The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Greenwich finishes No. 1 in poll for first time
From 4-5, to 7-4, to 12-1 and then this memorable fall season — each year, the Greenwich High School football team showed significant improvement under coach John Marinelli.
Taking over a proud program in 2015 — one that produced eight state titles and 12 FCIAC championships — Marinelli put his systems in place during his first season, which was a learning one for the squad. In 2016, Greenwich qualified for the Class LL playoffs, losing to Darien in the quarterfinals and in 2017, it fell to the Blue Wave in the finals.
Last season’s success set Greenwich up nicely for what it proceeded to accomplish this fall. Outscoring their opponents, 579-54, during the course of the season, the Cardinals finished their 2018 campaign with a record of 13-0 and the CIAC Class LL title in their possession.
Dominating from start to finish, Greenwich claimed the LL championship with a decisive 34-0 victory over rival New Canaan at crowded Boyle Stadium on Saturday. With the win, Greenwich officially re-established itself as one of the state’s premier teams and Monday it was recognized as the No. 1ranked squad in Connecticut.
The Cardinals were voted No. 1 in GameTimeCT’s Top-10 poll and The Day of New London Top-10 State Coaches poll. Hand, the lone other undefeated team in the state was ranked second, Class M champion St. Joseph third and New Canaan, the preseason No. 1 team placed fourth.
“This is the first time ever in
Greenwich history that the team has finished at the No. 1-ranked team,” Marinelli said. “With the history and tradition this team has, to be the first Greenwich team to finish No. 1 is incredible.”
Incredible — that’s the type of season it was for the Cardinals. And for Greenwich, their season began way before senior quarterback Gavin Muir threw his first touchdown pass of the year, or senior running back Tysen Comizio reached the end zone for the first time this fall. It began that first training session shortly after last fall’s season.
“Walking off the field a year ago, after the loss to Darien, they really wanted to come back to the finals,” Marinelli said. “We challenged them as a coaching staff and the work they did in the offseason set us up for this season. It was a really good group of seniors that inspired their teammates.”
Behind strength and conditioning coach Pat Mediate — a veteran on Greenwich’s coaching staff — the Cardinals’ conditioning program enabled the athletes to improve their strength, skills and stamina.
The Greenwich football team received a Strength of America Award from the National Strength and Conditioning Association over the summer. In 2017, Comizio was chosen as a NSCA All-American Athlete of the Year.
“Our program is based on making our athletes more athletic, instead of bigger,” Mediate said during a summer interview. “We try to develop our program to prevent injuries and increase performance.”
During the offseason, the Greenwich players got together for weight lifting/ training sessions four days a week.
“We have an athletic program set up, not just for football players,” Marinelli said. “Our conditioning program helps them get ready for their winter sports, or spring sports. Our lifting program is kind of like their program and our games each week are their test. Better preparation produces better results and our athletes were well-prepared for the season. It’s a long offseason, so it’s easy for guys to go to the pool during the summer and relax. But everyone bought in and I credit our senior leadership and captains for that.”
Marinelli noted that rapport and continuity among the coaching staff and players has also been instrumental to building up the Cardinals’ program.
“Our coaching staff is like a family,” Marinelli said. “Everyone gets along and buys into our goals and ideas. We care about the kids, not just football. Our coaches are interested in their academic, family and social life. Kids want to play for coaches who care about them as people, not just players.”
A tenacious defense that posted six shutouts in 13 games and allowed an anemic 54 points all season helped spark the Cardinals to the 2018 Class LL and FCIAC titles. With more than 100 players on its roster, Greenwich’s depth allows its athletes to play one way. So defensive players such as senior standouts Mozi Bici and Jack Feda didn’t have to play on offense.
“It’s cool to see how far we have come from my first season with the team,” Marinelli said. “But we are also where we expected to be at this point. Being the competitor I am, I wanted to win a state title my first year. When you fall short like that, it helps you see what you need to improve on and what decisions you need to make.”
If you attend a Greenwich practice or game, you’ll notice the connection Marinelli and his staff has with the athletes.
“I have a good rapport with the kids, because I care about everyone in the program,” he said. “I learned from my dad (New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli) how to build a program the right way and every year it comes down to rapport with players. During the course of each season, I am going to make some unpopular decisions and they will have to deal with it and I am going to make some decisions they will like. But you have to be there for them during the process and help them learn.
“With us, it’s more than about wins. We want to see them do well in the classroom and we encourage them to do charitable work and help people in the community.”