Greenwich beats Staples, dashes Wreckers' state playoff hopes
WESTPORT >> It was an ending that the Staples High football team saw come too soon. Led by a three touchdown performance from Austin Longi, there seemed to be no stopping the Greenwich Cardinals on Thursday at Staples Stadium.
In a must-win game for the Wreckers to slip into the Class LL State Tournament, Staples was met with a relentless defense and an offense that made all the right plays. The Cardinals defeated Staples 27-7 to dash Staples’ playoff hopes and end a four-game Thanksgiving losing streak.
“We had to let Staples know they were in for a big fight on Thanksgiving,” Greenwich head coach Rich Albonizio said. “I thought the defense played their best game of the year against a very good offensive team. Staples is a great team and their quarterback is a terrific player. They hit, they are well-coached and are very difficult to play against because they can do so many things on offense. But this was our turn.”
Greenwich made its presence felt right from the get-go. After a stalled opening drive from the Wreckers, the Cardinals went right to business. A five-play drive was capitalized by Longi’s 4-yard run into the end zone to give Greenwich the 7-0 lead.
Longi made his presence felt again, this time on the defensive end. On Staples’ next possession he intercepted quarterback Jack Massie. It was opening statement from Greenwich that the Wreckers were in for a long morning. Despite the fact that the Cardinals were out of the playoff picture, it was still viewed as big game for Greenwich.
“We just knew we had to win,” said Longi, who finished with 225 rushing yards. “We don’t care what our records are vs. Staples, we just needed to win on Thanksgiving. It’s the biggest game of the year no matter what; it’s bigger than anything.”
Greenwich added to its lead in the second quarter as quarterback Matt Marzulla rushed for 15 yards to make it 13-0.
While the Cardinals’ offense settled into a rhythm, the defense made sure Staples didn’t. Led by the play of lineman Jack Wynne, Massie and the offense were never able to get anything going, and faced with multiple fourth down scenarios. Staples struggled to find a consistent offensive flow as the normal potent running game of Patrick Lesch and Jack Greenwald was held in check.
“I just thought up front we had a very, very rough day and we couldn’t move the ball with any sort of consistency,” Staples head coach Marce Petroccio said. “And you know defensively, we had Longi stopped a couple times, and he just made some great plays. I think all the credit goes to Greenwich, they played a great game. They were physically tougher than we were today.”
Greenwich took a 20-0 lead midway through the second quarter as Longi punched it in from 2-yards out, two plays after a huge 36-yard run on fourth down. Continued...
In a must-win game for the Wreckers to slip into the Class LL State Tournament, Staples was met with a relentless defense and an offense that made all the right plays. The Cardinals defeated Staples 27-7 to dash Staples’ playoff hopes and end a four-game Thanksgiving losing streak.
“We had to let Staples know they were in for a big fight on Thanksgiving,” Greenwich head coach Rich Albonizio said. “I thought the defense played their best game of the year against a very good offensive team. Staples is a great team and their quarterback is a terrific player. They hit, they are well-coached and are very difficult to play against because they can do so many things on offense. But this was our turn.”
Greenwich made its presence felt right from the get-go. After a stalled opening drive from the Wreckers, the Cardinals went right to business. A five-play drive was capitalized by Longi’s 4-yard run into the end zone to give Greenwich the 7-0 lead.
Longi made his presence felt again, this time on the defensive end. On Staples’ next possession he intercepted quarterback Jack Massie. It was opening statement from Greenwich that the Wreckers were in for a long morning. Despite the fact that the Cardinals were out of the playoff picture, it was still viewed as big game for Greenwich.
“We just knew we had to win,” said Longi, who finished with 225 rushing yards. “We don’t care what our records are vs. Staples, we just needed to win on Thanksgiving. It’s the biggest game of the year no matter what; it’s bigger than anything.”
Greenwich added to its lead in the second quarter as quarterback Matt Marzulla rushed for 15 yards to make it 13-0.
While the Cardinals’ offense settled into a rhythm, the defense made sure Staples didn’t. Led by the play of lineman Jack Wynne, Massie and the offense were never able to get anything going, and faced with multiple fourth down scenarios. Staples struggled to find a consistent offensive flow as the normal potent running game of Patrick Lesch and Jack Greenwald was held in check.
“I just thought up front we had a very, very rough day and we couldn’t move the ball with any sort of consistency,” Staples head coach Marce Petroccio said. “And you know defensively, we had Longi stopped a couple times, and he just made some great plays. I think all the credit goes to Greenwich, they played a great game. They were physically tougher than we were today.”
Greenwich took a 20-0 lead midway through the second quarter as Longi punched it in from 2-yards out, two plays after a huge 36-yard run on fourth down. Continued...
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