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NEW CANAAN, Conn. It sounds unusual that defense could decide Saturdays Class L championship game between New Canaan High and Daniel Hand High. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. at East Hartfords Rentschler Field between two teams that combine for an average of nearly 72 points per game.
With two explosive offenses, the contest could come down to which team can make a critical stop, particularly late in the game. No. 2 seed Hand (12-0) comes into the game scoring 36.2 points per game, ranked fifth in the state. The Rams (11-1) average 35.6, ninth in the state. Whichever team blinks first Saturday might be on the short side of the scoreboard.
Theyre a big, physical team and well coached, said New Canaans Kevin McDonough, who leads the team with 103 tackles. Were going to have to play really well on defense. Theyll throw a lot of different looks at us.
Of particular concern for the Rams is quarterback Henry Foye, who has thrown for 27 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Foye had two touchdowns and 249 passing yards in a 35-14 win over Masuk High School of Monroe in last weeks semifinals. Running back Kevin Frey had 155 yards rushing in that game for Hand, including a 68-yard touchdown run.
Hand will test a rejuvenated New Canaan defense that has been playing its best in the past few weeks. In its 27-24 win over Windsor in the semifinals, only 10 points came against the defense. Windsor scored one touchdown on an interception return and another on a fumble return. Down 24-13 at half, New Canaans defense pitched shutout ball in the second half.
Our defense has had a lot of criticism all year, McDonough said. We have a good line and two of the best defensive ends in the state. Our secondary didnt get much respect at the beginning of the year, and it has played great over the past few weeks.
New Canaan has its own test ready for Hands defense. Quarterback Matt Milano (31 touchdown passes, eight interceptions) has been the teams leader most of the season. In the semifinal win, Bobby Distler and McDonough combined for 127 yards rushing and two touchdowns. They will challenge a Hand defense that has surrendered more than two touchdowns only once all season and blanked high-scoring Masuk in the second half last Saturday.
New Canaan beat Hand, 34-30, in the state championship game in 2007. In that game, the Rams scored 21 unanswered points behind quarterback Charlie Westfal to pull out the victory. The teams played then in the Class MM bracket, but the Connecticut State Interscholastic Conference realigned the tournament to four divisions last year, and both teams moved to Class L.
Hand and New Canaan are among the most successful teams in the state. Hand has won nine state titles, according to the state website, and its 16 state title appearances is second in the state behind Ansonia (24). New Canaan is playing in its sixth straight state championship game, the longest active streak in the state. The Rams have eight titles since 1976, while Hand has nine.
New Canaan was stopped short in last years final by Masuk, 50-20. That loss has motivated the team, particularly the seniors, all season. Only the Tigers stand in their way from winning their fifth state title in six years. We wouldve liked to have played Masuk again, Distler said. But Hand bet them, and they proved they belong here. Its going to be a great game.
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