Once again, Greenwich High School’s varsity football team proved it is the class team of Class LL.

For the second straight season and the third time in four years, the Cardinals ended their season with the ultimate – the CIAC Class LL State Tournament championship.

This time around, third-seeded Greenwich did so in dominant fashion, capitalizing on its opportunities from the outset against fourth-seeded Southington in the much-anticipated title game at Veterans Stadium in New Britain on Dec. 14th.

Receiving four touchdowns from senior captain Jack Kelly, 106 yards and a touchdown from senior captain Hector Lopez, a strong game from sophomore quarterback Phil Tarantino and an outstanding performance from its defense, Greenwich rolled to a resounding 45-6 victory over Southington in the CIAC Class LL Tournament final. The win gave the Cardinals a sweet repeat and marked their 14th state championship in program history.

“We had our ups and downs along the way, but we played our best football at the right time and for the third time in school history, we are back-to-back champions,” said Greenwich coach Anthony Morello, who guided the Cardinals to a record of 11-2 and has now won three state titles during his tenure.

Since a tough 7-3 road loss to Wilton on Nov. 7th, the Cardinals, indeed, as Morello noted, played their best football when it counted most – toward the end of the season and during the postseason. Greenwich outscored its foes in the Class LL playoffs – Staples, Fairfield Prep and Southington – by a combined score of 117-23, after concluded the regular season with victories of 21 and 14 points against Darien and Staples.

“We turn over half the starters every year and it takes some time to figure out who our starters should be,” Morello noted. “We exhaust all options, we give seniors an opportunity to play and that’s how we use the regular season. The guys that we have in Week 1, we don’t necessarily have out there right now, but everybody had a shot and that’s how we used the regular season. You have to win enough games to make the playoffs, but more importantly, you have to make sure you have the right guys in place in those elimination games. The chemistry was right the last two weeks.”

Greenwich seized a 15-0 lead on Southington in the first quarter, then entered halftime with a commanding 29-0 advantage.

“I’m really proud of my entire team from the freshman all the way to the seniors,” said Kelly, who again successfully ran the ball out of the backfield and provided hard hits throughout from his linebacker position. “They all worked their tails off every single day to get here and it was a great performance for the whole team tonight.”

The Cardinals outgained the Blue Knights, 291-165 for the game and forced four turnovers, three of which were interceptions.

“It feels amazing,” said GHS senior linebacker/captain Santi Parra, who produced another stellar effort on defense. “We dreamed of it since freshman year, we did it last year, but two times is way better. I can’t be more grateful to this team and these coaches. This is the result of the hard work that we put in – a championship.”

Greenwich took the lead for good with 5:25 remaining in the first quarter. Kelly capped a six-play, 55-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Electing to go for two points, Tarantino completed the ensuing two-point conversion pass to senior Nicholas Mussolini, putting the Cards ahead, 8-0.

Junior wide receiver Dan Black caught a 12-yard pass from Tarantino for a first down, Tarantino gained 22 yards and a first down with a run and Lopez set the Cardinals up near the goal line with a run, keying the game’s first scoring drive.

“Our offense is incredible,” said Lopez, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards this fall. :We come in ready to work every single week. We put our heads down and get ready to work.”

Greenwich’s defense set up the squad’s next score, courtesy of senior defensive end Michael Golden. Southington junior quarterback Luke Prozzo threw a screen pass that was intercepted by the 6-foot-7 Golden, giving GHS the ball at the Blue Knights’ 26-yard line.

It took only three plays for the Cardinals to extend their lead after Golden’s timely interception.

Tarantino completed a 17-yard pass to senior wideout Hudson Squires, who made a nifty move to elude a Blue Knights defensive back, giving the Cardinals a first down at the 9-yard line. Two plays later, Kelly, who ran the Wildcat, scored on an 8-yard run around the left side. Sophomore placekicker boomed the PAT through the uprights as he’s done all season and just like that, Greenwich had a 15-0 lead on Southington with 2:41 to go in the opening quarter.

“We emphasized playing with a lot of anger, a lot of physicality and getting after them and that’s what we did,” Golden said of the Cardinals’ tenacious defensive play. “It feels amazing, two times in a row.”

The Blue Knights fell into a 22-0 hole at the 4:31 mark of the second quarter. This time Lopez found the end zone on a 2-yard run through the left side. His score concluded an efficient five-play, 38-yard drive featuring a 17-yard reception by Golden, a tight end on offense and a 14-yard catch by Lopez.

“There was a lot of trash talking between both teams, we just used that as fuel,” Lopez noted. “Never give the Greenwich Cardinals fuel. We bounce back off on that and we’ll pounce on you.”

“We played amazing offensively,” Golden added. “Every time we were getting the ball we were going right down the field and scoring.”

Meanwhile, Southington (9-4) couldn’t generate much on offense against Greenwich’s swarming defensive unit. Junior linebacker Justin Carroll registered 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks and made two tackles resulting in a loss of yards, senior defensive lineman William McDonald had seven tackles, as did Parra and Kelly, both of whom made a pair of tackles for a loss of yards for GHS.

Junior defensive end Andy Stedem registered six tackles, one sack and recovered a fumble, while senior defensive back Hunter Woods, senior defensive lineman Jacob Mobley and senior Brandon Ricketts each recorded three tackles for the state champion Cardinals.

