The Fair Field

Podcast: Fairfield Sports Cafe

Here is the most recent edition of the Fairfield Sports Cafe.

Fairfield Warde offensive lineman Mike Money, center, signs his National Letter of Intent for Central Connecticut St., while flanked by his mom, Tricia; dad, Mike Sr., right, and head coach Duncan DellaVolpe.

In this edition, I talk about Mike Money’s signing for Central Connecticut State University, Warde, Prep, ND and Ludlowe’s suddenly hot boys basketball team, the maddening roller coaster ride the Fairfield co-op ice hockey team.

I also briefly preview Warde in the FCIAC wrestling meet and the Fairfield Prep vs. ND-Fairfield boys ice hockey team’s game on Saturday.

If you’d like to contact me, email me at ppickens@bcnnew.com.

Happy Friday and have a great weekend.

Pat Pickens is the sports editor of the Fairfield Citizen, a Hearst Connecticut Newspaper organization. Follow him on Twitter here.

Entering last night’s Super Bowl, I knew the Pats and Giants would be hard-pressed to repeat the drama of the Super Bowl XLII.

AP Photo/ This picture looks familiar, doesn't it, Giants fans?

Sure enough, they did.

The Giants’ run to the championship was eerily similar to the one between 2007-08, right down to Eli Manning’s Lombardi Trophy picture, seen at right.

But in the end, it was a Super Bowl for the ages, and the Giants are champions again.

No matter what talk-radio, ESPN, or pundits around the country say today, New England’s litany of mistakes cost it the game. The Pats had a turnover taken off the board from a 12-men on the field penalty, failed to recover two Giants fumbles, and had drop after drop on the final drive.

Don’t pin this one on Wes Welker or Tom Brady, if you’re looking for a scapegoat, consider how the team was built. I’ve been saying all year that New England was thinner on offense than numbers would show. Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are matchup nightmares, but if one is not healthy, the entire offense is average, even with arguably the greatest quarterback of all time.

The Giants executed, and don’t let anything the team tells the press today fooled you. Ahmad Bradshaw made the right play falling into the end zone. When a team is giving you points, you take them, no matter the circumstances. To put your faith into a snap, a catch, a hold and a kick on the last play of the Super Bowl is a lot of pressure, even from 18-yards out and no matter what Adam Vinatieri would have you believe.

Kevin Duffy is the winner.

The Post’s UConn men’s beat writer picked the Giants to win 27-21, the closest final score to the actual one in my mini-Twitter contest. Therefore he wins the shoutout.

Although, I had the Giants winning by 3, so I give myself props for that as well.

Stunners in Fairfield high school hoops were on the menu Friday.

Ludlowe coach Brian Silvestro told me on Thursday, his club’s game at Danbury was a must-win, since the Falcons entered with a 3-10 record and still have Ridgefield on coming up.

Needless to say, I thought the Hatters would win by 10.

Yet, Ludlowe took care of business on Friday night, holding off Danbury 61-57 to win its fourth game, and suddenly put itself in the mix for a state playoff berth.

I columnized last week about Silvestro’s worth to this team, and the Falcons now need to go 4-2, against some paltry competition, to reach the states. As long as Ludlowe doesn’t read its press clippings, the team should be good enough to reach Class L playoffs.

Meanwhile at Warde, the Mustangs looked ready to play, and Trinity Catholic did not.

The Crusaders seemed disinterested, and as though talent would be good enough, as it has been most of the year. The Mustangs worked and stole a 59-54 win against the FCIAC’s No. 2 team.

Trinity coach Mike Walsh told me after the game his club was out-played in 7 of 8 loose ball scenarios. This team is obviously as talented as any in the league, but apparently has had trouble playing as a team. Warde, who has had trouble with consistency, is now in states, but may see Trinity somewhere again.

If you didn’t see it, I wrote a pretty long feature on Terry Tarpey.

Fairfield Prep's Terry Tarpey is a pretty good dunker.

