By Sentinel Staff
New Canaan’s 2025 football season didn’t need drama. It had identity. Execution. Unity. And it had a finish that was both clinical and emotional—a 34–13 win over Cheshire in the Class L state final that capped the program’s first undefeated season since 2008 and its fourth straight CIAC championship.
The Rams finished 13–0 and were voted the unanimous No. 1 team in the final state poll, marking back-to-back wire-to-wire seasons atop Connecticut. Their senior class—captains Andrew Esposito, Adrian Delicata, Ryan Brooks, James McInerney, and Mikey Hiraman—closed their careers with a record of four championship rings.
“This may go down as one of the best I’ve had, if not the best team,” said longtime head coach Lou Marinelli in an interview with the Ruden Report.
Setting the Tone: From Trumbull to the Title
Four weeks before the championship, the Rams put together one of their most complete performances of the year in their last regular season game, a 42–13 rout of Trumbull. Senior Henry Stein rushed for 188 yards on 12 carries, and the defense swarmed from start to finish. The win sealed an unbeaten regular season and propelled New Canaan into the playoffs in peak form.
When Stein went down with injury during the postseason, junior Finn Mocco took over in the backfield and delivered in the championship game—running for 162 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.
New Canaan ran for 188 yards in the final, using a dominant offensive line led by Adrian Delicata, who also played fullback in the Rams’ short-yardage package.
On Sunday Morning Quarterback with Dave Ruden, broadcast after the Rams’ 34–13 Class L state championship win over Cheshire, the New Canaan captains discussed the game and the season. The interview gives insight into the success of this remarkable team.
Smart, Fast, Relentless Defense
“We knew Cheshire was physical,” Delicata said.
On defense, the Rams were as precise as they were physical. Cheshire’s only meaningful score came on a drive extended by a controversial call. Andrew Esposito had chased down the quarterback from behind and stripped the ball.
“That’s just culture,” Esposito said. “You run down the play. You trust your teammates will be there behind you. We’ve done that all year.”
Ryan Brooks, Jack Crowell, Mikey Hiraman, and Grayson Ladley led a front seven that limited scoring opportunities. Crowell returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown, and Blake Schwartz sealed the win with another interception in the fourth quarter, intentionally sliding at the five-yard line instead of scoring so the team could kneel out the clock.
The Shoe, the Council, and the Bond
After their final practice before the title game, the team gathered for one of the program’s longest-standing traditions: the burning of the shoe. Every senior speaks. Then they set a cleat on fire—symbolizing that no one can fill the shoes of those leaving.
“I’ve never seen so many players tear up at the ceremony before,” Marinelli said in an interview with Ruden. “They were absolutely determined to win it, and to come out and do it the way they did—it was a real statement.”
Esposito called it the emotional peak of the season. “We’ve all been together since third grade. It hit us—that it was our last time suiting up together.”
That unity was reinforced all year by the team’s Leadership Council, a structured weekly meeting with representatives from every grade. Overseen by leadership consultant Dave Mastroianni, the council served as a space for open dialogue and player-led accountability.
“It was like football therapy,” Marinelli said. “Freshmen, captains, whoever—everyone had a voice. That culture came through in how we played.”
Playing Both Ways, All In
Three of the captains—Esposito, McInerney, and Brooks—played on both sides of the ball, something Marinelli noted was rare even by New Canaan standards.
“We just wanted to be on the field as much as possible,” McInerney said. “Offense, defense, special teams—whatever it took.”
Brooks and Hiraman were anchors in the linebacking corps all season. “We always say—if I’m not there to make the play, someone else will be,” said Hiraman. “And if they’re not, I will be.”
Legacy in Full
The final seconds of the title game were less raucous than you might expect. No helmet tosses, no pile-on celebration. Just handshakes, helmet taps, and respect.
“It was a job finished,” Delicata said. “We were proud. But we also knew it was the last time we’d walk off a field together.”
This senior class leaves behind more than numbers. They leave behind a culture: player-led, emotionally grounded, and built on trust.
The 2025 Rams played like they’d been preparing their whole lives. Because most of them had.
