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11/27/2016 11:00 PMSteve Filippone’s career as head coach of the Hand football team has been filled with success and so finishing it with a win seemed like the only appropriate ending for the Tigers’ legendary leader. Hand’s athletes delivered in resounding fashion for their coach by posting a lopsided victory in Filippone’s final game on the sidelines.
Earlier this fall, Filippone announced that the 2016 season would be his last as the Tigers’ coach. The campaign culminated when Hand hosted Guilford in the teams’ annual Thanksgiving Eve clash on Nov. 23 and the Tigers sent out their 27-year head coach on a triumphant note behind a 44-0 shutout of the Indians at the Surf Club.
Filippone finishes his career at Hand with a record of 223-82-5 and seven state championships. He’s only the second head coach in the history of the Tigers’ football program, succeeding Larry Ciotti, who coached the team from 1971 to 1988.
“I now have a third of my life to fill, which is frightening because, as a football coach, there isn’t one day of your life that isn’t devoted to football. It’s a big hole to fill,” said Filippone. “It was very emotional with this last game being around the Ciotti family. My family arranged a gathering at a local spot in Madison that night and we reminisced until 2 a.m. with people I love. Friday morning was the first time I had a chance to reflect on the fact that I’m no longer the Hand football head coach. It’s a sobering thought, but it doesn’t feel wrong. My wife has been unbelievable to me in the whole process of coaching. My two sons are now great human beings. I can’t wait for next fall. Hand football isn’t on life support. The next head coach will be someone who is a part of the Hand football family and understands its formula. It won’t be long before they are again practicing the day after Thanksgiving for the playoffs. It’s been a blessing of incomparable meaning. I’ve gotten many thanks from people, but they have no idea how much joy this job has brought me.”
Senior quarterback Brett Bilcheck rushed for 119 yards on only seven carries in Hand’s victory versus Guilford. Junior Brian Casagrande added two touchdowns, while the Tigers’ defense recorded a safety and returned an interception for a score. Hand finished the season with two victories, as well as a handful of narrow defeats against fellow SCC Tier 1 squads. Still, Filippone felt that the Tigers walked away from the campaign with great pride after challenging themselves against elite opponents throughout a grueling 10-game slate.
“The overtime loss to Fairfield Prep changed the complexion of the season. We probably wouldn’t have lost to Hillhouse the next week if we had won there and then would be 3-0 after East Haven. Hillhouse made the Class M Playoffs and Prep took a 10-0 West Haven team to the limit [in a 28-21 loss on Thanksgiving],” Filippone said. “It would’ve been easy after a tough loss to North Haven to give up, but that was the turning point for us. The leaders on this team rallied the rest of the team and got the team to believe that we wouldn’t go quietly. The team began to jell and our freshmen and sophomores began to play like veterans. We played a close game with Shelton, took Xavier to overtime, and lost to Cheshire in the last five seconds. They kept a positive attitude and worked harder every day in practice. I believe there was not one team in Class L that would’ve liked to see us in the first round of the playoffs. The level of pride I have in coaching these kids is second to none.”
The Tigers started the scoring versus Guilford (3-7) when Casagrande ran it in from two yards out to put Hand up 7-0 with 2:11 to go in the first quarter. Casagrande then intercepted an Indians’ pass at their 34-yard line. That drive ended when Guilford picked up a fumble at its own 5, but Hand senior Jack Parker brought down Guilford quarterback Jack Strand in the end zone for a safety and 9-0 advantage. Casagrande later found paydirt from two yards away a second time to have Hand up 16-0 with 6:03 to play in the first half. The Indians then fumbled the kickoff return and Hand converted the miscue into a 22-0 command when senior Nick Anderson scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. Hand added another TD on sophomore Chris Bartosic’s 5-yard rush and brought a 29-0 lead to halftime.
In the third quarter, Bilcheck sprinted 69 yards for a touchdown and 36-0 advantage. Later in the frame, sophomore Kevin Girardi intercepted a Strand pass and returned it 47 yards for a score. The Tigers followed by converting the 2-point try to complete the 44-0 shutout and conclude Filippone’s career with the latest in his long line of wins.
It was Steve Filippone’s dream job to become the head coach of the Hand football squad and he lived that dream for the past 27 years. Filippone guided the Tigers to a ton of triumphs throughout that time, but said that he’ll remember the athletes who put all those wins in the books even more than the actual victories.
“To work with Larry Ciotti for 10 years and apply the skills he’s taught me, I couldn’t have picked a better spot than this one. I inherited one of the best traditions in the state. My job was to be a caretaker and make sure the program continued to be magnificent and I can safely say we did that,” Filippone said. “We continued to build the same type of men that we did in the 1970s and 80s. We had an emphasis on commitment and hard work, which we kept alive for three decades, and I take the most pride in that. The part I’ll miss the most is having 40 to 60 kids that I get to help become better men. I’ll remember the kids more than the championships.”
From the Sidelines
The Hand football team won its seven state championship with Steve Filippone as its head coach. The Tigers’ titles came in 1989, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2011, and 2012.
The Tigers have now won 10-straight games against Guilford and lead the all-time series 38-5-1.
Hand’s other win this season was a 35-0 victory in East Haven on Sept. 23.