The Fairfield Prep standout swingman has become a giant in his own right of late. But there is MUCH more that couldn’t make the story, so here are some of the things that were cut.

Tarpey, on growing up and competing against his parents: “I wasn’t that good, maybe average. I still can’t beat my dad in 1-on-1.”

Terry’s dad: “I haven’t challenged him in 1-on-1 in a couple of years.”

Terry’s dad on comparing his game to his son’s: “We’re complete opposites. He shows me all the things I couldn’t do as a player.”

Terry’s sister, Kaitlyn, on her family’s competitive nature, and her brother’s basketball passion: “We’re a very competitive family…but I knew Terry would play basketball. He was carrying around a basketball at age 2.”

Terry’s dad on traveling for his son’s AAU basketball: “We spent a lot of quality time together…these are moments I’ll never forget.”

Terry, on his outlandish fashion that includes Nantucket red pants and pink socks: “Whatever keeps me loose, I’ll do…I play better when I’m loose.”

Terry’s mom, Ann Dzenutis, on Terry’s fashion sense: “It must come from his sister. I don’t know the first thing about fashion.”

Dzenutis on her son’s dunking: “I told him that you need to give the fans some reason to watch you.”

Tarpey on his goals for this season: “I’d love to see St. Joes again. I love playing great competition.”

I’ll be at Harding vs. Ludlowe boys basketball on Tuesday, Fairfield at Trinity Catholic hockey Weds., Ridgefield vs. Warde girls Friday and ND-Fairfield vs. Prep hockey on Saturday. Have a great week.

Pat Pickens is the sports editor of the Fairfield Citizen, a Hearst Connecticut Newspaper organization. Follow him on Twitter here.

Podcast: Fairfield Sports Cafe

Here is the signing day edition of the Fairfield Sports Cafe!

Fairfield Prep's Connor Rog says his letter of intent to run at the University of Virginia as Prep's coaches Bob Ford Sr., left, and Bob Ford Jr. look on.

I discuss Connor Rog’s signing ceremony to run at the University of Virginia at Fairfield Prep and Keegan Thimons’ signing to play soccer at Vanderbilt University.

The Fairfield co-op hockey win over Staples-Weston-Shelton, ND-Fairfield’s win over West Haven and Fairfield Prep’s terrific hockey week are all also discussed, and I make an unbiased Super Bowl prediction. Honestly.

If you’d like to comment on something you’ve heard or just say hello, send me an email at ppickens@bcnnew.com. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.

Pat Pickens is the sports editor of the Fairfield Citizen, a Hearst Connecticut Newspaper organization. Follow him on Twitter here.

Fairfield Warde's Keegan Thimons-- flanked by Warde coach Tom Cunningham, her parents Molly and Jim and club coach Dave Flower--signs her National Letter of Intent to play soccer at Vanderbilt University.

Podcast: Fairfield Sports Cafe

Ludlowe vs. Warde is basketball is only where the podcast begins.

In this week’s edition, I touch on the two epic basketball games, Danbury’s romp over Warde wrestling, and we meet the new Notre Dame boys ice hockey coach, Steve Heatherman.

If you have feedback, questions, or just want to comment, send me an email at ppickens@bcnnew.com

Thanks for tuning in, and have a great weekend.

Pat Pickens is the sports editor of the Fairfield Citizen, a Hearst Connecticut Newspaper organization. Follow him on Twitter here.

Wow.

Two incredible games, with two tremendous endings.

These stories may end up on the Fairfield Citizen site, but in case they don’t, here are my stories.

Boys

Having lost seven of eight, and coming off a 40-point home loss, the Fairfield Ludlowe boys basketball team’s season was hanging in the balance.

But the Falcons converted when it mattered most, and kept its state playoff hopes alive.

Ludlowe senior Tyler Bulkley scored 12 points, including a layup with 36 seconds left that game the Falcons the lead for good as Ludlowe held off Warde 44-43 on Tuesday at Fairfield Warde High School.

