NEW ENGLAND — Lou Marinelli was soaking wet from his Gatorade bath and the temperature was in the high 30s and dropping fast.
It was a great feeling for New Canaan’s longtime football coach.
“I’ll always take a Gatorade bath like this, in any weather,” Marinelli said with a smile. “It was great.”
New Canaan closed an outstanding season with the final 10 points scoring 2:34 in the last three from Ty Groff’s 19-yard throw and beating Maloney 16-13 in the CIAC Class L championship game at Arute Field on Saturday.
This is the first CIAC championship (12-1) for New Canaan since 2016 and their 13th overall, all under head coach Lou Marinelli. Having coached the Rams since 1981, Marinelli won his first state championship 40 years ago in 1982.
“That’s great,” said Marinelli, who placed the Rams in 4th place in the GameTimeCT poll. “These guys are great. I’m happy we won but I will miss them. A very good group. They keep coming back and coming back. This group of seniors, I will miss them so much. Being able to do that is truly incredible.”
For Groff, the veteran shooter and quarterback, the winning field goal was a fitting end to a record-breaking career. He scored three field goals in the final, the longest of which was 41 yards, and broke the state record with 27 career field goals. He has appeared in 15 games this season, including seven in three playoff games.
The most emotional moment came in a simple snap while kneeling in the final game of the game.
“I started crying a little,” Groff said. “I was touched because no one deserved this more than us. Maloney is a very good team. Kudos to them, they are a strong-willed team. But I’ll take us against everyone and the day of the year.
It was a disappointing finish for third-placed Maloney (11-2), who won the program’s first state championship last year and was looking to add a second crown in a row.
The Spartans displayed their patented electrics on the 95-yard kickoff from Marquis Ward in the second quarter and took a 13-6 lead in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t hold back.
“There’s not a lot of word right now,” said Maloney coach Kevin Frederick. “Obviously we’re all disappointed. That’s not what we wanted it to be.
“We had the game in our hands, we were ahead in the fourth quarter and we were very dominant in the fourth quarter. It’s just a difficult thing.”
New Canaan’s defense held the Spartans 147 yards total, and Josh Boganski, who sprinted for 38 yards 15 times, caged the running star. Quarterback Kyle Valentine passed for 119 yards and scored a touchdown, but was stopped twice by Griffin Gentner of the Rams.
“Our defense team, led by (Coordinator) Chris Silvestri, has been working hours with the guys to come up with different plans,” Marinelli said. “He’s incredible and that’s been our mainstay for the past few years.”
Groff took two shots to give New Canaan a 6-0 lead in the second quarter, but Ward’s 95-yard kickoff put Maloney up 7-6 at halftime. This was the Spartans’ seventh special team this season.
“The Marquis is electricity,” Frederick said. “Our dedicated teams were great all year and they gave us that spark there.”
In the third quarter, Valentine put Donte Kelly up 13-6 with a 24-yard lead.
New Canaan responded when Hunter Telesco scored on a one-yard run with 9:44 remaining. Telesco led the Rams’ offense with 30 scrimmages at 107 yards.
After a defensive stop, New Canaan carried the ball inside the 10-yard line before Groff fired his final shot for the winning margin.
“It was great,” Groff said. “I would have preferred a punch to score a goal, but I knew that if a goal came from the field, I would be ready. It is quite surprising that there is another one.
player of the game
Ty Groff, New Canada: Oftentimes, a shooter isn’t considered a potential player of the year, but Groff has a state-record 27 career goals on his résumé, seven in the playoffs and now three in the championship game.
quotable
“For coach Marinelli and all the coaches on the New Canaan team, playing is an incredible experience. They all have great dedication and it showed tonight.” – New Canaan veteran Ty Groff
David.Stewart@hearstmediact.com; @dstewartsports
New Kenan 16, Maloney 13
NEW KANANA 0 6 0 10 – 16
MALONE 0 7 6 0 – 13
NC -Ty Groff 41 field goals
NC – Groff 24 field goals
M – Marquis Ward 95 kickoff (Josh Scaramuzzo kick)
M – Donte Kelly 24 pass Kyle Valentine (pass failed)
NC – Hunter Telesco 1 run (Groff kick)
NC – Groff 19 field goals
Records: New Canaan 12-1, Maloney 11-2
#Canaan #football #Groff #Maloney #Class #final
