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11/28/2015 11:00 PMBoth teams played exceptional defense, both teams saw their top receiver catch a touchdown pass, and both teams had their kicker attempt a crucial field goal in the fourth quarter. The big difference was that Branford’s Teddy Gionteris booted his through the uprights, while East Haven’s kicker didn’t, and the result was a 10-7 victory for the Hornets against the Yellowjackets on Thanksgiving Day.
Branford hosted East Haven for the 74th edition of the Beehive Bowl on Nov. 26. The Hornets were aiming to get back on the winning side of the rivalry after being shut out the past two seasons, in addition to finishing the year with a .500 record. On top of that, there was the incentive to keep the Yellowjackets from reaching the State Playoffs for the first time in program history, which would have happened had they won. Instead, Branford spoiled its crosstown foe’s party on the strength of some stellar special teams.
Early in the fourth quarter, Hornets’ freshman Jackson Seward blocked a punt deep in Yellowjackets’ territory, which set up a 24-yard field goal by sophomore Gionteris to give the Hornets a 10-7 lead with 8:27 remaining. On East Haven’s final drive of the game, freshman Evan Damian attempted a 36-yard field goal which came up short and Branford emerged with a nail-biting victory to finish at 5-5, increase its all-time edge in the series to 38-32-4, and prevent the Yellowjackets (7-3) from making the Class M bracket.
“No. 1, it’s for our seniors. It’s a huge win for the program moving forward, but at the end of the day, it’s that group of guys leaving in their last time in a Branford uniform and that always makes it special,” said Hornets’ Head Coach John Limone. “The motivation going into day one of the season is to take it one day at a time, but you always have in the back of your mind that there’s your crosstown rival who you’ve played 74 times and it’s absolutely huge. The first thing people ask you when you tell them you played for Branford is, ‘Did you beat East Haven?’ So it’s a huge game and, with the implications for them having a chance to make the playoffs, it raises the stakes that much higher.”
The game ultimately proved a defensive battle, but it didn’t start out the way as the score stood at 7-7 early in the second quarter. Yellowjackets’ quarterback Trevor Angelo found Michael Griffith for a 31-yard touchdown pass with 5:23 left in the opening frame and East Haven led 7-0. Branford countered just 54 seconds into the second when junior QB Griffin Lynch connected with senior captain wide receiver Luke DiStasio on a 78-yard scoring strike to knot things up after Gionteris’s extra point. DiStasio caught the pass in the flat, broke a tackle, shook off another defender, and then booked up the sidelines for the score.
After that, the defenses took control for both sides and Coach Limone credited his boys for continuing their solid play on that side of the ball—something that played a heavy hand in the Hornets winning five of their last six games on the season. Limone noted the play of senior linebacker Russell Morales—who made 13 tackles, forced two fumbles, and recovered Seward's blocked punt in his first game of the year, along with junior defensive end David Donnelly (9 tackles with 3 for a loss)—but felt his entire unit put together a brilliant performance.
“It was just team defense. Guys were booming and playing their assignments and being disciplined,” said Limone. “East Haven’s system [the Wing-T] is designed to get you to be undisciplined and, even when they hit us with a few plays, we kept reading our keys and doing the right things.”
The defenses kept things deadlocked at 7 entering the game’s waning stages. A few minutes into the final quarter, East Haven faced a fourth down and Austin Thornberg went for the punt. In rushed Seward, who got his mitts on the ball for the block that Morales recovered to put Branford in prime position just short of the Yellowjackets’ 10-yard line.
“They run a rugby scheme and it’s very tricky because there’s a fake built in every time they punt,” Limone said. “They hit us with it earlier and EJ Sattelberger did a tremendous job to come up with a scheme to keep them at bay. Jack was in terrific position for the block and that was huge—especially because our offense had struggled—to recover the ball down there close to field goal range.”
Branford couldn’t get into the end zone and so Limone had to decide whether to go for it on 4th-down-and-5 at the 7-yard line or have Gionteris try the 24-yard field goal. Limone chose the latter option and it proved the right call as junior Justin Lopa snapped the ball to senior captain Noah DeGoursey, who held it down for Gionteris to make his first career field goal and put the Hornets in the lead for good with 8:27 to play.
“It’s just awesome for Teddy to have a big moment like that and some of the guys on the PAT team don’t get a lot of playing time and they got to be out there for one of our biggest plays in the last three years,” said Limone. “We were super excited to execute the kick and have the lead, but it was also important for the kids to understand that the game was not over.”
East Haven’s final drive began deep in its own territory and featured a completed pass on 3rd-and-19 that kept the chains moving. Ultimately, the Yellowjackets were faced with a 4th-and-9 play and Head Coach Melvin Wells called on Damian for the game-tying field goal. The 36-yard try fell shy, the Hornets took over with 1:28 to go, and then ran out the clock to solidify a stirring victory that sent both them and their faithful fans home for Thanksgiving dinner with big smiles on their faces.
“The student section rushed the field and, when it goes triple zeros, the kids are excited, everybody’s excited. It’s such a special feeling to win that game,” Coach Limone said. “Having been there myself in a similar game that went down to the wire, to be able to watch our kids celebrate and have that much pride was absolutely huge for us. And seeing all the alumni on the field just brings the whole thing into perspective. That’s why I coach—to give the kids something to be proud of.”
For Branford’s offense, Lynch completed seven passes for 114 yards with DiStasio catching six for 110 and the touchdown. Senior captain Zach DeGoursey was the leading rusher with 30 yards.
Additionally on defense, DiStasio reeled in an interception, plus senior Jacob Santos recovered a fumble and had a sack. Senior captain Jake Roberts and Seward also recorded sacks. Branford made 12 tackles for a loss, including a pair from Roberts. Besides Morales and Donnelly, the Hornets’ top overall tacklers were Noah DeGoursey (11), Roberts (8), Seward (8), junior Spencer Berty (8), junior Noah Lordan (8), and senior Tristyn Wooster (6).
From the Sidelines
Branford finished the season with an even record of 5-5 in 2015. The Hornets’ victories came against Sheehan (25-12), Lyman Hall (28-6), Law (26-6), Guilford (13-7), and East Haven (10-7). The Hornets also went 3-1 in SCC Division II West Haven to take second place.
The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for Branford in the Beehive Bowl series. The Hornets had last won the game 48-0 in 2012.