Printer Friendly Version - North Haven Football Going Back to a Smash-Mouth Attack in 2017

Senior captain Mark Montano and North Haven football team and looking to take care of the ball and control the clock in order to put victories in the books during the 2017 season. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

The North Haven football team will kick off the 2017 fall season when the Indians host fellow SCC Tier 1 school West Haven at Vanacore Field at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8. North Haven is coming off a year in which it dropped several close contests against quality squads to finish with a record of 4-6, marking the program’s first losing season since 2008.

When asked about his goals for the upcoming campaign, Head Coach Anthony Sagnella didn’t pinpoint a specific number of victories. Instead, Sagnella detailed the type of demeanor that he wants to see from the Indians when they hit the gridiron every Friday night.

“I want to see our team play inspired, physical, smart, tough football every week. I want to see our team compete to their utmost potential,” said Sagnella. “That is what the game is all about. It’s about competition, and that is going to prepare them for bigger things in their lives. That is what I want to see them do as football players.”

North Haven put the ball in the air more than usual during the past few seasons, but with the graduation of pocket-passing quarterback Jack Steinman, this year’s offense will go back to being more of the ground-and-pound attack that the Indians are known for. Speedy senior captain Mark Montano is taking the reins at quarterback on the heels of a season in which he ran for 557 yards and 10 touchdowns to go five TD receptions as a running back. Montano also plays safety on defense.

“With the type of athletes we have, we are going to resemble more of a traditional North Haven offense of a few years ago, more so than the one we saw the last two years. It will be a run-dominated attack with carefully selected, opportunistic passes,” Coach Sagnella said. “With Jack, we had games last year where we threw the ball 30 to 35 times, and I just don’t see us doing that. We are going to have to control the ball, minimize mistakes and turnovers, and be more physical than our opponent. That is the personnel we have right now.”

In addition to Steinman, North Haven graduated several other key members of last year’s offense, including senior captains Tom Dodge, who accounted for 10 total touchdowns on offense and was All-SCC and All-State on defense as a cornerback; Max Sullivan, who rushed for 804 yards and eight scores; and tight end Kyle Melillo, who had 611 receiving yards and caught seven TD passes.

This season, the Indians’ stable of running backs features senior captain wingback Korbin Pecora, senior fullback/blocking back Zack Orth, junior Devan Brockamer, junior fullback Noah Pastore, junior blocking back Vinny DePalma, and junior Alex Ciaburro, who is questionable for Week 1 with an injury.

“They are all capable guys. They each bring something to the table, and they are all unique in their own style,” said Sagnella. “They give us a nice blend, a nice rhythm of different styles of runners, where have some speed on the edge and can also run up inside with some power.”

In the receiving core, seniors Matt Biehl, Steven Erbe, and Jack Clapp will be among North Haven’s primary pass catchers. The Indians’ running backs will also be called upon to reel in some receptions when the offense goes to a spread set.

North Haven is a bit inexperienced on the offensive line, but does have some depth. Senior tackle Henry Pearson is North Haven’s only returning starter, while fellow senior Pat Edwards will play the other tackle position after seeing time on the line last season. Senior Eric Milliard, who was primarily a defensive lineman last year, will start at offensive guard with sophomore Joe Ranciato. Senior Luigi Coppola is North Haven’s starting center. The Indians’ O-line also includes juniors Eli Doheny and sophomores Luke Maruca, Kyle Maruca, and Pat DaSilva.

“It’s a group of guys with a lot of potential. We have size, they move fairly well, and, if they compete, we’ll be OK,” Sagnella said. “Probably the hardest thing to play in football is the offensive line, and it takes time to jell. We’re hoping it’s sooner rather than later, because most of them are coming off a JV type of experience.”

Moving to the defensive side of the ball, Milliard, Henry Pearson, and DePalma are starting on the line, Pecora and Erbe are the starting inside linebackers, while Orth and junior Nick Dodge will play inside linebacker. Montano and Ciaburro are the starting safeties, and Gargano and Kyle Pearson will start at cornerback.

In the kicking game, freshman Chase DiCarlo will be the new guy booting home the extra points and any field goals, junior John Crispi is handling kickoff duties, Pecora is the punter, and Orth is the Indians’ long snapper.

North Haven’s other seniors this season are running back/defensive back Joe Corniello, running back/defensive back Kyle Pearson, running back/defensive back Brendan Ziaks, running back/defensive back Vinny Campagnuolo, two-way lineman Joe DePrimo, tight end/defensive lineman Stephen Chamberlain, and tight end/linebacker Jared Signore.

Sagnella is going into his 21st season as North Haven’s head coach and will be assisted by Alex Velardi (defensive coordinator), Mike Ricciardelli (offensive coordinator/offensive and defensive backfield coach), Keith Wolkovitz (special teams coordinator/tight ends coach), Chris Grillo (JV head coach), Marc Russo (freshman head coach), and Brian Woodford (strength and conditioning coordinator/quality control coach); as well as Tom Reid (centers/nose guards), Mark Zurlis (linebackers coach), Ralph Inorio (running backs/outside linebackers), Ken Santiago (game films), Tom Grillo (equipment manager/game films), Steve Narracci (scout team coordinator/assistant to the head coach), Mike Proto (academic advisor/associate head coach), Pete Harkins (assistant to the defensive coordinator), Deron Bayer (coordinator of scouting), Tom Connor (freshman running backs/defensive backs), and Andrew Savenelli (freshman assistant).

In addition to North Haven and West Haven, the other teams in SCC Tier 1 this year are Cheshire, Fairfield Prep, Notre Dame-West Haven, Shelton, and Xavier.

Anthony Sagnella is back for his 21st season as head coach of the Indians’ football squad, which begins its campaign with a home game against West Haven on Friday, Sept. 8. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier