The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Darien turns devastation to determination, gains revenge
NEW CANAAN — Payback can come in different forms, different seasons, different flavors in Fairfield County athletics.
With the unsavory taste of the Turkey Bowl still in Darien’s mouth, payback took the form of Joe Cesare on Sunday afternoon in the Class LL semifinal football game at Dunning Field.
The best the Darien senior cornerback could remember, the most turnovers he’d ever been part of in a game was one.
Well, Cesare didn’t have two interceptions in the 24-10 revenge of Darien’s Thanksgiving loss to New Canaan.
He had three — in the fourth quarter alone.
And a fumble recovery in the third quarter.
“Joe Cesare, he’s an animal,” Darien’s premier defensive lineman David Evanchick said. “He’s back there. He’s talking all game and he backs it up. He is the guy that gets in your face, but he’s there to back everyone up. Backs against the wall, Joe’s getting us in the mode, getting us in the mood.”
The loss to New Canaan had knocked previously unbeaten Darien out of No. 1 in the polls. It ruined the Blue Wave’s Thanksgiving. They were bent on not allowing it to ruin their football season.
“I was devastated,” Cesare said. “After I saw them storm the field, I just went to my boys and we hugged each other. We said, ‘We’ll be back. State championship matters.’ That was one regular-season game with a name to it called the Turkey Bowl.”
Cesare went home. He had dinner with his family, his whole mom’s side was there, 10 in all.
“I said hi to them and everything,” Cesare said. “I was sad. They all knew it. They didn’t want to grill me with questions. It was good to see them. I love being with my family. I was definitely sad. I also was ready to get back and play.”
Evanchick nodded over to the visitors’ sideline, Darien’s side of the field.
“I just sat there on the bench afterward and I was p***ed off,” he said. “I wanted to play right after the Turkey Bowl, to be honest with you. The next day. I wanted to play immediately.
“Hamden was a great team, but I wanted to play New Canaan right away. I think everyone had that mentality.”
Payback is a powerful force. When it is the best rivalry in Connecticut, payback can be an overwhelming force.
Evanchick said the Darien players
did a lot of texting. He said much of it went this way …
“OMG, I can’t wait to play them again.”
Evanchick had not been a happy eater at the family Thanksgiving table either.
“I sat there and listened,” Evanchick said. “Both my brothers (former Darien players) were home and both said state losses hurt 100 times worse. I felt that sophomore year (with the last-play miracle loss to Newtown). They both said Turkey Bowl doesn’t mean anything. Yeah, sure, it’s nice to win, but if you win states who cares?”
Evanchick relayed that message to his teammates. The guys who experienced the 2019 CIAC Class LL finals in the fog against Newtown knew what he meant.
“We had to get past the quarterfinals (against Hamden), but we knew we’d see each other again,” Cesare said. “We were all fired up in practice to get after it again. We were blessed with another chance and everyone was ready to step up.”
Few were more ready than Cesare.
Especially after a sound beating of St. Joseph, there was an awful lot
to like about the Blue Wave. They were averaging 44 points a game. Except for a few cracks against Wilton, their defense was more formidable than any in the state.
And then, smack, New Canaan held Darien to 3.4 yards per play and one touchdown in that 12-7 game. Tighe Cummiskey was held to 36 yards on 14 carries. Darien turned the ball over three times.
“They played a great game, their coaching was unbelievable,” Cesare said. “I didn’t think it showed what our team was like. Today, we definitely proved what we were like. I don’t think we communicated and trusted in one another enough (on Thanksgiving). After a bad play we wouldn’t pick each other up. New Canaan had a good scheme, too.
“After the game, we knew what we did wrong. We went after it and prepared the most to show what we can do. The coaches set up plays where we could get open. Today we were firing on all cylinders.”
After the Blue Wave went for it in the first quarter and failed on fourth down and six from its 26 — coach Mike Forget probably would like to have that decision back — Ty Groff kicked a 38-yard field goal to put
New Canaan up 10-7. But Jeremiah Stafford, who had broken off an early 35-yard touchdown run, scored again on a 5-yard run to give Darien a 14-10 halftime lead. If anything, Darien’s running game looks more varied and formidable entering the Class LL title game Saturday against Fairfield Prep. Cummiskey had 149 yards on 33 carries in this game, Stafford 86 on 10.
New Canaan, outgained 356-163, never scored again. Bad field position. An interception by Robert MacLehose. After Darien went up 17-10 on a 30-yard Isaac McMullin field goal in the third quarter, the more New Canaan pressed, the worse it got. Cesare saw a ball jarred loose by the D-line and jumped on a Joe Whitcomb fumble. Either under duress from Evanchick and the Darien D or trying to do too much, New Canaan quarterback Henry Cunney would throw four interceptions. One by Cesare led to Cummiskey’s one-yard up-and-over TD. All sucked the life out of the Rams’ comeback hopes.
“On one of them, I saw (Cunney) throw it, I peeled off my man (Alex Benevento) and just went over to make the play,” Cesare said. “The last one my man turned upfield, I could see him turn back for the ball. I looked back and the ball was there.”
New Canaan’s Jack McPhillips tried to wrestle the ball back to no avail.
As a freshman, Cesare played defensive back. Sophomore year he switched to slot receiver. When he got up to varsity, he said assistant coach Andy Grant moved him to the corner and he has been working there since on anticipation and coverage skills. He now has seven interceptions for the season.
“I love to tackle,” Cesare said. “I love to play linebacker, but I’m a little too small.”
“Joe is underneath the radar half the time,” said Evanchick about a team stacked with playmakers. “Today was his day. He showed himself today. He is a great teammate and great player.”
Cesare was eager to spread the praise. Defense. Offense, Coaching. Special teams. Offense, playmakers everywhere. And to others who may make claims about their defense?
“We’re the No. 1 defense in the state,” Cesare said. “We know that. We play hard. We hit. We just know it.”
It’s interesting. Ask a Darien football senior where he’s going the following year and inevitably the answer is, “I’m going to play lacrosse at …”
Cesare will play lacrosse at Georgetown. His dad went to Georgetown. He grew up a Hoyas fan.
Evanchick will play lacrosse at Villanova.
Remember payback coming in all forms, flavors and seasons in Fairfield County? Well, Fairfield Prep stunned mighty No. 1 Darien, 14-10, in the state lacrosse quarterfinals this spring.
“That was a tough loss,” Evanchick said. “I think everyone kind of remembers that loss. We’re looking forward to it.”
“We want to get revenge back on them for what happened,” Cesare said. “We’re ready. We want to beat them.”
Cesare smiled, realized he was talking about two sports at once — mixing Fairfield Country metaphors, if you will — and said, “I love football, though.”
And this was your biggest football day?
“100 percent,” Cesare said. “This is everything to us. Our team has been through everything. Obviously, last year we had no season. Year before, devastation in state championship. We’re so excited to get back to the state championship and prove what we’re about. The job’s not finished.”
Lacrosse sticks, however, will not be allowed on the field Saturday.