“The defense was mostly seniors,” Parra said. “We knew it was our last time being out on the field with Greenwich tonight and we left all of it out there. We threw our bodies around. This is what captains are meant to do, lead our team to a championship. When you get here you win it all.”

Morello appreciated the tenaciousness he saw from his squad’s defense throughout the title game.

“The defense was outstanding, those were some of the hardest hits we’ve had all season,” Morello said. “They were playing out of their minds tonight. It means a whole lot to them. They take a ton of pride in the points that they give up every week. Our linebackers were spectacular.”

Prozzo was forced to leave the game for Southington with 7:34 left in the second quarter after taking a hard hit on a pass attempt. He was replaced by sophomore Jacoby Roman. Prozzo threw for 43 yards and Roman, who was also pressured frequently by the Cards, was 8 for 20 passing for 96 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

“We came out here and we knew what to do and we just applied all the pressure,” Mobley said. We didn’t let up.”

Obviously, winning the Class LL state title again was the Cardinals main goal, which they met in spectacular fashion.

“It is rewarding, especially because we won the state title last year,” Mobley noted. “There was a giant target on our back and we knew we had to execute.”

Leading 22-0, Greenwich wasn’t done scoring in the opening half. A four-play, 52-yard drive was completed by Kelly’s 14-yard touchdown reception from Tarantino with 14 seconds to go in the second quarter. Protected well, Tarantino found Kelly all alone in the flat on the right side and Kelly dashed to the end zone untouched, making it 29-0 in favor of the Cards.

“Our defense did a great job of giving us great field position,” said Tarantino, who completed 9 of 13 passes for 113 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. “The line did a great job up front and we just put it in.”

Kelly made every one of his 25 yards for the game count, scoring three rushing TDs and one receiving touchdown.

“The O-line is so good, they’re really amazing up front,” Kelly noted. “What they did tonight, they dominated tonight. I’m really happy for them and I’m really happy with the result we got.”

Greenwich’s offensive line of senior captain Colin Falla, junior Casey Baker, junior Michael Petrone, Nicholas Vomvolakis, a junior, senior Henry Wahl and senior Frank Kingsley, consistently opened holes for Lopez, Kelly and Tarantino to run through. Tarantino added 48 rushing yards on seven carries.

“We knew their front was a little unorthodox, they do a lot of different things,” Falla said. “But we came in well prepared.”

The Cards were also sparked by clutch punt and kickoff returns from sophomore Maxell Townsend, who consistently gave the team solid field position.

“We dominated the field position, our defense was playing great from the start,” Falla said. “We had a short field with punt returns and the offense was able to punch it in. We played all three facets of the game, we connected really well and it led to a blowout, 45-6.”

The Cards continued their domination in the third quarter. Stedem recovered a fumble, giving GHS the ball at the Blue Knights’ 11-yard line. Three plays later, Kelly scored on a 2-yard run, putting Greenwich in front, 36-0.

Southington’s main highlight came when Roman connected with sophomore running back/receiver Benjamin Beaulieu for a 10-yard scoring strike with 5:39 to go in the third quarter. Keeping their strong special teams play going, the Cardinals blocked the ensuing PAT and led, 36-6.

Galano gave Greenwich three more points by converting a 27-yard field goal with 1:55 left in the third quarter, making it 39-6. Woods intercepted Roman in the final quarter, giving GHS the ball at Southington’s 35-yard line and setting up the victors’ next TD.

Tarantino sealed the game’s scoring, keeping the ball and running up the middle for a 13-yard touchdown with 4:25 remaining in the fourth quarter. For the game, Greenwich churned out 178 rushing yards. Southington was limited to 26 yards on the ground.

“This is awesome, we’ve been working all season to get to this point is awesome,” said Tarantino, who completed his first season as Greenwich’s starting QB.

As for Greenwich’s running game, led by Lopez and Kelly?

“I think they’re the best running backs in the state,” Tarantino added. ” I’ll put them up against anybody.”

Squires, Lopez, Kelly and Black had two receptions apiece, while Townsend had 40 yards on punt returns and returned a kickoff for 25 yards in the winning effort. Kelly also had an interception to add to his highly impressive championship game.

“I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life,” Kelly said. “We won last year, but I knew it wouldn’t be as memorable if we didn’t go out as a champion our senior year. So, I’m just really proud of the guys for getting it done.”

Said Carroll, who was a force on defense for the Cardinals all season: “It feels great, all the work we put in the last two years for this moment, I’m just so proud of this group. I feel like in the playoffs, we really turned it up, especially on defense. We played violent, we played hard and that overall, was the key to our victory tonight.”

“We started to peak and had our best football at the end and I think that’s one of the best attributes of this team,” Carroll continued.

And yes, Cardinals’ opponents, Carroll is a junior, so he’ll be back next season.

“Next year, let’s make it three,” he said.

Like last season, when they defeated West Haven, 14-0, for the CIAC Class LL title, the Cardinals finished the season with a record of 11-2.

“To end with a state championship, that’s all you can ask for,” Falla said. “There’s been ups and downs during the season, but the ultimate goal is a state championship. To go back-to-back the third time in program history, it means a lot to my leadership as well as the other captains and seniors.”

Photos by Antonio Monteiro/06878: Hector Lopez, left and Jack Kelly carry the ball for the Cardinals.

For even more pictures from Greenwich’s ClAC Class LL state final win over Southington, please visit: https://www.06878photography.com/football-2025-ciac-ll-final-greenwich-high-school-vs-southington-high-school-december-13-2025.