“It was a collective effort,” Ludlowe coach Brian Silvestro said. “We really needed this. The season was really in jeopardy.”

Mark Cerulli scored a team-high 13 points and Justin Berardino added 11 and five boards as the Falcons won for just the third time this year, putting the taste of a 74-34 loss against Stamford in Fairfield behind them.

“We worked hard and changed some things,” Silvestro said. “(Cerulli) got to the rim a bunch and did not take a charge all game which is big for him. I think he played a fantastic game.”

Coming out of a timeout, with 41 seconds left, Cerulli sent the inbounds pass to Berardino, and when two Mustangs crept to guard him, he hit Bulkley, back-door for the eventual game-winning layup.

“It wasn’t a play we had designed,” Bulkley said. “It was designed for (Berardino) and I got open and waited for him to pass it to me.”

The Mustangs had five chances win in the last eight seconds, with Matt McTague and Greg Hyman’s last-second tries hitting the rim. Berardino grabbed the final rebound, chucked the ball down court, creating bedlam on Ludlowe’s bench and igniting the Falcons’ student section to storm the floor.

“You don’t want to be hoping for a last-second shot,” Warde coach Ryan Swaller said. “You love seeing the shots go up.”

Michael Wright led the Mustangs with 13 points and nine rebounds. Warde fell for the fourth time in five games, dropping to 5-6.

“This is why it’s a rivalry,” Swaller said. “I felt we had opportunities, but we didn’t capitalize on them.”

Ludlowe opened on fire, scoring the game’s first eight points, behind Berardino’s 4-point play. But Warde answered with a 14-2 run, and led from there until the fourth quarter.

The game was hotly contested, and the pace was slow. The teams only combined for 14 second quarter points as Warde held a 19-14 lead at halftime.

After Ludlowe cut the lead to one, Warde came alive, building a seven-point advantage and putting the Falcons on the verge of a knockout blow.

“We let them stick around,” Swaller said. “I think playing up to our best…and letting teams stick around is an issue.”

The Falcons answered with a 9-0 run between the end of the third and fourth quarter start, to re-take the lead 33-31.

“I think I had confidence in the way we were playing,” Silvestro said.

Wright responded, scoring seven of his 13 in the fourth, as Warde took a 42-38 advantage on McTague’s jumper with 2:31 to play.

But Warde did not convert a field goal the rest of the way, and when the Falcons needed to convert, they did, with Bulkley’s layup. The Falcons snapped a three-game skid against Warde, spanning back to 2008.

“We had never beaten Warde since I’ve been here,” Bulkley said. “I didn’t want to go out like that.”

Ludlowe will try to remain hot on Friday when it hosts Bassick at 7 p.m.

“I’ve got kids who I can throw into the fire there,” Silvestro said.

Warde will try to rebound against Staples on Friday at 7 p.m.

“We’ve got to look forward,” Swaller said. “We’ve still got our goals in tact…we’re in a hole, but we’re not too far to get out of it.”

Girls

After blowing a 12-point lead against her team’s arch-rival, Warde sophomore Tiara Fountain knew she had to take over.

And she did, on both sides of the ball.

Fountain scored five of her game-high 18 in the final 3:08, and blocked Julia von Ehr’s potential game-tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer as the Mustangs held off rival Ludlowe, 46-43 on Tuesday at Fairfield Warde High School.

“She’s been our offensive player all year,” Warde coach Dave Danko said about Fountain. “She hit some key baskets.”

With the win, Warde clinched its 19th straight trip to the state tournament, dating back to Fairfield High School. Warde’s Jerelyn Luther scored six, grabbing 10 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth. Tiara’s sister Jamera added 10 points, as well, as the Mustangs won for the eighth time in their last 10 games.

Ludlowe’s Sarah Nesi led the team with 10 points, Meredith McGann scored eight points, grabbing five rebounds and Kat Mahder scored six, with 14 rebounds, 11 of which came in the second half.

