By Jim Stout
MaxPreps.com
Long before interstate high school football games became commonplace, there was Greenwich High.
Back in the 1980s, back before the days of televised scholastic events and national high school web sites, Greenwich was a leader in Connecticut in seeking ways to showcase its program, tangling several times with Massachusetts Division I kingpin Brockton, as well as Boston College High and St. John's.
Times have changed considerably in high school football since those days, but one thing hasn't. Greenwich is still on the move.
Saying the Cardinals have moved into the fast lane would be an understatement.
In a game that is certain to capture the interest of its entire home state, Greenwich agreed this week to fill the Nov. 9 open date on its 2007 schedule with a contest in Southwest Florida against venerable Naples High.
Florida ranks among the top scholastic football states in the country and Naples ranks among the best in its southwestern Gulf Coast region. A member of the Collier County Athletic Conference, the Golden Blades went 11-2 last season and reached the Region 3A-4 final before losing to Glades Central of Belle Glade, 24-14.
Its top running back of a year ago, Jevon Pugh, has graduated but the Golden Eagles return 2006 starting quarterback Craig Wingate, who rushed for 491 yards a year ago and passed for 378 in directing his team's option offense. Pugh rushed for 1,892 yards and 19 touchdowns last season and is headed for Iowa; two of his former Naples teammates are signed to play at Wake Forest.
In its 2007 Spring Classic game on Thursday night, Naples blasted 2006 Florida Class 2A runner up Clewiston, 49-16, as Nick Chandler rushed for three touchdowns and Wingate passed for 61 more.
Greenwich is coming off a 12-1 season in 2006, one that culminated with a FCIAC championship and its first state Class LL title since 1999. The Cardinals, who beat Southington for the 2006 state crown, sport a couple of major college recruits of their own in running back/linebacker Jonathan Meyers and center Chris Bisanzo. Meyers is also a standout defenseman for Greenwich's FCIAC semifinalist lacrosse team.
"Hopefully it's going to be great for Connecticut football," Greenwich coach Rich Albonizio said.
"If we can do well down there, maybe it will open some doors recruiting-wise for players in this state. There's a lot of excitement for this game. Out of curiosity, how we match up against a top team from another state has intrigued me for quite some time. I think high school football in Connecticut is pretty strong, but maybe we'll find out we're not as good as we think we are."
This will be Greenwich's first interstate game since a victory over White Plains, N.Y., High in 1997.
Albonizio pursued possible games in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Georgia, as well as Florida, before agreeing to the date at Naples. He was encouraged to tackle the Florida trip by University of Florida offensive line coach Steve Addazio, the one-time Cheshire (CT) High coach. Albonizio was visiting Florida's spring practice at the time.
"Steve thought we should give it a try," Albonizio said. "He said there are probably 35 Greenwich's in Florida so everyone down there is good and used to playing great competition and having great athletes. But he also said that we'd get good treatment from the people at Naples and a fair shake, and undoubtedly a huge crowd."
Albonizio said ESPN has expressed an interest in televising a game. If ESPN doesn't pan out, another cable network such as the Sunshine Network could get involved. A pay-per-view telecast is a possibility as well.
"We're certainly not going down there for a vacation," Albonizio said. "There will be a lot at stake, not only for us, but for the rest of the state. Hopefully we'll have a good showing because we have another bye in (2008)."
Kevin Callahan, the head coach at FCIAC member Ridgefield, has as good an understanding of the competition in Florida as anyone in Connecticut. Callahan's brother, Sean, is the head coach at Armwood High in Seffner, Fla., which is located on the west coast, near Tampa.
"Armwood doesn't play Naples, but Sean said it's a highly-respected, very competitive program," Kevin Callahan said. "He said that if they were able to stay within 10 points of Glade Central in the regional final last year that they must be unbelievably talented."
Greenwich will have a new starting quarterback this fall in 6-foot-5 senior Tucker Stafford, a situation that could be key for the Cardinals, Callahan said.
"Naples runs an option offense and they get a lot of kids involved so they can put up some points," the Ridgefield coach said.
"If Greenwich can hold onto the ball and mix things up with the run and the pass, they'll have a much better chance. And I think the way their support kids play will be important, too. Kids like Meyers and Bisanzo can play with anyone. They're big time players."
Naples coach Bill Kramer, meanwhile, was more than pleased with the effort his team gave during its pre-season game on Thursday against Clewiston.
In addition to reaching the regional final in 2006, Naples quailed for post-season play five straight seasons in the 2000-2004 period.
"I felt like we practiced hard and we came out and played hard," Kramer told the Naples News in summarizing his team's spring practice and game.
"The score is irrelevant. I really feel like we tried to play hard and we tried to play fast and that's really all that we were focused on.
"We're blessed," the Naples coach added. "If we can keep these guys focused in the weight room, in the classroom and in the community doing all the right things, I feel really good about our potential."
Jim Stout is the MaxPreps.com Media Manager for the Northeast Region. He may be reached at 203-563-2297 or at j.stout@jmstout.org