By Dave Stewart
MaxPreps.com
DARIEN, Conn. - It’s three weeks into the high school football season and already in the FCIAC, the Greenwich Cardinals have been knocked off their lofty perch, Staples has survived one big challenge and the Darien Blue Wave and the supposedly rebuilding New Canaan Rams lead the league in the point standings.
So much for preseason predictions.
The conference includes five 3-0 teams — Darien, New Canaan, Staples St. Joseph and Wilton — and of those, at least three couldn’t have expected to be unbeaten given their early schedule.
The Blue Wave, of course, own the most impressive victory of the season, having knocked off two-time defending champion Greenwich, 31-25, in week two. But the Wave’s other wins have been notable as well. In week one, they won 39-6 over a Trinity Catholic team which is as strong as its been in recent years.
On Saturday, Darien took on the Ridgefield Tigers in the always-tough confines of Tiger Hollow and slipped away with a 31-28 victory.
The Wave received another big outing from senior running back Nikki Dysenchuk, who scored twice, rushed for 130 yards and caught two passes for 65 yards.
Darien trailed 15-14 at halftime after Tiger quarterback Matt White scored on a twice on one-yard runs and also connected with Tim Bruns on a conversion pass just before the break. Darien’s TDs came on a four-yard run by James Patton in the first and a 58-yard pass from Matt Wheelock to Dysenchuk.
Wheelock threw his second touchdown pass of the game to open the second-half scoring, hitting Mike Wohlberg for 15 yards. Wheelock then hooked up with Dysenchuk for two points and a 22-15 lead. A 30-yard field goal by John Gardner extended that lead to 25-15 after three.
Ridgefield closed to within three points after a Drew Arceolo 18-yard run, but Dysenchuk all but iced the win with a 32-yard scoring rush with 4:33 to play.
White’s 20-yard touchdown run with 1:31 remaining made the final score close, but the Wave remained perfect and the Tigers fell to a surprising 1-2.
New Canaan has also had a tremendous start with three victories over three Class LL schools by a combined margin of 102-32. The Rams beat Trumbull 41-13 on opening day and pounded Ridgefield 40-13 in week two, before beating Danbury 21-6 on Saturday.
Senior QB Nate Quinn has nine TD passes thus far, and picked up one Saturday on a 68-yard pass to senior receiver Kurt Ondash, but it was the running game in the spotlight for New Canaan.
The Rams ran for 162 yards, with tailback Sean Simmons, fullback Chris Sciarretta and Quinn doing the damage. Simmons carried nine times for 70 yards and a 16-yard TD, Quinn ran eight times for 58 yards and Sciarretta ran 12 times for 34 yards and a two-yard touchdown.
Ondash had three catches for 76 yards and a TD, giving him 367 yards and five TDs in the first three games.
Staples was nearly upset by McMahon on opening day but escaped with a 27-24 win in Norwalk. The next two wins have been easier ones, with the Wreckers beating Harding, 34-0 in week two, and Stamford, 35-7, this weekend.
Quarterback Brendan Pacilio had a big day against the Stamford Black Knights, rushing for the Wreckers’ first two TDs on a pair of one-yard runs, and then throwing a 37-yard TD pass to Brendan Rankowitz. Pacilio had 105 rushing yards, as Staples led 28-0 at halftime.
For Stamford, which fell to 1-2 after beating NFA on opening day, Marcus Dixon had a big game with 30 rushes for 122 yards.
The FCIAC’s other two unbeatens have a had a slightly softer schedule to this point, but have gotten the job done in fine form.
Wilton has picked off Fairfield-Warde, 12-7, Norwalk, 33-20, and Bassick, 48-18, while St. Joseph has defeated Bassick, 49-16, Fairfield-Ludlowe, 37-7, and Fairfield-Warde, 53-17.
All five unbeatens put their league records on the line this weekend. On Friday, Staples plays at Ridgefield, New Canaan plays at Fairfield-Warde, and Wilton hosts Stamford. On Saturday, Darien has a home game against Bassick, while St. Joe’s hosts Trinity Catholic.
Basketball: Queens Jam Looking For Teams
The Fourth Annual Queens Jam Christmas Classic basketball tournament will be held on Saturday, Dec. 27, ay John Bowne High School in Flushing, N.Y. Several teams are already slated to play, including Princeton Day Academy, Md., Thomas Edison, Bayside, Hillcrest, Acorn and host John Bowne. For more information, contact Roberto Diaz at (646) 523-9003 or nycityfinest@aol.com.
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps.com writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com