“I’m always proud of my girls,” Ludlowe coach Sarah Huntington said. “To fight like that, and play with unbelievable heart…I don’t think saying I’m proud does it justice.”

Warde led the whole game, until the fourth quarter. The Mustangs used a 14-4 run to open and take control game. Warde’s lead peaked at 21-10 midway through the second, and the Mustangs led by nine, 25-16, at halftime.

Huntington lamented her club’s inability to convert layups and free throws, especially in the first half. The Falcons shot just 11-21 from the line.

“We missed some wide open layups,” Huntington said. “That’s going to cost you.”

Ludlowe’s defense turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, as the Falcons chipped away at the Warde advantage. A 9-2 run to open the half, capped by McGann’s 3-pointer, cut Warde’s lead to 27-25.

“Ludlowe fought,” Danko said. “They had the desire to win, and the belief to win, and we had to defend our home court.”

But Warde answered right back, building a seven-point advantage, yet leaving the Falcons in the game due to shoddy free-throw shooting. The Mustangs only shot 13-28 from the line, with 10 of those missing coming in the second half.

“It could have really hurt us if we had lost, missing all those free throws,” Danko said.

Ludlowe finally struck at the end of the third, and into the fourth, as a 12-2 run, keyed by Nesi’s six and Briana Curran’s lead-taking layup, pushed the Falcons ahead 40-37.

“We had to get it inside,” Huntington said. “It opened up some of our shots on the outside.”

But Warde countered with an 8-0 run, re-taking a 45-40 advantage. Von Ehr’s banked 3-pointer with 24 seconds left made it a two-point game, and Jamera Fountain’s one-of-two from the line set up Tiara’s game-deciding block on the freshman’s second 3-point try, that would have tied the game.

“We were fortunate to get through that screen,” Danko said. “We came up huge.”

Huntington, initially, was on officials that Fountain may have fouled von Ehr on her shot attempt, a fact that the Warde sophomore didn’t refute.

“I thought I fouled her,” Fountain said. “Then the buzzer went… It was a great feeling.”

“Who knows if she really got fouled,” Huntington said after the game.

The Mustangs will host Staples on Friday, looking to lift its win streak to five.

The Falcons— who have now lost four straight, five of seven and four straight to Warde— will visit Bassick on Friday at 5:15 p.m.

There will be more on these games in the Fairfield Sports Cafe on Friday. There’s a ton to add. Hope you all had fun at the games, and hope you have a good night.

Pat Pickens is the sports editor of the Fairfield Citizen, a Hearst Connecticut Newspaper organization. Follow him on Twitter here.

What a weekend to be in Connecticut.

Saturday we were bombarded with snow– Shelton got a foot, Bridgeport about 6 inches– that left games canceled and me missing my cousin’s wedding in NJ.

Oh yeah, and there was a pretty big hockey game in Boston that went in favor of the Broadway Blueshirts.

We can cover Terry Tarpey’s monster game, Billy Cundiff becoming Ray Finkle and preview Ludlowe vs. Warde on Tuesday.

Where shall we begin…

Terry “Monster” Tarpey

The most incredible thing about the College of William & Mary-bound Tarpey’s near quadruple-double on Friday

Terry Tarpey continues to be a monster for Fairfield Prep.

night? Both he and his coach, Leo Redgate, think he can play better. “I think he turned the ball over too much,” Redgate said.

Tarpey loves playing a “complete” game: “I’d rather have a game where I score 15 points, but get 10 rebounds and 10 assists,” he said.

One of my editors said of him: “There might not be a player more valuable to his team than him” and I agree. Without Tarpey, Prep is probably a state playoff team. With him, the Jesuits are a potential Class LL finalist, and it’s not simply because of his skill, it’s because he makes everyone around him better and does all the little things to put Prep in a position to win.

The Jesuits, in the first half, appeared to me to be clicking on all cylinders. I know Redgate thinks they can get better, and I think they can too. But if Tarpey isn’t the only one scoring and guys like Tommy Nolan– a freshman– or Ryan Blake can grow into good role players, Prep is looking pretty good.

