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FCIAC football 2018: GREENWICH preview

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Greenwich High School 2018 football team captains Tysen Comizio (40), Gramoz Bici (42), Gavin Muir (12), Jack Feda (8), and Charlie Ducret (7) pose on media day at Greenwich High School’s Cardinal Stadium in Greenwich, Conn. Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018.

Vitals

Top players

Key Losses

K Zach Moore (All-State), WR Jael Negron, WR Henry Saleeby, C/DL Kyle Woodring (First-team all-state), WR Elias Gianopolous, LB Robert Lanni, LB Finbar Doyle, DL Nick McIntosh

Outlook

Greenwich quarterback Gavin Muir makes a throw in No. 1 Greenwich’s 36-7 win over No. 4 South Windsor in the high school football CIAC State Tournament Class LL semifinal game at Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Conn. Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017.

After qualifying for the Class LL Tournament during a 2016 season in which it went 7-4, Greenwich continued its upward trend in 2017, registering a record of 12-1, while making its first appearance in the state finals since 2007.

Now, the Cardinals, who dropped a 31-22 decision to rival Darien in the snowy Class LL championship game, are determined to play for the title again this fall.

“Our expectations are to be back in the championship game,” Cardinals coach John Marinelli said. “Whenever you lose a game like that in the state finals, you tend to want to circle that date, or that game.

“But we are not making it about that. It’s not about last year. Right now, we’re trying to fill some voids that some seniors who graduated and are playing college football, left. But it’s always fun when you develop a new personality with a new group.”

Despite graduating key contributors from last season’s successful squad, Greenwich has a load of depth on its roster, which includes well more than 100 players. So if any team can absorb such losses to graduation, it’s the Cardinals. Senior quarterback Gavin Muir is one of the squad’s numerous returning players.

Running back Tysen Comizio (#40) of Greenwich is tackled by Darien’s Connor Fay (#44), lower left, during the Class LL high school championship football game between Greenwich High School and Darien High School at Boyle Stadium in Stamford, Conn., Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. Darien took the state title defeating Greenwich, 31-22.

In his first season as the team’s starting signal caller, Muir set seven team passing records, two of which were most passing yards in one season (2, 902 yards) and most touchdown passes in a season (33).

Senior running back Tysen Comizio also produced a breakout junior season in 2017, amassing 1,379 yards on the ground with 20 touchdowns. The return of junior running back Jack Warren should also boost the Cardinals, who averaged more than 40 points per game last fall.

“We do have a lot of depth and we have a lot of underclassmen coming up, which is a good thing,” Comizio said.

Senior Lance Large, one of the Cards’ leading receivers, and senior Stephen Bennett add to the team’s aerial attack, which proved to be a tough matchup for all of Greenwich’s foes last season.

Defensive lineman Mozi Bici (14 sacks last season) and linebacker Jack Feda (130 tackles in 2017), both of whom helped power a unit that yielded just 185 points in 13 games in 2017, are among some of key returning players. The Cardinals are captained by Muir, Bici, Feda, defensive back Charlie Ducret and Comizio.

“We feel great about our defense, since we have three captains on that side of the ball,” Marinelli said. “We have a captain at defensive line, at linebacker and in the secondary, which is great. Because of our athleticism, defensively, we can do different things.”

Speed on both sides of the ball, an asset for Greenwich a season ago, is also one of the team’s strengths this season.

2018 Schedule

  • Sept. 8 — TRUMBULL**, 4 p.m.
  • Sept. 15 — TRINITY CATHOLIC**, 4 p.m.
  • Sept. 28 — at Norwalk**, 7 p.m.
  • Oct. 6 — at New Canaan**, 6 p.m.
  • Oct. 20 — at Westhill**, 2 p.m.
  • Oct. 27 — FAIRFIELD LUDLOWE**, 5 p.m.
  • Nov. 2 — at Ridgefield*, 7 p.m.
  • Nov. 9 — at Danbury**, 7 p.m.
  • Nov. 15 — vs. Xavier at West Haven, 7 p.m.
  • Nov. 22 — STAPLES*, 10 a.m.

Home games in CAPS
**Division game
*Conference game

 

 

Old Comments

  1. My (hopefully not terribly biased) thoughts on Greenwich:

    On offense, Greenwich is bringing back eight (!!!) guys, most notably QB Gavin Muir and RB Tysen Comizio. Everyone knows about them, but don’t underestimate their receiving core (they’re quick, but lost their two tallest guys, including their best vertical threat in Jael Negron, and TE Henry Saleeby) and their o-line (four of the five from last year coming back, but their best guy graduated). 40 points a game should be the goal, and it should be doable in most games (and if they can manage to put up 30 or more in the big games, they shouldn’t lose any of those).

    Defensively, six guys are coming back, including my favorite player on the team, DE Mozi Bici. He’s an animal off the edge, but people overlook how good the other DE Tyler Blizzard was last year (I think he had more sacks than Bici). Getting a strong line and hungry linebackers to complement Bici will be huge and will really determine whether they can cause as much havoc up front as last year. That havoc covered for a sometimes terrible secondary. They struggled at times last year, and they lost their best guy back there in Jeremiah Harris. But I think Charlie Ducret and company are gonna surprise people this year, and I think they’ll be able to, at the very least, survive back there (especially if the linebackers can help out in the short passing game).

    Greenwich’s special teams was their best unit last year. By far. Zach Moore was an animal kicking and punting. He pinned New Canaan deep time and time again on both punts and kickoffs, and against Darien, he nailed some tough field goals in the snow to keep them in the game in the fourth quarter. I don’t know who they have to replace him, and that’s a huge void to fill. But I trust their special team’s coordinator Woodring will have that unit ready to go again come week 1. Maybe not as good as last year, but still one of the best in the FCIAC.

    I have Greenwich going 9-1 in the regular season with their lone loss coming at New Canaan. They should be a top 4 seed in LL, and definitely make it to the LL semifinals. I think they have as good of a shot to win it all right now as anyone in the state, but the quality of the new starters and the progression of the guys coming back (plus injury luck, obviously) will determine how special this team can be.

    • Excellent write up. This team is loaded, with very good coaching, and they will be very tough to beat ! The game against New Canaan should be a great game to watch …

  2. I don’t see GHS beating NC this year at Dunning. Given they don’t play Darien or Joes they should go 9-1 but that’s not a given to be top 4. other 1 loss teams could out point them due to a harder schedule especially Darien and NC who both play Joes and could get 80/90 bonus points. No one on Cards schedule is getting 8-9 wins except NC and if they lose that doesn’t matter lol.

    I think Shelton Runs the table in the SCC with no Hand, and Masuk taking a step back. Some up north broken down team will also go 9-1 but will be overrated as usual. This will be cards best team in a long while but having Shelton Darien and NC in their is deadly. IF Cards drop to 5 they could potentially have to beat all 3. that October 6th at NC game is huge for them to avoid that possible scenario. I’m assuming NC and Wave will beat Joes which is also a huge assumption.

  3. On paper they certainly look to be a top three team in the state and a front runner for the championship ring in LL. They bring back most of their experienced players ( more it seems than just about any other LL team with the possible exception of Shelton ) and will likely have good ones to replace the ones they’ve lost based on their roster size alone ! Barring injuries there should be no reason they shouldn’t make states. Their only challenge might be New Canaan. It’s a bummer that they don’t play St. Joe’s or Darien during the regular season as those would be good games. Some of their games are going to be blowouts by half time.