​Ludlowe’s Jackson Danylko (7) gets a lift from Alex Adwin (72) after scoring a touchdown against New Canaan in a football game on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (Dave Stewart/Hearst Connecticut Media)
NEW CANAAN – Following a fourth-quarter touchdown for the Ludlowe football team, Falcons lineman Carlo Noecker raised a finger, looked at a camera and shouted, “We’re No. 1!”As the saying goes, to be No. 1 you have to beat No. 1. Well, the Falcons have now taken care of one half of that equation.Riding the arm of senior quarterback Ryan Love, sixth-ranked Ludlowe scored on five of its final six possessions and ended No. 1 New Canaan’s 29-game winning streak with a wild 34-31 victory Friday night at Dunning Field.It’s the Falcons’ first win in 13 tries against New Canaan (6-1), and kept the Falcons’ record clean at 7-0.Asked if Ludlowe is the best team in the state, Love provided a very diplomatic response.”We are just a well-prepared team each week and we give our best each week,” Love said. “Depending on our performance in the game, we could beat anyone. It just depends if we’re in our groove or not.”To New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli, Love was absolutely in a groove in this game.”We knew he was good, but I didn’t know he was that good,” Marinelli said. “He played the game of his life and their coaching staff did a tremendous job, too. There was no quit from either team and it was a great high school game. We just came up a little bit short tonight.”Ludlowe has had a terrific run the past four years, putting together a 28-10 record which includes the program’s first two CIAC tournament bids the past two seasons.Now, the Falcons have what far and away qualifies as their signature win. Ludlowe had lost all 12 of its previous games with the Rams since the Fairfield schools split in 2004.The Rams and Falcons last faced each other on Oct. 5, 2024, with New Canaan winning 30-14, a game that started New Canaan’s 29-game win streak.Love racked up 382 passing yards and threw three touchdown passes, including a back-breaking 76-yard strike to Jackson Danylko to put the Falcons up by 10 with 2:20 to play. Love threw his first interception of the season, an end zone pick by New Canaan’s Stone Milligan, but never slowed down as he surpassed 4,000 yards for his career.”Words can’t describe him, honestly,” Noecker said when asked about Love. “The way he played today, I know he had his first pick of the season, but that didn’t matter. He threw three touchdowns and his grit is just incredible.”New Canaan started well and built a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter while busting into the Falcons’ backfield to disrupt the offense.But a fumble, recovered by Noecker, gave the Falcons a lift and they cashed in with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Love to Timmy O’Neill. Love then connected on a 28-yard scoring strike with Danylko, who had five catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns, to cut the deficit to 17-13 at halftime.Ludlowe opened the second half with a 68-yard