Cancellations

Because of the snow in the area, all games scheduled for Saturday were postponed.

That means Prep’s hockey game with Cheshire, Fairfield co-op hockey’s game against Westhill, as well as, indoor track and wrestling were not competed as scheduled.

Prep’s hockey game will be made up Thursday at 3:30 p.m., meaning the Jesuits will have to play three days in a row. Prep vs. Cheshire will be followed by a trek to Newark, N.J. for the Jesuit Shootout Friday against BC High, then either the consolation or championship game Saturday.

Fairfield vs. Westhill has not yet been rescheduled. Both Ludlowe’s wrestling and indoor track meets were canceled, meaning they will not be made up.

Pro sports

I hate to do this, mostly because if you’re looking for NFL, NHL or NCAA coverage, you can go to the myriad beat writers and columnists that actually were either in Massachusetts, Tennessee, California, or anywhere else in the country your local passions align.

But, I can’t help myself here. And if you’re not interested, skip to the bottom.

The Rangers and Bruins game was the NHL’s biggest game with local interest since…well…the Winter Classic. But that not withstanding, the Rangers have become one of the “talks of the town” in NY, and naturally that’s protruded into Fairfield County. I can’t go anywhere without someone telling me how good the Rangers are, which makes me– a New Jersey Devils fan (yes, we do exist)– sick.

But the Bruins are the defending Cup champion, and everyone– especially Bostonians– loves a winner, plus Boston’s allegiances migrate south, as well. So a clash of the titans was competed on Saturday in Beantown.

“Hockey maven” Stan Fischler told me that whoever won the game on Saturday would be the toast of the East. The Rangers snuck an OT victory, so I guess that makes them slightly better than the Bruins at this point? At this rate, it isn’t, honestly, fair to call one better than the other. But I think when they inevitably meet in the postseason it will– besides succeeding to make me sick– be an epic series.

About UConn, I think the Huskies have been mediocre at best all year, and certainly haven’t warranted a No. 13 ranking. If I had an AP vote, which I don’t of course, I don’t think– based on the Huskies’ body of work– I could even find a spot for them in the top-25.

I had a discussion with our beat writer, Kevin Duffy, on Twitter last week, and my point is this: What “stellar” win does UConn have that earns them a ranking? A home, conference win over West Virginia? A home win over Harvard? Perhaps the only substantive win was the road victory over Notre Dame, but even still, that was a mid-morning TV start, where the atmosphere was nowhere close to what it was when No. 1 Syracuse came to town on Saturday night.

UConn’s lost bad games: home loss to Cincy, neutral site to Central Florida, two losses in New Jersey. Ranked teams can’t lose games like that.

Finally, on the NFL, we save the best for last.

How do you beat championship weekend? Two epic games with classic endings that produced legendary goats. Where do we begin?

Baltimore Ravens' kicker Billy Cundiff is the ultimate goat after his missed 32-yard field goal on Sunday. AP Photo/Winslow Townson

The Patriots, somehow, continue to do it. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that Julian Edelman– yes, that Julian Edelman– was covering three-time Pro Bowler Anquan Boldin for the entire game. Boldin was the Ravens’ top receiver in the game, but four of his six catches came on Baltimore’s final drive. How can you not take better advantage of that matchup?

That will always be the question on my mind when someone brings this game up. Tom Brady wasn’t great, for him to throw two picks in that game is mind-boggling. He’s been a little loose with the football this entire season, and that could end up costing the Pats in the long run. But his Walter Payton-esque dive, where Ray Lewis lit him up, will be a forgotten image, due to the one to the immediate right. But it certainly is an important image.

But honestly, who else does an outcome like that work for, besides the Patriots?

In the NFC game, the San Francisco 49ers defense was the toughest I’ve seen the Giants play against all year.

Full disclosure, I am a Giants’ fan. I don’t honestly know how the 49ers were able to stay in the game and get it to OT. They didn’t complete a pass to a wide receiver all day. They converted on one third down.

