Courtesy of the CIAC
The Class LL and Class L state title game match-ups are almost a carbon copy of last season. The only difference, Greenwich knocked off Staples in the semi-finals and will take on West Haven in the Class LL final.
When you look at these two games, there is a lot of history between the programs, especially New Canaan and Darian. The Thanksgiving rivals are bitter foes and have routinely faced off on Turkey Day and beyond. Today’s game will mark the 100th meeting between the two schools and the fifth meeting in a state title game.
Here is a preview of the Class LL and Class L state title games.
Class LL
(3) Greenwich Cardinals (10-2) vs. West Haven Blue Devils (10-2)
Breakdown: Two Class LL heavyweights that both had a shot to get here. LL was wide open heading into the season but West Haven and Greenwich both had two terrific signal callers returning in Nick Conlan (Westie) and M.J D’Angelo (Greenwich) who gave them the best chance to play for a title. West Haven has flown under the radar for most of the season after losing to the Cardinals 24-6 in week one. Conlan has been a beast both as a runner and passer. He can change the complexion of a game on one play as we saw countless times in the semi-final win over Fairfield Prep. Same goes for D’Angelo who is especially dangerous pulling the ball on read plays. Both quarterbacks have had terrific supporting casts but this game will be won along the lines. Navy commit Peter Vomvolakis leads a stout Greenwich offensive line that can take over a game. Vomvolakis will be matched up against Westie’s Kadear Dembele who is a Wake Forest commitment. The battle in the trenches in this game will be one of the best match-ups of the weekend.
Prediction: Man. This is a tough one to call. If you’re a West Haven fan, you want a shootout. It’s the type of game Conlan and company are comfortable playing in. If you’re a Greenwich fan, you want a fistfight in a phone booth. Slow things down and win a close game. Either way, it should be a fantastic match-up between two programs that have proven they know how to win. Westie is rolling into this game. I am picking them. Conlan goes out a winner and Coach Rich Boshea finally brings home a state title for the first time since 2002.
Class L
(2) New Canaan Rams (11-1) at Darien Blue Devils (10-2)
Breakdown: The Class L championship game between these two long time rivals will be the 100th all time meeting. It is the fifth time they are meeting for a state title. New Canaan thumped Darien on Thanksgiving, 34-0. It was a dominant performance by a Rams team that outside of a loss to Masuk, has been rolling all season long. Senior quarterback Luke Robinson and junior wide receiver Andrew Esposito have tortured opposing defenses this season. Esposito is a match-up problem because he is a good route runner who can win one on one. In many ways, New Canaan will face the same challenge today with Darien tight ends Kevin Roche (Georgia Tech commit) and Charlie Thom. Both are big targets and can create match-up problems, especially in the red zone. Junior quarterback Ben Rolapp can consistently get them the ball and he has been on point all season in the passing game. Games like this usually come down to the offensive line. Both teams are good up front. Jackson Davenport leads a stout Blue Wave front on both sides of the ball. I would expect a much different game than the first meeting.
Prediction: It is hard to pick against Lou Marinelli’s Rams and I am not doing it. New Canaan proved on Thanksgiving that they have the edge in this rivalry. Darien might be the more talented team on paper but New Canaan wins the game where it counts, on the field. Expect a much better game than the first meeting but with a similar outcome. A New Canaan win.