New Canaan football places eight on All-FCIAC First Team

Written by Dave Stewart
Thursday, 15 December 2011 04:00

The New Canaan Rams were again one of the powerhouses of FCIAC and Connecticut football this fall, compiling a record of 11-2 and reaching the final of the State tournament for the sixth consecutive season.

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Along the way, the Rams scored their ninth straight win over rival Darien, as they beat the Blue Wave 42-21 in the annual Turkey Bowl, and scored dramatic victories over New London 27-26, and Windsor 27-24, in the Class L playoffs. The season ended with a 34-10 loss in the title tilt on Saturday.

A total of 21 Rams have been recognized on the FCIAC football teams this fall, including eight players who earned spots on the All-FCIAC East First Team.

The First Teamers are QB Matt Milano, LB Kevin McDonough, WRs Patrick Newton and Peter Kraus, TE Connor Kilbane, OL Kalin Killinger, DE Dylan Leeming and K/P Collin Shapiro.

Milano, a senior co-captain, had a prolific career at NCHS, setting school records in passing yards (6,335), TD passes (75), passing attempts (807) and completions (487).

This fall, Milano threw for 2,980 yards, second only to the school-record 3,128 yards he passed for last season. His 32 passing TDs ranks third in school history and he also holds the single-season mark with 42 as a junior. Milano’s 807 attempts and 487 completions this year were both season records at NCHS.

McDonough, also a senior co-captain, played on both sides of the ball as a linebacker on defense and a running back on offense.

His 118 tackles led the Rams this season and he also posted one sack and three interceptions, including a huge pick during New Canaan’s dramatic comeback win over Windsor in the State Class L semifinals.

On offense, McDonough had a 6.4 yards per carry average and ran 77 times for 491 yards and six touchdowns. His biggest game came in the State quarterfinals, when he ran for 220 yards to lead the Rams past New London.

Shapiro, a senior, holds many of the major career kicking records at NCHS. For his career, Shapiro had 122 PATs and 143 kicking points, ranking first in both categories, and seven field goals to rank second. This fall, his 46 PATs ranked second to the 47 he kicked last year, and he set a school mark with 64 kicking points.

Shapiro was at his finest during the postseason, when he kicked five field goals on six attempts, including the game-winning 33-yarder in a 27-24 win over Windsor.

Newton, Kraus and Kilbane, all seniors, were part of the Rams’ top-flight receiving crew.

Newton had 61 catches for a team-high 830 yards and nine touchdowns this fall. He ranks third at NCHS in career receptions with 104, sixth in receiving yards with 1,389, and 10th in receiving TDs with 12.

Kraus had a team-best 10 TD receptions in 2011, and finished with 51 catches for 657 yards. He ranks 10th at NCHS in receiving TDs with 12 and 11th in receptions with 63.

Kilbane led the Rams with 66 receptions, moving past Kurt Ondash and Kevin Macari and into third place in the New Canaan record books. He also had 724 receiving yards and seven TD catches. At NCHS, Kilbane ranks sixth in career receptions with 94, seventh in TD catches with 15, and 10th in receiving yards with 1,063.

The 6-3, 264-pound Killinger has been a stalwart of the New Canaan offensive line for three years, after starting as a sophomore in 2009.

Leeming, a 6-5, 229-pound defensive end, was second on the Rams in tackles with 116, including a team best 44 solo tackles. He also led New Canaan with 4.5 sacks.

The Rams also placed seven players on the All-FCIAC East Second Team, including four on defense.

The defensive honorees were senior co-captain and DL Thomas Rochlin, senior co-captain and LB Bobby Distler, senior DL John Brainard, and senior DB Jared Meichner.

Making the Second Team offense were senior OLs Rami Hamdan, Chris Dijs and Nick Peli.

Honorable mentions went to six Rams, including seniors Hunter Budd (RB/DL), Raynor Cordes (DL) and Jake Miller (DB), and juniors Louis Hagopian (RB), Grady Lynch (WR/DB) and Duke Repko (RB/WR).

All-FCIAC East First Team

All-FCIAC East Second Team

All-FCIAC East Honorable Mentions