Friday night’s game against FCIAC football foe Ridgefield marked Senior Night for Greenwich and numerous seniors stepped up during the team’s special night.
Senior running back Ian Kim scored three touchdowns, senior quarterback Rocco Grillo threw two touchdown passes and senior wide receivers Gavyn Gennarelli and Brandon Auguste snared a pair of TD receptions for Greenwich.
That all resulted in a resounding 35-0 Senior Night win for the Cardinals, ranked No. 1 in the GameTimeCT Top 10 Football Poll. The Cardinals, who led 7-0 at halftime, before opening up a 28-0 halftime advantage, raised their record to a perfect 9-0, heading into their huge Thanksgiving Day game against Staples (8-1).
The defending CIAC Class LL state tournament champion Cardinals have 34 seniors on their roster and they were paid tribute to during a pregame ceremony Friday night at Cardinal Stadium.
“This group has done everything the right way,” Greenwich coach Anthony Morello said of the Cardinals’ seniors. “Coming off a state championship year is always tough, because the next senior class feels like they’re living in last season’s shadow. They have done everything right to prove that this is their year, their class, their team.”
“I knew the talent was there with this group, what’s been the best surprise is their maturity and their leadership,” Morello continued. “They have taken a firm grasp of the traditions and expectations of this program.”
Starting at running back in place of George Vomvolakis, who sustained an injury during Greenwich’s matchup against St. Joseph in Trumbull on Oct. 28, Kim received the bulk of the carries out of the backfield Friday against the Tigers. Kim gave the Cardinals their first score, running into the end zone from 9-yards out with 5:24 remaining in the opening quarter.
Ridgefield (1-8) had one of its best drives of the game in the first quarter, but it stalled at Greenwich’s 21-yard line. Senior linebacker John Insinga and Logan Jozwiak helped halt the Tigers’ first-quarter drive, with registering key tackles.
At the 6:40 mark of the second quarter, Kim scored on a 10-yard run. Senior Erick Perino kicked the extra point, putting the Cardinals on top, 14-0. A 54-yard run down the left sideline by Kim, keyed the Cards’ long scoring drive. Gennarelli’s reception for a first down off a Grillo pass, also sparked the home team’s scoring march.
Coming off a 43-8 road win against Westhill last week, the Cardinals had a good run-pass balance to their offense versus Ridgefield.
“We were all working together,” Kim said. “We worked all week and our chemistry was just perfect, we had a great week of practice. Our O-line played great, our quarterback played great and it just worked out.”
Kim broke loose for a 31-yard touchdown run down the left sideline in the second quarter, giving Greenwich a comfortable 21-0 advantage. Grillo then put some air under a perfectly thrown 60-yard touchdown pass to Gennarelli, making it 28-0 with 58 seconds to go in the second stanza. His pass hit Gennarelli in stride and the Cardinals senior wideout sprinted to the end zone.
Auguste capped Greenwich’s scoring when he caught a 3-yard pass for a score in the left corner of the end zone in the fourth quarter. The shutout was the third of the season for Greenwich, which is on an impressive defensive streak.
The Cardinals have yielded only 31 points in their last six games.
“We studied a lot and we knew what they were going to do in certain formations,” said Insinga, who helped disrupt Ridgefield’s offense. “When they came out in those formations we executed.”
Insinga and senior defensive lineman Yahcere McGhee each registered sacks, while senior linebackers Sebastian Parra and Jaden Scott were among numerous Cardinals defenders that were active throughout the FCIAC matchup.
“It was a perfect defensive moment for the whole team,” said Parra, who also lines up to block in the backfield on offense at times. “We played 100 percent and we knew we had to come out here and play 100 percent. I love how the whole defense communicated. We flew to the ball and it was great defensive performance.”
Said senior Nick Aravides, who helped ignite the Cardinals’ secondary: “They had some really good receivers and had some key assets on their team, so all week we were working on shutting them down and I think we did really well in doing that.”
Aravides, Insinga, Parra and George Vomvolakis are Greenwich’s senior captains, so it was an especially significant game for them and the 30-plus seniors on the squad.
“It’s amazing, we have a lot of guys behind the scenes who don’t play a lot, so before the playoffs, it was fantastic to see my guys get out there,” Aravides said of the Senior Night game.
Ridgefield junior quarterback Max Keppler was under a lot of pressure the majority of the game, as the Tigers struggled to keep drives going.
“The defense has been playing outstanding the last few weeks,” Morello said. “If they continue to play at this level, they are going to be tough against any offense and any quarterback they see.”
Said Aravides: “They had some really good receivers and had some key assets on their team, so all week we were working on shutting them down and I think we did really well in doing that.”
The Tigers’ defense did force a pair of Greenwich fumbles.
“With defense like that, we just need to play turnover-free football,” Morello said. “Unfortunately, we’ve had a slew of turnovers the past couple of weeks. We need to clean that up. But the offense, defense, special teams seem to be clicking together. The team is playing with a lot of passion and they’re certainly excited for the next few weeks.”
Greenwich now turns its attention to Staples, a rival it lost to in the 2022 Thanksgiving Day game. The Wreckers won a last-minute thriller against the Cardinals last season, 39-38. The Cards are currently ranked No. 1 in the CIAC Class LL standings. Staples is ranked No. 3.
“This rivalry goes back to before I was born,” Insinga said. “Last year we fell short and this game is going to be really personal. Nothing but a win is an option for us.”
“It’s our last guaranteed game for us seniors and the team takes that personally,” Kim noted. “We are going to do everything we can in practice and be ready to play.”
