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11/28/2015 11:00 PMThe North Haven football team has had a lot to feel thankful about lately and the Indians added two more things to that lengthy list following a 62-30 rout of Amity on Thanksgiving.
North Haven traveled to Woodbridge for the 20th edition of their annual Turkey Day showdown against the Spartans on Nov. 26. Amity struck first with a field goal, but it was all Indians after that as they scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and four more in the second en route to their seventh-straight victory in the series. With the win, Anthony Sagnella’s squad solidified the second undefeated regular season in program history at 10-0 and also clinched its first home postseason game, which will be a quarterfinal contest in the Class L State Playoffs. As the No. 1 seed, North Haven is hosting No. 8 Middletown (8-2) at Vanacore Field at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 1. With a victory, the Indians would earn a home semifinal versus the winner of Torrington and Wethersfield on Monday, Dec. 7. The championship game takes place on Saturday, Dec. 12.
“It’s always better to play at home than on the road and, with that being in our control, I’m glad we seized that opportunity. Vanacore is a great environment, the kids enjoy playing there, and we only had four home games this year, so it’s a nice treat to get a fifth one,” said Coach Sagnella, whose team will compete in the postseason for the third-straight year and sixth time since 2007. “A 10-0 regular season is a credit to the team and to the seniors. Any time you can win all your games in a league like the SCC, it says a lot about your players and program. They’ve had to stay focused every week. The football season is a long one that’s dragged out and it requires mental energy, so give the kids credit for that accomplishment.”
The Indians ran for 329 yards and threw for another 195 in the Amity win. Senior captain Mike Montano tossed three touchdowns on three completions, ran for a TD, and caught another to earn the game’s Offensive MVP Award. All totaled, Montano passed for 136 yards, rushed seven times for 74 yards, and had a 59-yard touchdown catch. Fellow senior Nick Ponzio caught two TD passes and also ran for a score. Senior captain linebacker David Mikos made 15 tackles and forced a fumble to take home Defensive MVP honors.
Even though North Haven ultimately cruised to the win, Amity got on the board first via a 24-yard field goal and led 3-0 just 3:32 into the game. The Indians came right back on a 34-yard touchdown run from Conner Suraci (10 rushes, 100 yards) and fellow senior Sabrina Fronte’s extra point made it 7-0. The Spartans were then piecing together another time-consuming drive, but senior Nick Campanelli put a stop to it when he picked off Amity quarterback Mike DeVito. Montano followed by lofting a pass to the end zone, where junior Jack Steinman made an over-the-shoulder grab for the TD and a 14-3 advantage. Two minutes later, the QB’s roles were reversed as Steinman found Montano for a 59-yard touchdown reception that made it 21-3. DeVito then connected with Myles Allen for a 65-yard scoring strike with five seconds left in the first quarter to draw within 21-9.
“Amity was playing a defense that was daring us to throw the football and we had to take advantage of it. You have to give them credit. They tried to make us play left-handed and they were defending Mike Montano, Conner, and the running game,” Coach Sagnella said. “Fortunately, we were able to throw the ball with success and that’s what makes this such a dangerous team. In past years, you might have been able to choose one part of our attack to shut down and, in doing so, shut is down, but we have more diversity this year and that makes it a more difficult task to defend us.”
Sagnella’s squad then seized control of the contest by outscoring Amity (2-8) by a 28-0 margin in the second. Montano broke free for a 47-yard touchdown rush a minute into the frame and then connected with Ponzio for a 76-yard TD reception only 54 seconds later. Ponzio added a 27-yard touchdown run and caught a 42-yard pass for a score from Montano and the Indians were well on their way with a 48-9 halftime advantage. Ponzio had 34 yards on three carries and 116 yards on the two receptions that both went for touchdowns.
“Nick is another selfless player who enjoys all facets of the game—blocking, running, throwing, and catching,” said Sagnella. “The style of Amity’s defense was lending itself to our wings having a more significant role than our tailbacks and, fortunately, Nick is versatile and athletic and he can do what we call on him to do. I’m happy he had a productive outing.”
In the third quarter, junior Kyle Melillo picked up a fumble and raced 87 yards to paydirt, after which Fronte kicked her seventh extra point to make it 55-16 through three.
Then for the fourth, sophomore Mark Montano (4 carries, 91 yards) got in on the act by taking one home from 49 yards for North Haven’s final score. Junior Paul Murray converted the point after touchdown and the Indians led 62-16 before Amity scored the last two TDs.
Additionally for North Haven on defense, Campanelli recovered a pair of fumbles to complement his interception with Suraci forcing a fumble and recording a sack. Senior Shane O’Connor also took down Amity’s quarterback for a sack. Besides Mikos, the Indians’ leading tacklers were seniors Patrick McKenna, Rob Ralston, and Jeremy Imperati; plus junior Max Sullivan and sophomore Zach Orth, who all had six.
From the Sidelines
This is the second time in program history that a North Haven football team has put together an unblemished regular season. The other time was in 1963, when the Indians went 8-0 in the midst of a 20-game win streak.
For the regular season, North Haven outscored its opponents 508-148. North Haven’s victories came against Law (56-28), Sheehan (48-0), Notre Dame-West Haven (42-21), East Haven (47-0), Branford (49-7), Fairfield Prep (49-14), Hillhouse (45-12), Lyman Hall (48-7), Foran (62-29), and Amity (62-30).
In terms of the Class L State Playoffs, the Indians are the top seed and will host No. 8 Middletown (8-2) and could potentially host a semifinal duel against the victor of No. 4 Torrington (9-1) and No. 5 Wethersfield (9-1). On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Harding (10-0) faces No. 7 seed Notre Dame-West Haven (8-2) with No. 3 Windsor (10-0) is home against No. 6 New Canaan (8-1).