Overtime

After a season of many accomplishments by FCIAC teams, it is time to select the two athletes you think were the most outstanding during the past 10 weeks.

All season we have been honoring the BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Players of the Week. Now, for the third straight season, we have decided to honor two players as the BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Male and Female Fall Players of the Year. The two winners will receive trophies from BlueStreak Sports Training and quarter-zip sweatshirts from The Stamford Advocate.

And unlike the regular season, when BlueStreak picked the winners, you will be able to vote for the two people you believe are most deserving.

We were going to have five male and five female finalists, but due to the number of outstanding candidates nominated we have expanded the field to six each. We are very pleased that we have eight of the 19 league members represented, in six different sports.

Here are the male finalists and their accomplishments:

SEAN GALLAGHER: STAPLES SOCCER: Gallagher, the Wreckers’ center back, was an integral part of a team that won the FCIAC championship and reached the state title game. Gallagher was the team’s shut-down defender. When he was injured at the start of the season, the Wreckers opened 1-2. When he returned, the team went 19-1-1.

KEVIN MACARI, NEW CANAAN FOOTBALL: Macari was an explosive two-way player for a New Canaan team that took a 9-1 record into the state playoffs. He had 36 receptions for 762 yards and 12 touchdowns, an average of 22 yards and two touchdowns on punt returns, and returned two of his three interceptions for scores.

ANDRES TORRES: NORWALK SOCCER: Torres led the FCIAC in scoring with 27 goals and three assists as the Bears clinched the top seed in the FCIAC Tournament. He finished as the second-leading scorer in school history.

JOE DELLA VECCHIA, ST. JOSEPH FOOTBALL: Della Vecchia keyed the Cadets to a 7-3 record and berth in the state tournament. He completed 133 of 212 passes for 2,337 yards and 27 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 522 yards and four scores.

RORY SHEPARD, NEW CANAAN SOCCER: Shepard was named the most valuable player as the Rams made a surprising run as the 19th seed to the CIAC Class L championship. Slowed by an injury, Shepard played in just 14 games yet finished with 12 goals and eight assists.

TYLER JACOBS, STAPLES FOOTBALL: Jacobs was one of the league’s most versatile performers for a Staples team that was 9-1 heading into the state playoffs. He rushed for 915 yards and 11 touchdowns, returned two punts for touchdowns and had seven interceptions, one he returned for a score.

Here are the female finalists and their accomplishments:

KIRSTEN ERIKSEN: WESTHILL SOCCER: Eriksen finished with four goals and six assists, but her greatest value was as a field general for the Vikings as they reached the final game of both the FCIAC and CIAC Class LL Tournaments. Eriksen helped spark Westhill to a 13-1-2 finish before the state final.

MACKENZIE BEGLEY, DARIEN VOLLEYBALL: Begley had another outstanding year as setter and floor leader for a Darien team that went 24-1, won the FCIAC title and reached the state final. She finished with 607 assists, 280 service points, 75 aces, 196 digs, 28 kills and six blocks.

CAROLINE EDISON, FAIRFIELD WARDE CROSS COUNTRY: Edison came on strong during the postseason to finish second in the FCIAC championship and first in the CIAC Class L championship. She also came in 10th at the State Open and ninth at the New England championship, as well as a fourth-place finish at the New Balance Invitational.

ELLIE RIEGEL: DARIEN FIELD HOCKEY: Riegel, a midfielder and defender, was a big reason the Blue Wave were the most dominant team in the sport in the state, going unbeaten with league and state titles. Riegel led Darien with 20 goals and 18 assists. She had two goals, including the game-winner, in the state final.

SHANNON COLLIGAN, GREENWICH SOCCER: Colligan was the player opponents made the focus of their game plans as the leading scorer for a Greenwich team that won its second conference championship in school history. Colligan, a dynamic finisher, ended up with 19 goals and 11 assists.

MADDIE RUSCH, NEW CANAAN SWIMMING: Rusch did not lose an individual race, competing in six different events, during the dual meet season. She won the 50 free and was part of two winning relays as the Rams won the FCIAC title for the first time in 13 years. She won the 50 free in a meet-record time, anchored two winning relay teams — one in a meet-record time — and was third in the 500 free as New Canaan won the Class L title. Rusch anchored the winning medley relay team, was second in the 50 free and anchored a second-place 200 free relay team as the Rams finished second at the State Open.

So there are your 12 candidates. You are allowed to vote for one male and one female. The voting will continue until noon on Monday, when we will announce the winners.

