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D’Angelo and Greenwich blank West Haven for Class LL championship

Greenwich QB Michael D’Angelo breaks a tackle during Saturday night’s Class LL championship game in New Britain. D’Angelo ran for more than 200 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Cardinals to a 14-0 win. More game photos

NEW BRITAIN, Dec. 14, 2024 – Senior quarterback Michael D’Angelo isn’t afraid to throw the ball but his Greenwich High teammates have found tremendous success running the ball this season, especially in the postseason.

D’Angelo ran for a game-high and career-high 202 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries as the Cardinal beat West Haven, 14-0 at Arute Field on the campus of Central Connecticut State on Saturday night to win the Class LL championship for the second time in the last three years and for the third time since 2018.

Greenwich (11-2) also pitched their second straight shutout of the playoffs and gave up just six points in their three-game run to the championship.

The Cardinal usually rely on Hector Lopez, who has run for more than 1,200 yards this season. But Lopez hurt his ankle in the first half, leaving the work to D’Angelo and teammate Jack Kelly, who ran for 76 yards on 17 carries.

The Cardinals completed just one of seven passes in the game but with a strong running game and a ferocious defense it was more than enough to beat West Haven for the second time this season.

“What a gutsy performance from MJ (D’Angelo),” said Greenwich head coach Anthony Morello. “He is just a total gamer, a selfless kid who throws his body on the line every week. Wears his flaws on his sleeve and doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about stats. He just wants to win.”

It was a scoreless game early in the second quarter when D’Angelo found some open space, got outside and sped 58 yards for a touchdown with 11:41 left in the second quarter. It was his longest run of the season.

“Greenwich historically airs the ball out more but when they found my strength, we just took it and ran with it,” D’Angelo said. “I run hard and I run for my team. When I am running, I am thinking about all of my players.”

And he is hard to bring down to the turf, something that isn’t lost on his teammates.

Lineman Alex Kvaratskhella said, “You know you have a great runner if he gets hit and he keeps on moving his feet. And that’s exactly what he did.”

D’Angelo added his second touchdown with a two-yard run with 11:56 left in the game. It capped off an eight-play, 45-yard drive. One of the big plays in the drive was a 15-yard run from D’Angelo to the West Haven eight-yard line where he kept dragging tacklers with him.

Greenwich kept plenty of pressure on the Blue Devils QB Nick Conlan, who completed 17-fo-34 passes for 179 yards and one interception. West Haven was shutout for the first time this season.

It was the tenth state championship for Greenwich, who beat West Haven 24-6 in the first game of the season on Sept. 13.

Greenwich beat New Britain, 27-6, in the Class LL quarterfinals before blanking Staples, 14-0 on Dec. 8 to earn a spot in the championship game. That win over Staples avenged a 27-0 loss to the Wreckers on Thanksgiving.

The Cardinals pitcher shutouts in four of their final six games.

Class LL championship
Greenwich 14, West Haven 0
At New Britain
West Haven (10-3)     0  0  0  0   — 0
Greenwich (11-2)        0  7 0  7  — 14
Second quarter
G: Michael D’Angelo 58 run (Nick Wells kick), 11:41
Fourth quarter
G: D’Angelo 2 run (Wells kick), 11:56
Individual statistics
RUSHING: West Haven: Coryon Harris 8-21, Nick Conlan 7-2; Greenwich — Michael D’Angelo 18-202, Jack Kelly 17-76, Hector Lopez 8-21
PASSING: West Haven – Nick Conlan 17-34-1, 179; Greenwich – D’Angelo 1-7-0, 6
RECEIVING: West Haven – Tahmayn Thompson 6-79, Andrevion Dixon 3-22, Coryon Harris 2-28, Tammron Lafortune 2-27, Caron Hannans 1-5; Greenwich – Blake Martin 1-6

More game photos

2024 CIAC football results

Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.

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