Greenwich football names captains for 2021 season
Every spring, Greenwich football names new captains as it says goodbye to the captains from the previous season.
This year the process for picking those captains was slightly different, with no fall season to help judge the merit of the rising seniors.
Despite the lack of games, coach Anthony Morello feels the four players the team voted on are the best choices to help the Cardinals move forward.
“The process has been so unconventional because normally on-field performance is a big selling point when it comes to being a captain. Every program in Connecticut will have this problem,” Morello said. “What these guys have done offseason and during 7-on-7 and how they’ve been leaders in weight room, school and through our social media shows why they were voted to be captains by their peers.” Morello said it will be smallest number of varsity repetitions any class of captains have had.
The four new captains are seniors Michael Sinisi (center), Luke Ware (LB), Tyler Cusimano (WR/safety) and Zach Mantione (WR).
Sinisi has the most on-field varsity experience, having started every game at center as a sophomore.
“The guys ahead of us taught us to lead by example,” Sinisi
said. “Some guys say something but they don’t do it. I know for me a guy like T.J. Abbazia, the former captain, wasn’t a big rah-rah guy but he worked hard in the weight room and off the field. If I follow what he did, it will be a success.”
All of the new captains have been inspired by those who wore the “C” before them.
“One hundred percent, I was mentored by every captain and I had every single one of them help me in some way,” Ware said. “Seeing them miss their senior season really touched me and hurt me. It makes me want to get out there and win a championship for them.”
Cusimano grew up watching Greenwich football and understands the tradition of the program.
“The most important thing we will do as captains is pass along the knowledge and history of Cardinal football and what that means to our community,” Cusimano said. “Passing on that tradition and all the hard work we do and the results we get from that is the most important thing we can do as captains.”
Morello said more players than usual were nominated as captains, but the four who were picked had separated themselves in the voting.
Morello informed the new captains Wednesday they had been picked.
“It means everything to me. Being named captain is one of the biggest honors,” Mantione said. “You see what the captains did last year and they were so important and they were guys I looked up to every day. I want to offer that to the underclassmen. I want to be a role model and someone who leads. It was a thrill moment.”