October 30, 2005

Double duty for grieving Durkin: Mara's grandson attends
service, then shines in Crusaders' victory

from The Stamford Advocate
By Bob Greeney
Staff Writer

STAMFORD -- Ryan Durkin, all 5-feet-10 and 155 pounds of him, has been making plays all year long for the Trinity Catholic High School football team. Not much changed in that regard yesterday for the junior cornerback. The fact that he played well was noble in and of itself, because he did so under the most trying of circumstances. He played yesterday's game just a few hours after joining his family at the burial service of his grandfather Wellington Mara, the owner and beloved patriarch of the New York Giants.

It was an emotional roller-coaster of a week for Durkin and his family, including his mother Sheila (Wellington Mara's daughter) and father Ryan, so it was understandable to fathom him not being able to suit up for the Crusaders. Some close to the Trinity football family wondered whether he would play. They probably didn't need to. This is Ryan Durkin we're talking about, after all.

"I just wanted to play for my grandfather," Durkin said. "I know he'd want me to play, so I just wanted to play for him."

"We went to the wake on Wednesday, the funeral was yesterday, and some of the coaches didn't think he'd be able to play because the burial was this morning and then there would be the game," said Trinity Catholic junior running back Eric Stephens, who scored two touchdowns yesterday. "They weren't sure if he'd be ready to go. I knew he'd be ready to go. Ryan and I are real close. We're like brothers. We talked every day about the situation and he said he'd be ready to play. Then he went out and had a day."

Indeed he did. He intercepted a pass in the end zone in the third quarter and then recovered a fumble deep in Trinity Catholic territory early in the fourth quarter to help the Crusaders hold off Fairfield Ludlowe for a 28-20 victory yesterday at Alumni Field.

"I was looking forward to playing great for my grandfather," Durkin said. "I was looking forward to playing this game and having a good game for him. That's what makes me feel good, that I had a good game for him.

"He definitely was with me today."

The Crusaders admired Durkin's fortitude and character to join his family yesterday morning in Rye, N.Y., and then join his Crusader family in the afternoon.

"We were feeling for him every day this week," Trinity Catholic senior Dave Macari said. "We were saying prayers for him and his family, and after going out to the wake and going out to the funeral, we said: 'There's a lot of people we have to play for today.' This is a family and we've got to play for each other."

"They all came to the wake and a bunch of them took the train to come to the funeral (at St. Patrick's Cathedral)," Durkin said. "That made me feel a lot better, seeing a lot of them at the funeral. I wasn't so sad when I saw them."

Durkin made so many people feel good when he was along the sidelines for the pre-game ceremonies, wearing his jersey No. 24 and ready to go. Durkin, his teammates and his coaches all wore yellow wristbands with the inscription: "WTM, 1916-2005."

The flag was half-staff and there was a moment of silence to honor his grandfather. Then Durkin went out and had a day. And quite a soothing and memorable day at that. A day in which he did his family and his school proud.

"That's Ryan Durkin being Ryan Durkin," Trinity Catholic coach Bryan Fox said. "He's a kid that does not show a lot of emotion, but this was something where there was no doubt in my mind that he would show up ready to play a football game. I'm saying this without knowing his grandfather well, but I believe that if there is one place his grandfather would want him to be today, it would be on a football field playing football."

2005 News Stories

 

Big senior defensive tackle Vladimir Joseph swims by an offensive lineman in a 28-20 home victory over Fairfield Ludlowe on October 29, 2005. (CrusaderNation.net / Dana Maul)

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Junior defensive tackle Santiago "Teggy" Steele wraps up a Darien rusher as his
teammates look on. The Crusaders beat Darien 20-14 for their first victory of the year on September 24, 2005. (CrusaderNation.net / Dana Maul)

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Junior center Cory Johnson prepares to snap the ball to fellow classmate
Anes Koummal in a 28-19 victory over Westhill on October 1,
2005. (CrusaderNation.net / Dana Maul)

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The Crusader offensive line pushes Bassick around in the mud. The Crusaders
dominated Bassick in a 42-6 win on October 15, 2005. (CrusaderNation.net / Dana Maul)

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Senior wideout Rob Hawthorn races downfield to block as junior fullback Eric Stephens
busts up the middle after taking the handoff from Anes Koummal. The Crusaders beat
Darien 20-14 on September 24, 2005. (CrusaderNation.net / Dana Maul)

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2005 All-FCIAC East Offense

Row 1, Left to Right: Eric Wells, Bassick; Willie Epps, McMahon; Pete Raymond,
McMahon; Bill Beattie, Fairfield Ludlowe; Roger Bel, Ridgefield; Andrew Derito,
Ridgefield; Tyler Kirchoff, Ridgefield

Row 2, Left to Right: Dave Chervansky, St. Joseph; Vlad Ducasse, Stamford; Chris
Patterson, Stamford; D.J. Stefkovich, Staples; Bryan Wrapp, Staples; Gene
Devito, Trinity Catholic; Simon Kloeckner, Ridgefield.

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2005 All-FCIAC East Defense

Row 1, Left to Right: Joe Luchesi, Danbury; Greg Sabo, Danbury; James Taylor, Danbury;
Tom Donovan, Ridgefield; Scott Hiller, Ridgefield; Tom Cody, St. Joseph; Rick Piccirillo, St. Joseph

Row 2, Left to Right: Zach Sadler, St. Joseph; Alex Joseph, Stamford; Lonson Becker,
Staples; Brian Levine, Staples; Wyatt Moss, Staples; Dylan O'Shea, Staples; Vinny
Cortese, Trinity Catholic; Roland Carrington, Westhill

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