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Following up on yesterday’s post announcing the finalists, the vote for the BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Male and Female Fall Players of the Year will begin tomorrow morning and run until noon on Monday. The winners will receive a trophy from BlueStreak Sports Training and a quarter-zip sweatshirt from The Stamford Advocate.

In case you missed it, here are the finalists:

MALE

Sean Gallagher, Staples soccer

Kevin Macari, New Canaan football

Andres Torres, Norwalk soccer

Joe Della Vecchia, St. Joseph football

Rory Shepard, New Canaan soccer

Tyler Jacobs, Staples football

FEMALE

Kirsten Eriksen, Westhill soccer

Mackenzie Begley, Darien volleyball

Caroline Edison, Fairfield Warde cross country

Ellie Riegel, Darien field hockey

Shannon Colligan, Greenwich soccer

Maddie Rusch, New Canaan swimming.

Just to clear up a few inquiries that were made today. All finalists had to be nominated by someone. In selecting them, of paramount importance was putting together the best possible field. The question always asked was, “If this person wins, would it compromise the legitimacy of the award?” All 12 finalists are most deserving.

There were a lot of hard choices to make and there were some strong candidates who were edged out. As much as possible, we tried to get all sports represented and ideally wanted to try and have no more than one player from a school in each category to minimize the chances of two people canceling each other out in the vote. Ultimately we do have two finalists from one school in each vote because they were the best candidates.

We also went from five to six finalists in each category for one reason: these awards tend to go to players with the gaudiest statistics. As you will see in the player bios tomorrow, we had one male and one female soccer player who were among the best in the state but played positions where their value was either from a defensive or playmaking standpoint.

Also, because of the gaps in the fall and winter schedules, we needed to start the vote this week, even though the football season runs for two more weeks. All football nominees were judged by their work to date.

So check back tomorrow as we begin the vote to determine the BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Male and Female Fall Athletes of the Year.

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We have picked 12 finalists for the BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Male and Female Fall Player of the Year awards. The winners will each receive a trophy from BlueStreak Sports Training and a quarter-zip Fall Player of the Year sweatshirt from the Stamford Advocate.

There were many strong candidates and the decision was tough, but ultimately we feel we have the best field of players based on those nominated. The choice to go with six male and female finalists, instead of five, is because we wanted to include two players who specialized on defense in their sports and cannot be measured by statistics, as is the case with the other finalists.

The male finalists are:

Sean Gallagher, Staples soccer

Kevin Macari, New Canaan football

Andres Torres, Norwalk soccer

Joe Della Vecchia, St. Joseph football

Rory Shepard, New Canaan soccer

Tyler Jacobs, Staples football

The female finalists are:

Kirsten Eriksen, Westhill soccer

Mackenzie Begley, Darien volleyball

Caroline Edison, Fairfield Warde cross country

Ellie Riegel, Darien field hockey

Shannon Colligan, Greenwich soccer

Maddie Rusch, New Canaan swimming.

We will provide you with more details on the finalists tomorrow, and then start the vote Tuesday until noon the following Monday to select the BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Male and Female Fall Players of the Year.

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As I have mentioned over the last 48 hours, the Darien administration and football program have demonstrated tremendous compassion and dignity in the way they have handled the aftermath of five players vandalizing the New Canaan High School campus prior to yesterday’s game.

And as I reported in my game story, a letter of apology was read before the game, signed by Darien coach Rob Trifone and his captains, to New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli as he stood at the center of the field. It was a public display of great class.

One mistake I made yesterday with everything being so hectic was getting a copy of the letter. It was emailed to me tonight by someone on the Darien side and it is worth sharing.

People unfortunately are going to associate the Darien program with this horrible incident. I believe these words are a more accurate representation of Trifone and his players:

To Coach Marinelli and the New Canaan Rams,

On behalf of the entire Blue Wave football team, we would like to apologize for the thoughtless and immature actions of our ex-teammates on Tuesday night at your high school. We recognize the gravity of what happened and have taken appropriate disciplinary measures to address the problem. We are ashamed by the disrespect that they showed. As a team and school, we do not condone this type of behavior, nor are we proud of it.

Peter McDonough, Will Weinstock, Graham Maybell, Charlie Kunze, Jake Weil, and Coach Trifone

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Two schools that have yet to win the award and our very first winner are the finalists for the last Overtime Team of the Week, sponsored by BlueStreak Sports Training, Garden Catering and The Stamford Advocate, for the fall season.

