This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
10/30/2016 12:00 AMGirls’ Soccer
The Thunderbirds’ girls’ soccer team won its final game of the regular season and then claimed a 2-1 victory over Old Saybrook in the quarterfinals of the Shoreline Conference Tournament last week.
On Oct. 26, North Branford recorded a 1-0 victory at East Haven to finish the regular season at 8-2-6. Jenna Bryden scored on an assist from Jessie Kilburn, while Allie Augur made five saves in goal.
Three days later, North Branford took on Old Saybrook in the Shoreline quarters and prevailed 2-1. Ana Pavic scored both goals in the second half in a come-from-behind effort as the Rams were up 1-0 at halftime.
North Branford advanced to play Cromwell in the conference semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 1. With a win, the T-Birds would face the winner of Old Lyme and Valley Regional for the title at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4.
Boys’ Soccer
North Branford came up just shy of a State Tournament berth in Head Coach Brett Gagliardi’s first season after taking a 1-0 loss at Montville in its final game on Oct. 24. The Thunderbirds finished with a record of 4-8-4 on the campaign.
Football
North Branford evened its record at 3-3 with a 28-20 win at home versus Lewis Mills on Oct. 28. The Thunderbirds jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and held an advantage throughout for the win.
Jeff Jablonski went 6-of-10 passing for 129 yards and a touchdown for North Branford. Dylan Blake scored two rushing touchdowns, Nick Mancini led the ground game with 96 yards rushing, and Charles Walcott converted 10 carries into 39 yards and a score. In the receiving game, Sydney Franklin hauled in four passes for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Matt Sibley had a team-high 22 tackles, plus Mancini had 19 and Justin Augur added 14. Augur, Dylan Nowak, and Jack Thornburn had one sack each, while Franklin and Keane Regan each picked off a pass.
Next on the schedule, North Branford will play at Granby Memorial (1-6) at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3.
Field Hockey
In its final regular season matchup of the season, the T-Birds defeated Mercy 2-0. It was North Branford’s seventh shutout this year as they went 12-3-1 for the regular season.
North Branford takes on Westbrook in a Shoreline Conference semifinal showdown at Indian River Complex in Clinton at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1. If the T-Birds win, they’ll face the victor of Haddam-Killignworth and Valley Regional in the final at the same site at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3.
Volleyball
North Branford’s first season with Head Coach Cera Orner came to a close as the T-Birds split their final two matches to finish 6-14 overall.
On Oct. 24, North Branford lost to East Hampton 3-0. However, the T-Birds rebounded with a 3-0 win over Wilcox Tech to close out the year. In the victory, Patience Wilson had 10 kills and eight aces,p lus Megan Hanratty had five aces and 25 assists.
Boys’ Cross Country
North Branford finished in 18th place at the Class SS State Championship at Wickham Park on Oct. 29.
Michael Madoule was the top runner for the T-Birds with a 45th-place finish and a time of 18:47. Other runners were Parker Nadeau (59th, 19:21); Zachary Jamieson (89th, 20:04); Austin Gibilisco (133rd, 20:58); Michael Rabuffo (143rd, 21:16); Aaron Biesaw (169th, 22:16); and Patrick Miconi (179th, 22:50).
Girls’ Cross Country
The Thunderbirds sent three runners to the Class SS State Championship last week.
Running at the meet for North Branford was MacKenzie Glenn, who finished 59th at 23:17, along with Jillian Damiani (84th, 25:04) and Sarah Sullivan (97th, 25:32).