GHS gathers with teammate at funeral
Football teams are like a family and the Greenwich High School football team’s first priority Tuesday was supporting a family member.
Greenwich, which is playing New Canaan in the Class LL championship game on Saturday, did not attend Tuesday’s CIAC Football Media Luncheon at the AquaTurf Club in Southington so it could go to the funeral of the father of one of the members of the team. The funeral was held on Tuesday morning in Greenwich.
“I asked my captains what they wanted to do, we would support any decision they made,” Cardinals coach John Marinelli said. “Without hesitation, they said they wanted to be at the funeral with their teammate. That really hit home for me, because it shows how much we care for one another.”
Marinelli, who honored the family’s wishes by not disclosing the name of the player, stressed how close his squad is.
“We are a family that goes through ups-and-downs together,” Marinelli said. “We fight through adversity and we are a close team because of it. The leaders of our football team had my full support with their decision.”
The Cardinals issued the following statement on Twitter: “It is with great disappointment that we will not be attending the championship luncheon. It’s one of the greatest events held all year and we are sad to miss it. Instead, we will be attending a funeral. It’s been an emotional week for our community and our team wishes to be with the community as we mourn together.”
The Greenwich-New Canaan game featuring Cardinals coach John Marinelli and Rams coach Lou Marinelli — John’s father, is scheduled to be held at Shelton High School on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Last season’s Class LL final between Greenwich and Darien took place as Boyle Stadium in Stamford.
“I don’t care where the game is played,” John Marinelli said. “We can play the game in Antarctica, as long as we are there again. Just get me to the game.”
POSSIBLE SITE CHANGE
Administrators at New Canaan and Greenwich high schools were requesting the CIAC move the site of Saturday’s Class LL championship game between the schools to
Stamford’s Boyle Stadium.
The game is presently scheduled for 2 p.m. at Shelton High School’s Finn Stadium. The CIAC selects sites prior to the beginning of the state playoffs. The other site for this year’s championship games is Veterans Stadium in New Britain.
New Canaan, the No. 8 seed, lost to Greenwich, the No. 2 seed, earlier this season 42-14 on Oct. 6.
Saturday’s game will be the fifth between father Lou, the New Canaan coach, and son John of Greenwich. Each has won two games, with John’s Greenwich team winning the past two meetings.
“It’s just common sense,” New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli said. “People from New Canaan and Greenwich are not going to drive to Shelton to watch the game. So many more people will see this game if it’s in Stamford. And people want to see this game, I mean, I’d pay to see this game. Aside from all the other stuff, it’s just two really good teams going at. The more people that can see it in person, the better.”
There have been two championship games played at Boyle Stadium since 2013. New Canaan defeated Darien 44-12 in the Class L championship game in 2013 and Darien defeated Greenwich 31-22 for the Class LL title last season.
Sources have indicated the CIAC has reached out to see if the logistics of the change would work. The CIAC said there would not be a decision made on Tuesday night.
“I’m sticking to my Antarctica statement from before,” said John Marinelli, referring to a comment he made earlier in the day Tuesday. “If we have to play at Giants Stadium, Boyle Stadium, or at Shelton, we’re fine with it. Wherever the CIAC decides to have the game is just fine with us, it’s their decision. We’re just so happy to be back in this game and have another opportunity to play for the state title, we’ll play anywhere they want us to play.”