Editor’s note: following is a reminiscence submitted by Former Westporter Fred Cantor.

WESTPORT–The Remarkable. Klein’s.  “A hometown bank in a town of homes.”

Naturally, there are a variety of things that existed in Westport in 1963 when my family moved here—and that epitomized that small-town feeling—which have gone the way of rotary phones.

But others still remain such as Gold’s, the Memorial Day Parade in spring and the July 3rd (or 2nd or 1st) fireworks at Compo in the summer.

And to that list—for autumn—I would add the Staples boys’ soccer team vying for a county title with its traditional Block S logo on its jersey (which Penn State football seems to have recently appropriated for Nike athletic wear—but that’s a story for another day).

The classic sports movie “Hoosiers” captures, in part, the joy and pride of small-town Indiana high school basketball teams in winning a sectional or regional title.  I can attest from the perspective of both a player and fan that similar emotions are associated with “winning the counties” as we used to say back in the day.

I still have vivid memories from 60 years ago watching, as a 12-year-old, my brother Marc’s Staples squad scoring a late goal and upsetting powerhouse Brien McMahon, whose front line featured two future college All-Americans.  

And I wasn’t the only one excited by that.  Reporter Dan Shulman, son of renowned author Max Shulman, wrote in the Town Crier: “But whether Staples wins the state tournament or not, those rooters who braved the cold and wind at New Canaan will always remember the 1965 Wreckers for their performance Monday afternoon.”

Five years later I had the good fortune of playing on a dominant Staples team that won by a record margin, 5-0, in the county championship match.  And that game remains every bit as meaningful to me as an NCAA D1 tournament match I had the privilege of playing in three years later in which my squad upset the #1 regional seed.

In the decades since then I have watched a number of Staples boys’ soccer games; there is a strong connection between the alumni over the years and it is not unusual to see one or more alums at games (or former coach Jeff Lea for that matter).  It’s a bond that I imagine any small-town Indiana high school basketball program can identify with.

And, having seen my first Staples soccer game more than 60 years ago, I can unequivocally say the 2025 Staples squad is a special team that is truly capable of achieving something special in the postseason.

That was certainly evident in the first round of the FCIAC tournament, as Staples obliterated Norwalk, 8-0.  It was a generational performance by a generational squad that improved its record to 15-2.

There is perhaps no such thing as playing a perfect soccer match, but on Monday Staples came close with exquisite team play from front to back.

Even if you haven’t seen a game this year, if you enjoy high-quality soccer I would suggest you drive over to Fairfield Warde on Thursday to see the 5pm match between Staples and Stamford.  

Staples boys’ soccer has won a record 27 FCIAC titles—but it has been 15 years since the last one.  This year’s team is certainly primed to end that drought.

Fred Cantor, SHS ‘71
Former Bridge St. resident