The Thanksgiving turkey and all the tasty trimmings were especially enjoyed by the members of Greenwich High School’s varsity football team this year after producing a rewarding win over Staples, a longtime rival that earned bragging rights over the Cardinals the previous three Thanksgiving Day games.

A three-touchdown effort by Jack Kelly, a two-score game by Hector Lopez, a stellar performance from quarterback Phil Tarantino and a dynamic defensive performance resulted in an extra Happy Thanksgiving for Greenwich, which recorded an impressive 33-19 win over Staples before a big Thanksgiving Day crowd at Cardinal Stadium.

With the victory, the Cardinals finished their 2025 regular season with a record of 8-2 and earned the No. 3 seed in the CIAC Class LL Football Tournament. This much anticipated Thanksgiving Day matchup between the Cardinals and Wreckers was simply Round 1 of their 2025 rivalry.

Like the 2024 season, which saw Greenwich capture the CIAC Class LL state tournament championship, the Cardinals and Wreckers will meet again in the postseason. Third-seeded Greenwich will host sixth-seeded Staples in the quarterfinal round of the Class LL Tournament on December 2nd at Cardinal Stadium. The kickoff time for this Class LL quarterfinal is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Last fall, Staples beat Greenwich, 27-0, on Thanksgiving in Westport, but the Cardinals gained revenge, topping the Wreckers, 14-0, in the Class LL Tournament semifinals.

“We’re battle tested and I think a lot of teams in the FCIAC can say they’re battle tested going into the playoffs,” Greenwich coach Anthony Morello said. “Hopefully, now, we’re surging at the right time going into the playoffs with a win.”

“They’re a good team, but we have a feel for them and they have a feel for us,” said Tarantino, the Cardinals’ sophomore quarterback, who completed 16 of 23 passes for 167 yards with one touchdown and one interception on Thanksgiving against Staples. “It’s going to be another war and I’m excited.”

Lopez, a senior running back/captain, ran for 93 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries in the winning effort against Staples (5-5). He also caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Tarantino. Kelly gained 61 yards on 10 carries and ran it into the end zone three times for the victors. Staples held a 13-7 lead on GHS following the first quarter, before the Cardinals took a 20-19 lead into halftime.

“We haven’t beaten them the last three times on Thanksgiving,” Kelly said after Greenwich’s Thanksgiving Day win. “We knew they were going to be hungry, because we ended their season last year. It was definitely a sloppy game, but there’s some good things to take out of it. We have a lot of things to correct.”

In the other Class LL Tournament quarterfinal-round games on Dec. 2, No. 1-seeded New Britain hosts eighth-seeded NFA, fourth-seeded Southington plays fifth-seeded Glastonbury and second-seeded Fairfield Prep plays host to No. 7 Danbury.

The Greenwich-Staples winner plays the Fairfield Prep-Danbury winner at the higher seed on Dec. 7 in the Class LL semifinals.

“Last year, Staples beat us 27-0 on Thanksgiving at their place and we had to go back in the semifinals and we turned things around on them,” Morello noted. “So, we know they are going to use that as a motivator for Tuesday night. We can’t enjoy this too much, we still have work to do and corrections to make.”

Greenwich scored on its first possession in its Thanksgiving meeting versus Staples. Wreckers senior quarterback Nicholas Weil’s pass was tipped and intercepted by senior linebacker/captain Santi Parra, setting GHS up deep in Staples territory.

Tarantino completed a pass to senior wide receiver Hudson Squires, moving the ball to the 1-yard line. Squires led the Cards’ receiving corps, catching six passes for a team-best 77 yards. Tarantino handed the ball off to Kelly who behind the squad’s offensive linemen, bulled his way into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown. Sophomore Michael Galano split the uprights with the ensuing PAT, giving Greenwich a 7-0 lead with 10:21 remaining in the first quarter.

The Wreckers responded quickly. On the ensuing kickoff, senior Justin Halky returned the kick 89 yards for a touchdown, making a couple of nifty moves along the way, before sprinting down the right sideline. The extra point was missed and GHS still had the lead at 7-6 at the 10:04 mark of the opening quarter.

Staples elected to kick on onsides kick and the strategy paid off, as the Cardinals were caught off guard and the visitors recovered the kick just before midfield. A lengthy Wreckers drive was capped by senior running back Chaz Darby’s 3-yard scoring run. This time the extra point was converted, as Patricio Garcia’s PAT was good, putting the visitors ahead, 13-7, with 3:11 to go in the first quarter.

Lopez gave Greenwich the lead when he broke loose for a touchdown run eight seconds into the second quarter. Getting the handoff from Tarantino, Lopez ran left, followed his blockers and darted down the left sideline untouched for a 21-yard scoring run. Galano kicked the extra point and GHS had a 14-13 edge in this physical matchup.

