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12/22/2016 11:00 PMThe 2016 winter season in Branford featured more championships for the dance team, along with a successful merger between boys’ swimmers from Branford and Guilford. Additionally, the Hornets’ boys’ basketball and ice hockey squads both made their ways into states.
Dance
The Branford dance squad continued its run of success by once again capturing first place at two marquee meets, while also a major mark on the national level.
For the second time in three years, the Hornets saw their hip-hop squad advance to the finals at the Universal Dance Association National Dance Team Championship at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Branford competed against 50 schools in the Small Varsity Division and advanced through the preliminary and semifinal rounds to be one of the last 10 in the nation to compete in the finals, where the team came in 10th place for Branford’s highest finish at the national meet. The Hornets’ jazz team went up against 60 squads in the Small Varsity Division and finished within the top half of its preliminary round. Then at the State Championship, Branford defended its crowns in the Small Varsity Division for hip-hop and jazz by taking first place in both competitions. It was the ninth time in 10 years the hip-hop team prevailed at states, while the jazz team’s victory marked its fifth first-place finish in seven seasons. At the New England Championship, Branford captured first place in the Hip-Hop Division for the third time in four years and the jazz squad came in second place.
Jacqui Montano and Megan Palluzzi were the coaches for the Hornets, who were led by senior captains Tess Palluzzi, Michaela Gavigan, and Jessica Pantani.
Boys’ Swimming and Diving
Branford joined forces with Guilford to form a co-op and Head Coach Ray Beaulac’s squad recorded regular season wins against the likes of Foran, Sheehan, Lyman Hall, and Hand.
Then at the SCC Championship, Corey Gambardella, a junior at Guilford who trains with the Soundview YMCA Stingrays from Branford, claimed first place in two events to help the Hornets finish fourth. Gambardella won both the 200 individual medley (1:56.14) and the 500 freestyle (4:34.23) at the SCC meet. He also swam on the Hornets’ second-place, All-SCC 200 freestyle relay that featured Cole Horton, Eric Weidman, and Branford’s Thomas Shao. Those three athletes captained the squad with Branford student Kevin Jin. Following the SCC meet, the Hornets swam at the Class LL State Championship and notched a seventh-place finish. Gambardella placed second in the 100 butterfly and finished third for the 200 freestyle, after which he took second place in the butterfly and fourth in the 200 free at the State Open.
Also during the winter season, Gambardella qualified for the United States Olympic Team Trials in Men’s Swimming in the 200-meter butterfly by swimming a time of 2:01.52 at the Arena Pro Swim Series at the University of Texas on Jan. 16. Gambardella also swam the 100 butterfly in 54.97 at that meet. Then at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska on June 28, Gambardella swam the 200 butterfly in 2:01.96 to finish 47th out of 81 athletes, including Olympic legend Michael Phelps.
Boys’ Basketball
After losing five of its first six games, Branford played better the rest of the way to qualify for the SCC Tournament, as well as the Class L State Tournament.
The biggest highlight of the regular season came when junior Jake Sullivan drained a 30-foot shot at the buzzer to give Branford a 35-32 win over North Haven. Branford also swept its season series against Oronoque opponents Career and to finish 5-3 in the division. The Hornets later lost to Xavier in the SCC tourney, but came back to upend Masuk 52-34 in the qualifying round of the Class L State Tournament. Branford then dropped a contest against Windsor to finish with an overall record of 9-14.
Sullivan was an All-Oronoque honoree for Branford. The Hornets’ senior captains were guard/forward Kory King and point guard Richard Jacobson. Jake Palluzzi completed his 28th season as Branford’s head coach.
Girls’ Basketball
The Hornets posted a record of 6-14 and finished the year by winning their last two games. Branford posted season sweeps of divisional foes Cross and North Haven to finish at 4-4 in the Oronoque.
The captains for Head Coach Justin Henry’s club were Giuliana Piscitelli and Adrienne DiGioia. DiGioia collected All-Oronoque honors.
Boys’ Ice Hockey
After claiming the SCC/SWC Division II crown in the two prior campaigns, the Hornets played well down the stretch of the regular season to qualify for the Division II State Tournament with a record of 8-11-1. In the state tourney, Branford pulled off a 3-1 upset at South Windsor and was then eliminated by dropping a 3-0 decision to East Haven in the quarterfinals for a mark of 9-12-1.
Forward Zack Withington was an All-Conference First Team selection for Branford, while goalie Justin Edwards made the Third Team. Withington was also selected to the New Haven Register’s All-Area Team, as well as the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Division II All-State First Team.
At the end of the season, Adolph Brink stepped down as Branford’s head coach following an eight-year tenure that included three conference titles and one state final appearance.
Girls’ Ice Hockey
On the heels of winning back-to-back SCC Division II titles, Branford-East Haven-North Branford posted an overall record of 9-10-1 in its first year in Division I of the SCC.
Sophomore Julia SanGiovanni, an East Haven resident, earned All-Conference Second Team honors for her play in goal. The Hornets’ co-head coaches were Jack Norton and Lauren Wiggins. The team’s senior captains were East Haven student Julia Schatz and Branford’s Anna Pascale. Schatz played on the top line with junior center Sydney Hogan and fellow North Branford student Emmy Norton, a sophomore.
Wrestling
Branford went 9-20 during a regular season that saw the team host its first annual Shoreline Scuffle Tournament and win the event behind five first-place finishes.
The Hornets then saw four athletes take second place en route to All-Conference honors at the SCC Championship to help the team finish sixth. Branford’s second-place finishers were junior captain Noah Pantani in the 113-pound weight class, fellow junior Willie Gambardella at 120, sophomore Zach Cash in the 145-pound bracket, and freshman Jackson Seward at 195. Then at the Class M State Championship, Pantani and Gambardella each won four matches en route to taking third place, helping Branford finish 10th as a squad. Gambardella went on to win four more bouts at the State Open for a sixth-place finish. Junior Jordan Botte was the other captain for Head Coach Chris Bonagiuso’s team.
Girls’ Indoor Track
One of the highlights for Branford came early in the year, when its distance medley relay Courtney Cosgrove, Issy Bysiewicz, Anneliese Troidle, and Cyrene Nicholas ran a time of 13:18.75 to break the school record and take third place at the Yale Track Classic.
Then at the SCC West Sectional Championship, seniors Claira Janover and Etta Hanlon took first place in the 55 hurdles (9.17) and the long jump (16-5) to help Branford place third. Janover and Hanlon later finished third in those events at the Class M State Championship, where the Hornets finished in 12th. Branford then came in fifth place at the SCC Championship.
The senior captains for Head Coach Kevin Connell’s club were Hanlon, Janover, Nicholas, Bysiewicz, and Troidle.
Boys’ Indoor TrackAt the SCC West Sectional Championship, Branford’s 1,600 sprint medley relay of seniors Luke DiStasio, Zach Ellison, and Emmon Duffy, plus freshman Marzio Mastroianni finished in second place. The quartet later raced to a sixth-place finish at the SCC Championship. Previously at the SCC Novice Meet, senior Marshall Borrus won the 1,000 with a time of 2:59.81.The senior captains for Head Coach Rich Biondi’s squad were Ellison, Duffy, Borrus, and Joe Borst. Cheerleading
Branford competed in the Co-ed Division at the SCC Championship and captured a second-place finish, after which the Hornets took fifth place at the Co-ed State Championship the following month.
Amanda Acquarulo and Alyssa Cariglio earned All-SCC honors for Head Coach Melissa Mansi’s squad, whose senior captains were Adjhani Benbow and Emily Weston.