CIAC Class LL semifinal – Greenwich 31, Fairfield Prep 10 – Cardinals fly into final with blowout win

Posted By on December 8, 2025

FAIRFIELD – By Greenwich standards, it was a little bit of a slow start in the first half on Monday night, despite being up by 14 after two quarters.

But, in the end, the Cardinals did what championship teams do, pulling away for a 31-10 win over Fairfield Prep in a Class LL semifinal game.

Greenwich moves to 10-2 on the year. Fairfield Prep finishes at 9-3, with both losses coming against the Cardinals, who will now face 9-3 Southington in the state championship. Southington is coming off of seven straight wins, most recently a 42-7 rout of NFA.

“It was a little tight early on, but we executed early, and our defense does what our defense does,” said Greenwich head coach Anthony Morello. “Games like this, they come down to a couple plays, but our guys came out tuned up tonight, they played with passion, played with heart, and played as a team.

“We succeeded in all three facets of the game, and that’s how you win a game like this.”

As Morello said, the first half was a bit tighter than the final score indicated. Both teams were scoreless for the majority of the first quarter. Jack Kelly scored the first touchdown of the game on a seven-yard touchdown run out of the wildcat towards the end of the first. Michael Galano hit his first of four extra points.
Running back Vincent Lombardo of Fairfield Prep responded with a huge 60-yard run to take the Jesuits into the red zone, but the Greenwich defense clamped down, forcing Prep to settle for a 41-yard field goal, which Ben Cornelius nailed.
The second quarter was also competitive, but the momentum began to shift towards the end of the half after Greenwich tipped a Fairfield Prep punt. Tarantino hit Hudson Squires for a 30-yard touchdown on the ensuing play. Greenwich got the ball back again and Galano hit a field goal to put them up 17-3 going into the break. Hector Lopez was also responsible for a seven-yard touchdown run earlier in the third quarter.
Though the Cardinals moved the ball with ease, their defense was dominant, spearheaded by Michael Golden, Andy Stedem, Jacob Mobley, and Isaiah McDonald on the defensive line.

“The d-line, the linebackers; Coach Hocter is the best defensive coordinator in the state,” Morello said on the performance of his defense. That guy dials up incredible blitzes. We put all of our faith in our secondary; they man up and cover deep so that we can do what we do inside and our defensive line has been stout against the run all season long,”

Now, it’s onto the title game.

“I know that I’m ready, I know my brothers are going to be ready,” McDonald added.

“All we need to do is go out like we have been and dominate and I think we can get the dub.”