Yet, when we talk about goats in yesterday’s game, Alex Smith won’t be one of them.

That’s because Kyle Williams, not once BUT TWICE, cost the Niners the game. I think the yips must’ve gotten the best of him, because he dove for a punt in the first half, that was a curious decision. Then his leg hit the ball, setting up Eli Manning’s strike to Mario Manningham. Then his fumble, set up Lawrence Tynes’ second-career conference championship clinching, overtime field goal, to send the Giants to the Super Bowl.

Giants' fans have seen this image before from kicker Lawrence Tynes, after the kicker sent the team to the Super Bowl. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

There are so many numbers to ponder, I could spend all day. The Giants are 5-0 in NFC Championship games– no other team has been perfect in more than two such affairs. Giants are 2-0 in the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park.

The great irony is New York is 5-4 in conference championship games. Giants are 5-0, Jets are 0-4.

I think Eli Manning is cementing himself as the greatest quarterback in Giants’ history. The similarities between this season and 2007-08 are alarming. The miserable offseason, the terrible week one loss, the great start followed by the coach hitting the hot seat after a midseason meltdown. The season-saving, week 16 win that righted the ship and a playoff-run inducing week 17 win. Then there’s the revenge run through both the No. 1 seed and the overtime-win to set up a rematch with the Patriots. It’s almost too much.

But enough with all my analysis. Where do your loyalties lie? If you’re a Jets’ fan, who will you be rooting for? If you’re a fan of a different team– Steelers, Raiders, Packers, Cowboys, etc.– who will you be rooting for?

And most importantly, will any of you be making the trek to Indy for the big game?

Remember to follow me on Twitter for Ludlowe vs. Warde boys and girls basketball game updates and analysis on Tuesday, starting with the girls game at 6 p.m.

I’ve been making appearances and shaking hands a lot this week. I was on the Fairfield Prep’s broadcast of the Jesuits’ win over West Haven, and I’d me remiss if I didn’t mention all the former Fairfield American Little Leaguers who have been coming up and saying hello to me. I really appreciate it all.

Pat Pickens is the sports editor of the Fairfield Citizen, a Hearst Connecticut Newspaper organization. Follow him on Twitter here.

Podcast: Fairfield Sports Cafe

Obviously, the biggest story in the state from this past week was Marty Roos’ sudden resignation from Notre Dame.

ND coach Marty Roos' suddenly resigned on Wednesday. The Fairfield Sports Cafe has full reaction from his resignation.

We have reaction from all sides, within Notre Dame and from around the state in the most recent edition of the Fairfield Sports Cafe podcast.

Here is the most recent edition.

Besides Roos’ resignation, Prep hockey’s blowout win over West Haven is discussed, as is sportsmanship from Ludlowe boys basketball’s 40-point loss to Stamford, and also a preview of both Ludlowe vs. Warde games coming on Tuesday.

Email me at ppickens@bcnnew.com with concerns, comments or questions you may have. Also if you hear breaking news, don’t be afraid to email me about it either.

Thanks for listening and for supporting us. Have a great weekend.

Pat Pickens is the sports editor of the Fairfield Citizen, a Hearst Connecticut Newspaper organization. Follow him on Twitter here.

Podcast: Fairfield Sports Cafe

Apologies to those of you who came here looking for the podcast and didn’t find it.

Because the basketball in town was played on Thursday, I had to wait for those games and results to be announced to complete. By Friday, it seemed logical to wait for Prep too. Saturday, the Ludlowe wrestling and Fairfield co-op hockey teams competed.

Whatever the excuses, here is the podcast.

I talk about last week’s games, including Matt Sather’s 200th win, the co-op team’s struggle for consistency and talk about hoops.

If you have a comment, complaint or concern, email me at ppickens@bcnnew.com. Thanks for listening.

Pat Pickens is the sports editor of the Fairfield Citizen, a Hearst Connecticut Newspaper organization. Follow him on Twitter here.