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09/30/2017 12:00 AMFootball
The North Branford football team improved to 3-1 by posting a 41-2 home victory over Pequot League Sassacus Division opponent Morgan at Colafati Field on Sept. 28. The Thunderbirds also improved to 2-1 in their divisional games by beating Morgan, which had defeated North Branford in each of the past two seasons.
Junior Nick Mancini had another big game for North Branford by rushing nine times for 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns to go with one receiving TD against Morgan. Senior quarterback Jeff Jablonski connected on 10 of his 14 pass attempts for 159 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions for Head Coach Mark Basil’s squad.
North Branford got on the board first when sophomore Charles Walcott scored on a 10-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Senior Jarrett Cocopardo kicked the extra point, and the T-Birds had a 7-0 lead. Later in the quarter, senior Sydney Franklin took one in from five yards out to give North Branford a 14-0 advantage after one. In the second quarter, Mancini scored three TDs to give the Thunderbirds a 35-0 lead at halftime. First, Jablonski threw a 19-yard touchdown strike to Mancini, who then ran in the 2-point conversion for a 22-0 lead. Mancini followed that with scoring runs of three yards and one yard, and North Branford had a 35-0 command at the break.
Morgan got two points by recording a safety in the third quarter. Then in the fourth, Brandon Fratta found fellow freshman Alex Clinton on a 20-yard touchdown pass that put a bow on North Branford’s 41-2 victory.
Additionally for North Branford’s offense, junior Lou Raffone had a nice night by rushing four times for 43 yards and catching three passes for 40 yards.
On defense, the T-Birds intercepted Morgan’s quarterback three times in the game. Franklin, Walcott, and junior Nate Raymond had the picks for North Branford, which also recorded six sacks. Freshman Tyler Dinapoli had two, while Franklin, junior Nick DeNegre, Dinapoli, and fellow freshmen Jamison O’Brien and Stathi Gianniotis had one sack apiece for the T-Birds. O’Brien also forced a fumble that he recovered. Mancini led North Branford with 16 tackles, O’Brien and junior RJ Sobask had eight, and senior Jason Ryszczyk and Clinton both had seven tackles.
The next contest for North Branford is at divisional opponent Lewis Mills (0-4, 0-2) at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7.
Field Hockey
North Branford remained undefeated and clinched a spot in the Class S State Tournament by winning three games at home last week. The T-Birds posted victories versus Watertown, Valley Regional, and Stafford last week to improve to 9-0-1 on the season.
North Branford started off last week by sealing its states bid with a 4-2 home win over Watertown in a non-conference contest. The very next day, the Thunderbirds hosted Valley Regional for a Shoreline Conference matchup and blanked the Warriors 2-0.
North Branford closed the week with a 6-0 home win against non-conference opponent Stafford on Sept. 29. Amy Raucci scored three goals for North Branford, while Angelina Ramada had a goal with two assists. Ava Galdenzi and Ali Barrett both had a goal with an assist in the victory.
Girls’ Soccer
North Branford was victorious in two of its three contests last week to raise its record to 7-1 and earn a berth in the Class M State Tournament.
On Sept. 25, North Branford notched a 6-0 victory at Capital Prep in a non-conference game. The next day, North Branford hosted Old Lyme and was edged by a 1-0 score.
Two days after that, the T-Birds faced another Shoreline Conference opponent with a game at Coginchaug and dispatched the Blue Devils 3-0. Ana Pavic had a goal with an assist, while fellow junior Allie Augur made six saves in net for North Branford.
Boys’ Soccer
The Thunderbirds were triumphant in two of their three games last week to improve to 4-4-1 on the season.
North Branford started its week by netting a 3-2 home win over Old Lyme on Sept. 25. Two days later, the T-Birds took a 2-0 defeat at Coginchaug in another Shoreline Conference matchup. North Branford closed out the week on a positive note by earning a 3-0 victory at non-conference opponent on Sept. 29.
Volleyball
North Branford was victorious in two of its three matches last week to raise its record to 3-7 on the season. The T-Birds beat Old Lyme and East Hampton with a loss to Coginchaug in between during last week’s action.
The Thunderbirds picked up their second win of the year when they shut out Old Lyme 3-0 in a home match on Sept. 25, winning behind set scores of 25-11, 25-19, 25-22 last week. Sofia Cavalier had 10 digs with four kills and three aces, while fellow sophomore Julia Ricardo punched up 11 digs for North Branford. Sophomore Kate Pedersen posted eight digs with three aces, sophomore Lily Blomster had four aces, and senior Dana DeLuca contributed eight digs in the victory.
North Branford later took a 3-0 home defeat to Coginchaug on Sept. 27, but bounced back with a 3-2 victory against East Hampton in a home match two days later for its third win on the season.