Luke Bienstock ran for two touchdowns in Greenwich’s 42-38 win vs. Trinity Catholic. Bob Luckey Jr. photo
Greenwich and Trinity Catholic combined for more points during the second quarter than most teams score the entire game. Yes, Friday’s matchup between the Cardinals and Crusaders was that type of game. It’s a good thing I went to the game with a new notebook, because all the action that took place Friday filled two thirds of the pages.
In a game loaded with big plays, the Cardinals and Crusaders combined for 49 second-quarter points, at one point scoring five touchdowns in three minutes. When dusk settled at Alumni Field, it was the Cardinals that made a couple of more plays, one of which was a clutch interception by Connor Langan, in an exciting 42-38 win. The game marked John Marinelli’s head coaching debut at Greenwich and it was a game he will surely remember.
Let’s take a look at what transpired in this FCIAC matchup.
GREENWICH’S OFFENSE: Junior quarterback Frank Alfano got the start for the Cardinals and I had him completing 18 of 30 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Running Greenwich’s up-tempo, spread offense, Alfano threw touchdown passes to junior wide receiver Tyler Farris and senior wideout Joey Longo. Most of Alfano’s completions were the result of passes in the flat and wide receiver screens.
“Our short passing game was working and our running game was doing well,” Alfano said. “All credit goes to our offensive line. Danny (Ezquivel), Ian (Bannon), Kevin (Woodring), all those guys did a great job of blocking.”
Senior Luke Bienstock ran for two touchdowns and gained 93 yards, spending some time on the sideline after suffering cramps in his leg. Kevin Iobbi also sparked the Cardinals’ ground game.
“Luke, Iobbi, Marco (Pastore) we have a three-headed monster with those guys in the backfield,” Marinelli said. “They helped give our offense life.”
TRINITY CATHOLIC’S OFFENSE: Anthony Lombardi once again, showed that he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the FCIAC. While Greenwich was using short passes and screens to move the first-down chains, Trinity Catholic used Lombardi’s ability to throw the long ball to gain big yards through the air.
The senior only needed 10 completions to pass for 326 yards and three touchdowns. He threw a 77-yard bomb for a touchdown to Johnny Somers, an 82-yard touchdown to Izaiah Sanders and connected with Somers for a 56-yard score.
“He played terrific,” Crusaders coach Donny Panapada said of Lombardi. “The line did a good job for the most part. We have a couple of offensive guys missing who could have been difference-makers, but I’m proud of our guys. We did a heck of a job.”
Somers and Sanders were a tough matchup for Greenwich throughout and the duo figures to give the opposition plenty of problems this season.
“Izaiah is one of the best, if not the best, receivers that we will face all year long,” Marinelli said.
Lombardi also showed his mobility, gaining chunks of yards on several plays in which the Cardinals failed to contain on the edge.
GREENWICH’S DEFENSE: The Cardinals know they have a lot of work to do to get better defensively and the must do so quickly, as Darien visits Cardinal Stadium in Week 2. There were some bright spots for the Cardinals’ defensively though. Langan registered two interceptions, the last one coming with 41 seconds remaining with the Crusaders driving for the winning score. Senior defensive end Scooter Harrington recorded two sacks, Bienstock had one sack and Jared Nasso had a sack for the Cards. Lineman Ian Pearson recovered a fumble, which was caused by Harrington.
TRINITY’S DEFENSE: Facing an up-tempo offensive team in summer-like weather is a difficult task for any team. Especially for a team such as Trinity, which doesn’t have as big a roster as Greenwich. The Crusaders also had more players playing both ways.
“I felt we played two games with the first half being so long and the weather the way it is,” Panapada said.
Greenwich got inside the red zone its first two drives, but Trinity held the Cardinals to a pair of Soh Nakayama field goals. Junior linebacker Dillon Daine intercepted an Alfano pass, setting up a scoring run by Nick Melia in the second quarter. Daine also registered a sack for the Crusaders.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Cardinals had the advantage in this department. Speedy junior Anthony Ferraro returned a kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown and also had one return for a score called back due to a holding penalty. Nakayama was perfect, making field goals of 37 and 34 yards, while going 4 for 4 on point-after attempts.
STATISTICS: Greenwich – Joey Longo 9 receptions, 90 yards; Tyler Farris 4 receptions, 91 yards; Anthony Ferraro 5 receptions, 28 yards.
Trinity Catholic – Johnny Somers 5 receptions, 200 yards; Izaiah Sanders 4 receptions, 113 yards; Gerardo Gonzalez 1 reception, 13 yards.
FAMILIAR FACE ON TRINITY SIDELINES: While Friday marked Marinelli’s coaching debut at Greenwich, it also marked Rich Albonizio’s return to Trinity Catholic. Albonizio who resigned his coaching post at Greenwich in January after 18 seasons at the helm, is serving as an assistant coach on Panapada’s staff, along with Carl Cairo. Albonizio was Trinity’s head coach and he led the Crusaders to the Class S championship in 1993.
“It is great to have coach Al here and coach Cairo here,” Panapada said. “They are two well-known, experienced coaches that I couldn’t find anywhere else. They give us a nice combination of coaches.”
