New Canaan dominates McMahon in home opener
NEW CANAAN — Two weeks, 99 points, and a pair of shutout victories.
Such is life so far this season for the New Canaan football team, although the road ahead is about to get bumpy.
Quarterback Henry Cunney threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more, and the defense held Brien McMahon to negative yardage as New Canaan dominated its home opener 50-0 Friday night at Dunning Field.
With Football Alliance games on tap for the next two weeks — the Rams play at Daniel Hand on Sept. 24, and host North Haven on Oct. 1 — New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli expects to get a better read his team.
“Those are two good programs, so we’re going to get tested for sure,” Marinelli said. “Starting next week, we’ll really found out what we’re made of.”
For McMahon, the mood was somber, but not just because of the score. Senior lineman Isaiah Epps injured his knee during the first half and had to be helped off the field before being taken to a hospital.
Epps had worked his way up to be a team captain this year, and his loss was “deflating” for the Senators.
“The kids know what Isaiah’s been through and how hard he’s worked to get to this point,” McMahon coach Jeff Queiroga said. “That’s a senior captain and It’s sad. It’s tough to sit with the kid and he’s crying because he knows that his career is over.”
McMahon had its back to the wall for nearly the entire game, as the Rams dominated field position and allowed the Senators just two first downs.
New Canaan scored 28 points in the first quarter. Cunney scored on runs of two and 11 yards, Vin Cognetta had a pick six — his third interception in two games — and Dom Rasso ran for a six-yard score.
When Cunney connected with Hunter Telesco for a 54-yard TD in the second quarter, the game went to running time.
Marinelli credited kicker Ty Groff for putting the ball in the end zone and leaving McMahon at its own 20yard line multiple times. Groff was also 6-for-6 on PATs and ran for a touchdown.
“He’s a weapon,” Marinelli said. “When we kick off and it goes into the end zone, they come out to the 20 and you’ve got them in a hole right away, and the way the defense has been playing, they hold them and end up with good field position. That’s part of what you saw tonight.”
Cunney passed for 173 yards with two TDs, connecting with Telseco and Conor Bailey on TDs.
“Our offense is really built together,” Cunney said. “We’re really a family out there, everyone’s got each others backs. The wide receivers, we’ve been working together a lot over the summer, especially the 7-on-7s, that helped a lot.”
Queiroga said the Senators knew what they were up against in New Canaan.
“We prepare for it like we’re going to win, but the kids knew it was a tall order today,” Queiroga said. “All I could ask for is they get in and play hard. That’s why I was upset at times because I felt like we weren’t playing hard and we were giving into the logo that was on (New Canaan’s) helmet. That’s frustrating.”
IN MEMORY
New Canaan has named its home opener in memory of former football captain and wrestling star Brian Wilderman. Wilderman, a member of the Rams’ Class of 1997, died in 2000.
At halftime of Friday’s game, the Rams stood on the field and a video of Wilderman was played on the scoreboard.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Henry Cunney, New Canaan: The senior quarterback was 6-of-10 passing for 173 yards and pair of touchdowns, and also rushed for two TDs.
QUOTABLE
“New Canaan’s a special place. To see all the people who came out for this game, and to honor (Brian Wilderman) that way, it was a great night.” — New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli