Football: Unbeaten New Canaan routs Wilton

Written by Peter Keiser
Friday, 30 October 2009 20:36

The odds were overwhelming. New Canaan entered last Friday night’s football game against host Wilton undefeated this season, on a 23-game winning streak, and sporting a roster of 90 players. That collection included a stud transfer quarterback from Florida and an offensive tackle whose listed 6’5 and 300 pounds in the game program was a dwindling of his actual size.

Aligned against these forces of doom stood Wilton with its 2-4 record and a roster of 45 players — long on youth, short on experience and weakened by significant injury.

Yet it was Wilton who drew first blood and led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. And it was the Warriors who blocked an extra-point attempt, leaving the Rams ahead by a manageable 13-6 at 10:05 of the second.

The fact of the matter, however, was that New Canaan responded to Wilton’s opening score by amassing six unanswered touchdowns and made up for the blocked extra point with a two-point conversion to smother Wilton, 42-7, at the Warriors’ Veterans Memorial Stadium last Friday night.

But at least early on, Wilton made things interesting.

After the teams opened the game by exchanging punts, the Warriors took over at their own 13. Quarterback Jackson Wilbur completed a 21-yard pass to Matt Reyes-Guerra-Dunn and Ryan Leddy ran 29 yards to put the ball at the New Canaan 35. A critical fourth-down pass to Scott Young good for 18 yards sustained the drive, as well as an offside call against the Rams that put the ball at the four-yard line.

Still, it took a fourth and goal, one-yard flip pass from Wilbur to a diving Jeff Liebowitz for the score. Liebowitz kicked the extra point, and the Warriors, after a seven-minute drive, led 7-0 with 2:07 left in the first quarter.

The Rams didn’t get untracked until the second quarter when Turner Baty hit Peter Park for a seven-yard touchdown at 11:53. A poor punt gave New Canaan the ball at midfield on its next possession. It took just four plays for the Rams to score as Baty connected with a wide open Kevin Macari for the touchdown and a 13-7 lead at 10:05.

If there could be a turning point in such an apparently lopsided game, it came on Wilton’s next possession. The Warriors took over at their 26 and moved to the Rams’ 27 on a 39-yard Wilbur to Liebowitz completion and a pair of runs by Leddy. But a nine-yard sack by linebacker Cole Duncan on first down followed by a five-yard delay of game penalty on the Warriors left Wilton with a second and 24. They never recovered.

The Rams, fighting their own hobgoblins of penalties and dropped passes, pulled away for good at the end of the second quarter. First, they scored on a 45-yard Baty to Macari touchdown pass at 3:26, with Baty throwing to Willie Ouellette for a two-point conversion. Then, after an interception by Joe Costigan with 46 seconds left, Baty pitched a 37-yard scoring toss to Cody Nelson with 29.1 seconds left in the half. Collin Shapiro kicked the extra point and in fewer than three minutes the Rams had catapulted to a 28-7 lead.

In the second half, mistakes did not hamper Baty and his offense. He completed seven-of-eight passes good for two more touchdowns. The first came on a nine-yard completion to Ouellette, who was slated to play quarterback before Baty showed up in the pre-season. The touchdown came at 10:23 of the third and capped the opening drive of the second half.

The Warriors tried to answer that score, marching from their 27 to the New Canaan 31. But on fourth down, Tim Robustelli picked off a Wilbur pass in the end zone to choke off the threat.

The Rams didn’t enjoy the turnover for long, as three plays later Reyes-Guerra-Dunn stripped the ball after a completion to Peter Gronseth. Reyes-Guerra-Dunn recovered the fumble, giving Wilton the ball at the New Canaan 45. The Warriors moved to the 27 before a fourth-down pass fell incomplete, and the Rams took over with a minute left in the third.

Five plays later, Newton hauled in a 44-yard throw from Baty, upping the score to the final mark of 42-7. Baty finished 20-of-32 for 367 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions. His dexterity and power on the ground allowed him to buy time whenever he needed it, which wasn’t often due to the road graders — Connor Hanratty, Sam Lavieri, Mike Santella, Kalin Killinger and Geoff Young — up front. Baty averaged more than 10 yards a carry.

Wilton had a chance to score late in the game when Rob Keers, from his defensive end spot, hauled in a batted ball for an interception at the Warrior 41. Reserve quarterback Mike Kotos directed the attack, led by the rushing of Travis Stella, down to the New Canaan 34, but the clock ran out and the Rams remained handily undefeated.

“Our guys left everything out on the field. I’m really proud of their effort,” said Wilton head coach Bruce Cunningham. “We faced one of the best quarterbacks we’re ever going to see on a team that’s ranked number one in the state. There’s a reason why they’re undefeated this season and have won twenty-three in a row.

“But we did some good things,” continued Cunningham. “We improved in our execution of some plays. Our inexperience limited us in what we could do, and New Canaan adjusted to that real quick. We never got a chance to catch our breath against them.”

Wilton did have chances. Six times its offense reached inside the New Canaan 35. Leddy chalked up his third consecutive 100-plus yard day, rushing for 105 on 26 carries. And while there was a good deal of second-unit play for both sides, the Warriors picked up 282 yards of total offense.

Wilbur was nine-of-24 for 134 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Liebowitz led the team in receptions, catching five passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Both Young and Reyes-Guerra-Dunn had two catches each: Young for 35 yards and Reyes-Guerra-Dunn for 26.

Notes: Injuries hit the Warriors again. In the third quarter, Clay Helms, Sean Devane and Sean Carroll all had to take breathers. Their status for Wilton’s next game versus unbeaten Staples depends on their rehab progress. The game will be played at the Wreckers’ home field in Westport on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.