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12/01/2016 11:00 PM

North Branford U-14 Football Wins League Title


North Branford and its coaches celebrate a 38-18 win over Windsor to claim the Connecticut Youth Football and Cheerleading League championship.Photo courtesy of Bill O’Brien

The North Branford U-14 football team won the Connecticut Youth Football and Cheerleading League (CTYFL) championship on Nov. 20 by posting a 38-18 victory over the Windsor Giants at Coginchaug High School in Durham. The victory for the Thunderbirds made up for their only loss during the regular season, when they lost to Windsor 31-0 in September.

North Branford finished the season with an overall record of 10-1. The T-Birds defeated Bloomfield, Durham, Vernon, Simsbury, Canton, East Hartford, and Berlin in the regular season to go 7-1 and were ranked No. 2 in the playoffs. North Branford then beat New Hartford (42-12) in the first round and Berlin (24-6) for the second time of the season in the semifinals before the rematch with Windsor. North Branford averaged 30.5 points per game, while holding its opponents to 11.1 points a game this season. The T-Birds recorded four shutouts during the regular season.

North Branford’s athletes included Tony Longo, Alex Clinton, Terrence Murphy, Dalton Rice, Tyler Dinapoli, Tommy Candelora, Maverick Melchiore, Trevor Holzer, Mason Melchiore, Brandon Fratta, Aiden Stankiewicz, Rishi Patel, David Santiago, Dominic Nuterangelo, Jamison O’Brien, Aiden Cole, Alex D’Ambruoso, Ryan Vaspasiano, and Ethan Raymond.

The team was coached by Ant Salvati and assistants Mike Rice, Rich Murphy, and Mike Katz. Others who assisted include Cory Onofrio, Eric Berlepsch, Carmine Ciampi, and Louis Distasio.

Information courtesy of Bill O’Brien

The North Branford U-14 football squad played to a 10-1 overall record and won a state championship by defeating Windsor on Nov. 20.Photo courtesy of Bill O’Brien