During the Cardinals’ second scoring drive, Tarantino completed a 14-yard pass for a first down to senior tight end Michael Golden and a pass to Lopez. The Cards’ signal caller was protected well throughout by offensive linemen Colin Falla (senior captain), junior center Casey Baker, junior Mikey Petrone, junior Nicholas Vomvolakis and senior Frank Kingsley.

“The offensive line was great today, they opened up big holes,” Morello said. “They have been rock-solid all year. Phil had tons of time to throw.”

Indeed, Tarantino certainly appreciated having a clean pocket to throw from throughout this FCIAC rivalry matchup.

“I thought the offensive line held up awesome,” Tarantino said. “That was one of the best pass protection games they had all year.”

The Wreckers regained the lead at 19-14 with 6:38 remaining in the second quarter on a 3-yard run by Darby. Weil connected with senior receiver Jack McGeehan for a key first down on the scoring drive, which was set up by an interception by sophomore defensive back Finn Edwards.

After Greenwich’s next drive was stopped near midfield, the hosts reached the end zone, taking the lead for good at 20-19, on its final possession of the opening half.

Efficiently running their two-minute drill, the Cardinals effectively drove the ball down the field. Squires had a pair of receptions and junior Dan Black caught a pass, putting the ball in Wreckers territory.

Dropping back to pass, Tarantino lofted a pass to the right corner of the end zone that was snared by a sprinting Lopez, who got behind the secondary, for a 16-yard touchdown. The score gave the Cards a 20-19 halftime advantage on the Wreckers and GHS played from in front thereafter.

“We haven’t put together a two-minute drill like that all season,” Morello noted. “To go up going into the half was reassuring.”

Said Kelly, who also made his presence felt throughout this Thanksgiving Day matchup from his linebacker position: “When the offense ran that two-minute drill at the end of the first half, that was crucial for our success in the second half. Our offense practices two-minute every day. They did a great job and I’m really proud of them for that.”

The second half was all Cardinals, who outscored Staples, 14-0. Greenwich took possession to start the third quarter and methodically drove more than 70 yards, consuming 7:59 in the process.

Senior tight end Alex Mrdelja caught a pass for a first down and Kelly made several strong runs for significant yards during the long drive.

“The receivers got open, they did their job and I was able to hit them,” Tarantino noted. “They made some awesome plays and they executed.

Running the Wildcat, Kelly ran the ball into the end zone from three yards out, giving Greenwich a 26-19 edge with 4:01 to go in the third quarter.

“I love running the ball,” Kelly said. “Hector (Lopez) is an amazing running back and whenever he needs a little blow, it’s always fun for me to get in there. I think we complement each other with our running styles.”

Kelly tweaked his shin during the Cardinals’ loss to Wilton High School and didn’t carry the ball in the squad’s 35-14 win over Darien.

“I like getting in there in the Wildcat, running the ball,” he said. “I hurt my shin the end of the first half against Wilton. So, they kept me on defense, special teams. The two weeks we had to prepare for this game enabled me to heal up.”

“Jack is a phenomenal athlete and using him and Hector, we’re just so balanced,” Morello said. “It keeps them both fresh and hopefully, it keeps the defense off balance.”

Again running the Wildcat, Kelly took it into the end zone from again, three yards out, extending Greenwich’s advantage to 33-19 at the 9:39 mark of the fourth quarter. His third touchdown was set up by a blocked punt by senior Hunter Woods, who also excelled in the secondary for the Cards.

Senior defensive back Nico Galindo recovered a Staples fumble and junior Jacari Hughes recovered a fumbled kickoff for the Cardinals, who know they have to be at their best again when they face the Wreckers in Tuesday’s Class LL Tournament quarterfinals. Greenwich outgained Staples, 334-246 and compiled 167 rushing yards, compared to 90 for the Wreckers. Weil threw for 156 yards for Staples, which made the state tournament despite a 5-5 record due to the strong schedule it played throughout the season.

“I thought we were solid, there were a bunch of things we have to clean up,” Kelly said of the Cards’ defensive showing versus the Wreckers. “But I thought our run defense – Santi, Justin, the whole D-line, they played phenomenal today and our secondary was great too.”

“I never played a team back-to-back,” Kelly said referring to going up against Staples in the Class LL quarterfinals. “They say it’s hard to beat a team twice in a row, so we’ll be ready and play to the best of our ability.”

Photos by Antonio Monteiro/06878 Photography: Members of the GHS varsity football team gather after a victory.

Pictures by Antonio Monteiro/06878 Photography: Members of the Greenwich High School varsity football team take the field prior to hosting Staples High School at Cardinal Stadium on Thanksgiving Day.

For even more pictures from Greenwich’s Thanksgiving Day win over Staples, please visit: https://www.06878photography.com/football-caic-greenwich-high-school-vs-staples-high-school-november-27th-2025