Fourteen athletes from Greenwich to play college football

Fourteen players from the Greenwich High School football team are going to play at the collegiate level in the fall. The players include, front row left to right, Chase Piro, Cole Hartley, Anthony Ferraro, Matt Morganti, Zhaire House and Tyler Farris. Back row, left to right: Christian Novakowski, Blake Guerrieri, Connor Langan, James Day, Sam Colandro, Paul Williams and Peter Ryan. Not pictured, Kevin Iobbi. June 9, 2017 less Fourteen players from the Greenwich High School football team are going to play at the collegiate level in the fall. The players include, front row left to right, Chase Piro, Cole Hartley, Anthony Ferraro, Matt ... more Photo: Contributed Photo / Contributed Photo Photo: Contributed Photo / Contributed Photo Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Fourteen athletes from Greenwich to play college football 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

The conclusion of the 2016 season wasn’t the final organized football game for a good number Greenwich seniors.

Fourteen players from Greenwich will compete at the collegiate level in the fall, a program-best according to coach John Marinelli.

“It’s great, it shows their passion for the game and the attention to detail they showed all season long,” said Marinelli, whose Cardinals went 7-4 last season and qualified for the CIAC Class LL Tournament. “This was a special class of seniors that really loved being around the sport. I’ve always said there is a college out there for anyone if they want to play college football.”

Connor Langan is one of the Cardinals’ offensive players who will continue his career in college. Langan threw for 1,453 yards with 14 touchdown passes as a senior. He will play at Dickinson College (Division III) in the fall.

“Connor can play right away at quarterback,” Marinelli said. “He has the size, strength, agility and focus. I wouldn’t be surprised if he started Week 1.”

Paul Williams, who played linebacker and was the Cardinals’ long-snapper, will join Fordham University’s Division I program. Williams was recruited as a long-snapper and linebacker by Fordham. He registered 84 tackles his senior season.

“Paul is one of my favorite all-time players,” Marinelli said. “He worked really hard on his craft, not only on defense, but his speciality — long-snapping. He did the most with our young kids, which says a lot about what he is about.”

Anthony Ferraro, a wide receiver, joins his older brother Vincent at Saint Lawrence University (Division III). Ferraro totaled 27 receptions for 311 yards and caught four touchdown passes last season. His brother Vincent is a rising senior at St. Lawrence.

“Anthony Ferraro is a talented receiver,” Marinelli said. “I can’t wait to see Anthony and Vincent together on the same field. He was part of one of the best receiving corps I’ve ever had. I wish I had more time with him.”

Running back Kevin Iobbi, who rushed for a team-high 1,509 yards and 17 touchdowns this past season, will line up in the backfield at Hamilton College (Division III).

“Kevin set the standard for what we want all our football players to be,” Marinelli said. “He hated when I took him out to rest in practice. He always showed up ready to go on game day.”

After catching a team-best 36 passes for 607 yards and four touchdowns, wide receiver Matt Morganti is heading to the University of Connecticut (Division I).

“I look forward to see Matt continue to progress,” Marinelli said. “He was one of the best receivers in the FCIAC.”

Christian Novakowski and Blake Guerrieri will continue to be teammates, as they will each take their offensive lineman skills to Salve Regina University (Division III).

“Salve Regina has a strong football tradition and they both have their best years of football ahead of them,” Marinelli said of Novakowski and Guerrieri.

Cole Hartley, who rushed for 386 yards his senior year, will play for the University of Richmond’s Division I FCS program and wide receiver Tyler Farris (22 receptions, 250 yards) joins Colby College’s receiving corps in the fall.

“Cole was a versatile player, who excelled at running back and earned every minute,” Marinelli said. “Tyler Farris was one of the spark plugs of our offense.”

A pair of GHS defensive backs — Zhaire House and James Day — are going to play at the collegiate level. House, who registered 50 tackles, is headed to Western New England University (Division III), while Day will continue his career at Pace University (Division II).

“Zhaire was the heart and soul of our defense,” Marinelli said. “Everyone fed off his energy on the field. James Day really molded well with our guys, Pace is lucky to have him.”

Defensive end Sam Colandro (65 tackles) is also on his way to Western New England University. His brother Frank, a rising senior, is a linebacker.

“Colandro brought a blue-collar mentality to our defense,” Marinelli said. “He brought a different mentality that we needed to our defense.”

Two more Cardinals linemen are will battle at the line of scrimmage in college. Chase Piro, a guard/center, joins Gettysburg’s Division III program, while Peter Ryan a defensive lineman, will play at Maine Maritime Academy (Division III).

“Chase Piro was the anchor of our offensive line for two years in a row,” Marinelli said. “He came off knee surgery, which cut his junior year short, and he came back and played at a high level. He faced a lot of adversity. Peter came such a long way, becoming a force for us. He solidified our defensive line.”

dfierro@greenwichtime.com; 203-625-4423