It rained heavily and steadily throughout the much-anticipated Thanksgiving Day matchup between the Greenwich and Staples High School football teams, so scoring first was especially significant in this rivalry game.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the Wreckers scored the game’s first points and while doing so, set the tone of this matchup before their home crowd.

Taking a 17-point lead into halftime, Staples earned an impressive 27-0 Thanksgiving Day victory over Greenwich in the regular season finale. With the win, the 9-1 Wreckers received the No. 2 seed in the CIAC Class LL Tournament and will host No. 7 Manchester in the quarterfinal-round on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The Cardinals have a record of 8-2, are seeded third in the Class LL tourney and will host sixth-seeded New Britain in Tuesday’s 6:30 p.m. quarterfinals.

Greenwich, which hasn’t experienced many problems putting points on the scoreboard, was shutout for the first time since Staples recorded a 20-0 triumph in 2006 on Thanksgiving.

“It didn’t matter what I called, we just didn’t execute today,” Greenwich coach Anthony Morello said. “They scored first, we got behind early and this is not the kind of weather you want to be trailing by multiple scores.”

Staples, which has now defeated Greenwich three times in a row on Thanksgiving, held a 7-0 lead after the first quarter, brought a 17-0 advantage into halftime and was ahead, 20-0, following three quarters of action.

The Wreckers received a touchdown run from junior quarterback Nicholas Weil, a 60-yard touchdown reception from senior wide receiver Nathan Smith and a scoring run from senior Kody Goldman. Dynamic defensive play was also one of the main themes for the Wreckers, coached by Adam Behrends.

Greenwich entered the Thanksgiving game having scored more than 20 or more points in eight of its first nine contests.

“It was a team effort right there,” said Staples senior linebacker/defensive lineman Charlie Leahy, who recovered two Cardinals fumbles. “We knew Greenwich was going to come out and run the ball, so we knew we had to stop the run and we did.”

The Cardinals, who dropped a 24-13 decision to the Wreckers on Thanksgiving in 2023, reached Staples territory several times. Yet Staples intercepted two passes when the Cardinals were threatening to score and stopped GHS on downs on two other possessions. Staples’ defense also forced a pair of three-and-outs, while putting some pressure on Greenwich senior quarterback M.J. D’Angelo and making it difficult for the Cards to consistently gain rushing yards. For the game, Staples forced four Greenwich turnovers.

“We had two fumbles lost, two interceptions, you’re not going to win games like that, you’re not going to beat anybody,” Morello said. “Staples played better than we did today, they executed in big moments and we didn’t.”

This game’s tone-setter occurred on the opening drive of the game, as Staples took possession. Weil completed a pass of more than 30 yards to Smith, setting Staples up at Greenwich’s 22-yard line. The Wreckers’ opening drive concluded with Weil running to his right and scrambling for a 3-yard touchdown. Senior placekicker Aidan Stubbs converted the point-after-attempt, giving Staples a 7-0 lead with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter.

Though the rain’s intensity increased during the game, the host Wreckers handled the elements quite well.

“All week we were practicing, we were putting water on the ball with our water bottles,” Weil said. “I think that really prepared us for this big rain game. We all came out here expecting it to pour. We were all ready for this due to preparation.”

Greenwich punted and was stopped on downs inside Staples’ 20-yard line on its first two possessions. D’Angelo had a first down run and junior running back Hector Lopez had a pair of solid runs to pace one of the Cards’ first drives.

With 4:13 left in the second quarter, the Wreckers increased their lead courtesy of their opportunistic defense.

The Cardinals were backed up inside their own 5-yard line and D’Angelo was tackled in the end zone by senior linebacker Davis Crandall, making it 9-0.

A Lopez run and a completed pass from D’Angelo to junior wide receiver Hudson Squires brought GHS into Staples territory in the second quarter. Wreckers junior defensive back Justin Halky halted the Cardinals’ drive with his first of two interceptions with 2:39 to go in the second quarter.

Successfully passing the ball in the rain, the hosts proceeded to put more points on the scoreboard, taking a three-score lead.

Weil dropped back to pass, threw the ball toward the right sideline and Smith, who got behind the secondary, caught it and sprinted to the end zone, completing a 60-yard pass play at the 1:52 mark of the second quarter.

Electing to go for the 2-point conversion, Staples built its lead to 17-0 when Weil reached the end zone on an option keeper.

“Nathan ran a post, their safety came down, so I saw the safety come down and I was like I was going to throw this up to Nathan,” Weil said. “I was able to catch him in stride and he brought it in and he ran for it in.”

Indeed, the Wreckers imposed their will from the beginning, starting with their opening drive for a touchdown.

“I’ve been saying it to the coaches and the players, that we have to get up first,” Morello said. “I said I think the team that gets up first is going to win the football game, because it’s not going to get any better as the weather rolls on during the day.”

Leahy recovered two GHS fumbles in the third quarter, the second of which he pounced on at the Cardinals’ 12-yard line, setting up an eventual 25-yard field goal by Stubbs, giving Staples a 20-0 edge.

“I was in the right place at the right time,” Leahy said of his fumble recoveries. “This is the game I marked on my calendar freshman year. Senior year I knew we were going to be home, so I’ve been preparing for this game my whole four years. It’s always a good game. We’ve got everyone working together, so it’s awesome.”

A long pass from Weil to senior Shane Sandrew made it first-and-goal for Staples late in the final quarter. Goldman sealed the drive with a 1-yard run, putting the home team on top, 27-0, at the 4:26 mark of the fourth quarter.

“Shane downfield on the post, not the best ball, I just thew it where he could get it and he jumped up and made a play,” Weil said of his pass play to Sandrew.

The Staples quarterback also commented on his squad’s efficiency on the game’s first drive and overall effectiveness.

“I think it was really good, we showed that we could run the ball against any team,” Weil noted. “They have a great run defense and we were passing it, throwing it all around.”

Greenwich must turn the page quicky and get ready for the all-important postseason.

Captained by seniors Jack Carroll, D’Angelo, Max Marek and Peter Vomvolakis, the Cardinals will play host to New Britain at Cardinal Stadium in Tuesday’s 6:30 p.m. Class LL Tournament quarterfinals.

Staples hosts seventh-seeded Manchester, No. 4 Glastonbury plays No. 5 West Haven and top-seeded Fairfield Prep faces visiting Kennedy, the No. 8 seed, in the other Class LL quarterfinal-round matches.

Greenwich made it to the Class LL semifinals last season, where it was defeated by West Haven. In 2022, the Cards claimed the Class LL state title by beating Fairfield Prep.

Should Greenwich and Staples both win their state quarterfinal-round matchups they will face each other in the Class LL semifinals.

“We just have to go back to the drawing board,” Morello said. “I told the guys, the good thing is this wasn’t a do-or-die game. This wasn’t a playoff game, this wasn’t an elimination game. We’re still playing on Tuesday, so there is time to get things right.”

“But if we perform like this against anybody, we will lose,” Morello continued. “It was a tremendously frustrating day offensively. A lot of penalties, just a lot of mistakes across the board. We couldn’t get out of our own way offensively.”

Photo by Dylan Goodman: Greenwich High linebacker Jack Kelly gets ready for a play against Staples High School.