Your choices are: New Canaan, which routed Darien, 42-14, to clinch a berth in the state playoffs; Staples, which toppled Greenwich, 27-8, to qualify for the state tournament; and Norwalk, which edged city rival Brien McMahon, 8-7, in coach Pete Tucci’s final game. The Bears were our week 1 winner after their victory over Greenwich.

The winning team, thanks to BlueStreak and Garden Catering, will receive a plaque and 60 T-Shirts with the team helmet and lettering in the front in the primary color of the school.

The voting is open until noon on Wednesday and will count for 50 percent. The other half will come from the decision of a committee made up of Sean Patrick Bowley, the online sports producer for Hearst Connecticut Newspapers, Pat Pickens, the sports editor of the Fairfield Citizen-News, and Tim Parry, who runs the FCIAC Football Blog.

If the decision of the voters and the majority of the committee differs, the tie will be settled by The Advocate sports department.

As previously announced, the Overtime Team of the Week is going to continue during the winter sports season and will be open to all sports. Complete details will be forthcoming.

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Of all the many storylines leading up to yesterday’s Turkey Bowl between Darien and New Canaan, one no one saw coming was the incredibly senseless act of vandalism that overshadowed the tremendous pregame hype.

I’ve been asked by a lot of people whether I was going to express an opinion or write a story about it. And the answer is yes.

Yesterday was a day to focus on the game and the many implications involved. I’ll have a column in Sunday’s Advocate weighing in with some thoughts and commentary. I am sure I don’t no every aspect of the story, but from talking to people at both schools — who have been tremendously cooperative — I think I know a little bit more than most, especially with some of the aspects that happened behind the scenes. I will share what I can.

Just a couple of points as a preview; this is bigger than something for the blog and with the holiday we thought it best to run on Sunday:

— I’m disappointed by what I would say is a VERY SMALL minority of people who have shrugged this off as a “boys will be boys” incident. This is far greater than that. The extent of the damage was enormous, and this was a very calculated act, right down to the type of paint that was used, which is going to make the cleanup all the more difficult.

— If I’m a member of the Darien football team, I am furious with the five players involved, particularly the two starters. It is not overstating the fact that this not only could derail one of the best seasons in school history, but years from now the Blue Wave unfortunately might be recalled for what happened off the field and not on it. That is a shame.

— I haven’t spoken to any Darien players yet, and I don’t know if I will get the chance, but I do know many of the students and people in town are very upset that this act will tarnish their image. And to a certain extent it will, which is unfortunate because this was not representative of the football program or the citizens of Darien.

— Finally, under trying conditions, the Darien administration has made all the right moves thus far in the way it has handled every aspect of the situation. The same goes for the people of New Canaan. There might be a rivalry between the towns on the playing fields, but there is also mutual respect.

I’ll have much more for you on Sunday.

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According to a source with knowledge of the incident involving the vandalism at New Canaan High School today, who asked not to be identified, the five Darien players involved in the incident are two starters, one reserve and two team members who do not receive playing time.

Darien athletic director John Keleher, when reached for comment, would not name the players involved, but said, “We have identified the people responsible and they have been disciplined athletically and by the school. The individuals will not be playing football for Darien this year.”

We will keep you updated.

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A vandalism incident at New Canaan High School overnight that caused significant damage to the school was reportedly the work of five Darien football players who reportedly have been suspended from the team on the eve of its key football game with the Rams.

According to the New Canaan News, the New Canaan police have identified the players involved. A source familiar with the details, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the perpetrators are five significant members of the team who have had their lockers cleaned out.

People at New Canaan said the campus had graffiti on nearly every door leading into the school, which were painted in Darien’s team royal blue color. The damage included a number of expletives, obscene drawings and other derogatory remarks about New Canaan. The entranceway to the Rams’ football stadium also was spray-painted in several areas.

This incident comes just over 24 hours before Darien and New Canaan meet in their annual Turkey Bowl showdown. The Blue Wave, which won the FCIAC championship last Friday night, are 10-0 and looking to secure a home game in the CIAC Class L Tournament. New Canaan (8-1) needs a win tomorrow to qualify for the state playoffs.

Efforts to reach Darien football coach Rob Trifone and athletic director John Keleher have been unsuccessful.

New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli refused to comment.

New Canaan athletic director Jay Egan said, “This is a very unfortunate incident, but we are very satisfied with the way the Darien administration has handled this and we have always had a very positive relationship between the two programs and the two schools.

We will keep you updated as more information develops.

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