecutive week, they pummeled an FCIAC rival into oblivion.
Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
One week after dominating FCIAC powerhouse Staples, the Rams would prove themselves yet again. Led by a spectacular performance by QB Nick Cascione and a suffocating defense - highlighted by a 56-yard TD on a fumble recovery and return by senior captain Connor Buck – New Canaan dismantled previously-unbeaten St. Joseph’s 62-21 in front of a packed house at Dunning Field on Friday night.
Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Cascione was nearly perfect, completing 20 of 26 passes for 379 yards and 6 TD’s. The senior signal caller also ran for 37 yards and a score as the Rams made a huge statement to the rest of the CIAC with their destruction of the Cadets, who came into the game undefeated and ranked #3 in the state.
“Any time we can go out and do that, I’m very happy,” said Cascione. “The guys really helped me out tremendously. They were catching everything I threw, the linemen were moving bodies…they just made it easy for me.”
“I told them on Wednesday night that if you play like this on Friday night, there’s no limit to what you can do,” said Rams head coach Lou Marinelli. “So much of high school football is chemistry, and it seems like these guys really like each other. They really get along, and that’s a tremendous help.”
And with this chemistry mixed with talent and multiple weapons on both sides of the ball, New Canaan looks to be unstoppable, taking on all comers in 2013 with St. Joe’s as their latest victim.
The Cadets challenged New Canaan’s vaunted defense immediately, choosing to receive the ball to start the game. With such stars as QB Jordan Vazzano and RB Mufasa Abdul-Bashir, it seemed like a logical move.
It didn’t take long for the move to backfire.
On the third play from scrimmage, a Vazzano pass was picked off by Rams DB Mike DiCosmo at the St. Joe’s 35-yard line. The Cadets defense was able to hold New Canaan to a 34-yard FG by Peter Swindell, but the tone of the game was set, and the high-octane St. Joe’s offense looked to be shell-shocked.
After stopping the Cadets on a three-and-out on the next series, the Rams showed off their own quick-strike offense, driving 50 yards in just over a minute capped by a 10-yard Cascione TD pass to Alex LaPolice. The Rams led 10-0 with 7:24 left in the 1st quarter.
St. Joe’s would break through on their next possession, putting together the first sustained drive the Rams D would see so far this season. Vazzano moved his team 74 yards on 10 plays, helped out by two New Canaan personal fouls. After a 6-yard TD pass to Lars Pedersen, the Cadets trailed 10-7.
It was as close as they got.
New Canaan answered immediately with another quick drive, moving 73 yards in only 1:34, as Cascione hit LaPolice again, this time for 30 yards. New Canaan had a 17-7 lead with 2:42 left in the 1st quarter.
On the next St. Joe’s possession, the defense had perhaps their signature moment in what has been a season of signature moments.
On the first play of the 2nd quarter, Vazzano rolled to his right and was met by a blitzing Cole Harris. The senior captain stripped Vazzano of the ball where it was promptly scooped up by Buck. The fan-favorite sprinted 56 yards to the end zone, electrifying the New Canaan bench and crowd. New Canaan had a 23-7 lead with 11:46 left in the half.
“I saw daylight and looked through my peripherals and thought Mufasa was right on my tail, so I’m booking it,” said Buck. “By the time I got to the 5-yard line I realized I didn’t need to sprint.”
The TD was the second of Buck’s season and career.
“If you had told me I would have a scoop-and-score touchdown for however many yards, I would think you were lying,” said Buck, who never had scored a TD prior to this year – not even when playing in the youth league. “That doesn’t happen to me. That never happens. I’m very fortunate and it’s just awesome.”
“It kind of just deflated them even more,” said Marinelli, who saw his team improve to 8-0 on the season. “It’s bad enough when you’re there and all of a sudden you’re scoring on offense, but then all of a sudden to have somebody pick up a fumble and run it down like that…it was certainly a lift.”
On the ensuing St. Joe’s possession, the Cadets were unable to convert on a key fourth-and-two at the New Canaan 18, and the Rams had the ball back with 8:29 left in the half. Highlighted by a 47-yard Cascione-to-Graham Wagner hookup, New Canaan would punch it in again as Cole Turpin hauled in an 18-yard TD pass. Cascione’s successful 2-point conversion gave the Rams a 31-7 lead with 6:21 left.
St. Joe’s would score on a 1-yard Abdul-Basir TD plunge, pulling to within 31-14, but the Rams would get the final say in the half as Swindell hit a career-long 45-yard FG. The teams went into the half with the Rams up 34-14.
The Cadets earned a moral victory by forcing New Canaan to punt on the opening possession of the second half. But any momentum was short-lived as another three-and-out by the Rams defense led to fantastic starting field position for New Canaan. Three plays later Cascione was in the end zone after a 4-yard TD run, and the blowout was official with New Canaan extending to a 41-14 lead.
Throughout the 2nd half, St. Joe’s continued to line up 7 defensive players in the box, and New Canaan would take advantage of the spacing in the secondary. Cascione’s picked apart the Cadets with deadly accuracy, and when Robbie Paul pulled down a 13-yard pass for another New Canaan TD, the Rams had a 48-14 lead.
The Cadets did respond with a TD, converting a fourth-and-goal via a 7-yard Vazzano-to-Pedersen pass, but New Canaan answered immediately. On the third play from scrimmage, Cascione hit a wide-open Jack Gilio for a 74-yard TD pass and a 55-21 lead with 8:20 left in the game.
Five minutes later, Cascione would hit Kyle Smith for his career-high 6th TD pass of the game, capping the scoring at 63-21.
“To do that to a team like that…we certainly didn’t expect that,” said Marinelli. “I thought our defense played a really good game, and gave our offense good field position. And even when we didn’t have good field position I thought the guys on offense did a really great job of certain things that we were able to take advantage of.”
-Terry Dinan
1 2 3 4 TOT
ST. JOSEPH 7 7 0 7 21
NEW CANAAN 17 17 14 14 62
NC – Swindell 34-YD. FG
NC – LaPolice 15-yd. pass from Cascione (Swindell kick good)
SJ – Pedersen 6-yd. pass from Vazzano (Bortnick kick good)
NC – LaPolice 30-yd. pass from Cascione (Swindell kick good)
NC – Buck 56-yd. fumble return (kick failed)
NC – Turpin 18-yd. pass from Cascione (2-pt. conversion good)
SJ – Abdul-Basir 1-yd. run (Bortnick kick good)
NC – Swindell 45-yd. FG
NC – Cascione 4-yd. run (Swindell kick good)
NC – Paul 13-yd. pass from Cascione (Swindell kick good)
SJ – Pedersen 7-yd. pass from Vazzano (Bortnick kick good)
NC – Gilio 74-yd. pass from Cascione (Swindell kick good)
NC – Smith 5-yd. pass from Cascione (Swindell kick good)
RECORDS:
SJ - 7-1 (5-1 FCIAC)
NC - 8-0 (6-0 FCIAC)
