Greenwich's Justin Carroll Leads Chase For Historic Third Straight Ciac Championship

GREENWICH - Justin Carroll has spent the last two seasons lining up alongside some of the most talented players Greenwich football has produced in recent memory. This fall, that changes.

The senior linebacker is one of just two returning starters on a Cardinals defense that must be rebuilt around him, and he is carrying a chance at something no Greenwich team has ever done: winning a third straight CIAC state championship.

"It definitely propelled me into an additional leadership role," Carroll said. "This year, I'm really trying to enforce the culture we've had the last couple years and make it a winning thing. I mean, it is a winning thing already, but we are determined to keep that going."

Greenwich has a decorated football history, but three consecutive CIAC titles has never been part of it. Not even when future NFL stars Steve Young or John Sullivan were playing at Cardinal Stadium. Carroll said the weight of that history sits in the back of his mind, even as he tries to take the season week by week.

"That's definitely lingering back there, that we have a chance to do something the program's never done before," he said. "It really pushes this team to work just that little bit harder."

With senior Colin Suvansri, the team's other returning defensive starter, holding down safety, Carroll is shifting back to middle linebacker and stepping into a bigger voice in the huddle, one he says means teaching younger players the standard the program expects.

Carroll has moved between inside and outside linebacker the past two seasons playing alongside linebackers Jack Kelly and Santi Parra, both of whom graduated last spring. Parra and Carroll were both named Second Team on the GametimeCT/New Haven Register All-State Football Team last fall.

Greenwich coach Anthony Morello said that shift from talented sophomore to steadying leader has been the biggest surprise of Carroll's growth.

"I knew he'd be a great leader in the weight room, a vocal leader to his teammates," Morello said. "But being able to turn it on and off on the field, last year he was renegade, all business all the time. Now he's easing off the gas with the younger guys instead of ripping their heads off. He understands how to manage the game and manage the team."

Carroll is also adding a new job on offense, moving into the backfield as a running back for the first time since his freshman year, when the position took a back seat to his defensive development.

"I haven't really been a full running back since freshman year," Carroll said. "This year I'm really excited to get back into it."

Morello expects to use him in a committee approach, likely giving Carroll 10 to 15 touches a game, but says Carroll's stamina sets him apart.

"He's just got a relentless motor," Morello said. "Naturally gifted and talented, but with a really great work ethic. His older brother, Jack, was a great captain here, but Justin's never wanted to follow in anybody's footsteps, he wants to carve his own path."

Beyond his own assignments, Morello said Carroll has a rare command of the entire defense, reading opposing linemen's tendencies and correcting teammates' alignment in real time.

"It's rare, maybe one kid a class has that intangible," Morello said. "Justin's not just watching his own teammates, he's watching the opponent too, calling out tips when a lineman shifts his weight. It doesn't matter where you put him. As long as he's on the field, he's playing at a high level."

That command matters more this fall with so much inexperience around him.

"They're going to need to be that voice, because everybody else will listen," Morello said, referring to Carroll and Suvansri. "Having Justin behind you commanding the front seven puts a lot of guys at ease. If you're not in the right gap, you're going to feel his hand."

Carroll said he watches film year-round, both to scout opponents and to critique his own game.

"I really look at my mistakes and what I need to improve on," Carroll said. "Sometimes you can't tell in the game because it happens too fast, but when you slow it down, it really helps you become a better player."

Off the field, Morello said Carroll is an excellent student who has already committed to Carnegie Mellon, where he plans to continue his football career, a decision made a few weeks ago that Morello said has lifted a weight off his senior season.

"That's got to be a freedom, especially in the public eye as a high schooler," Morello said. "Now he can just play football and enjoy the time here."

As for the history chasing Greenwich, Morello said he sees it differently than outsiders might expect.

"There's actually less pressure this time," he said. "We know what we do is proven and we've done it with two totally different teams. Justin's really the only constant heading into this third one."

This article originally published at Greenwich's Justin Carroll leads chase for historic third straight CIAC championship.