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10/02/2017 12:00 AMFootball
The Hand football team had a home contest against Harding and prevailed 37-6 to move to 3-1.
Phoenix Billings was 11-of-19 passing with 110 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers. He also carried the ball nine times for 34 ground yards. Delavantae Hutton led the rushing column with 142 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries. Ian Butler reeled in seven catches for 65 yards, Brian Casagrande had a TD, and Jesse Lutz caight a touchdown pass. The Tigers’ ground game amassed 210 yards on 53 carries in the victory.
Harding (0-4) opened the game by returning the kickoff for a touchdown and 6-0 lead. Those would be the only points of the game for the visitors as Hand led 14-6 at the break before increasing the command with 23 second-half points on the way to win No. 3.
“We turned the ball over too much, including sometimes in the red zone. But they couldn’t get anything going, and our defense has been lights-out this year,” said Head Coach Dave Mastroianni, whose club committed three turnovers in the victory. “We set our offense up with good field position. Phoenix made timely throws. We dominated field position and control of the clock. I would have liked though to see a better intensity and focus from our guys.”
On defense, Hand finished with seven tackles that went for a loss of yardage, along with two sacks, and a safety by Tristen Dougherty. John Flanagan had a half-sack with Ben Corniello, while Macken McDonald also added a sack for Coach Mastroianni’s squad.
“One of the best indicators of team chemistry was that every kid was in school the next morning after a Thursday night game. It was a great thing to see and it was awesome for them to do that,” said Mastroianni. “These kids help out with the youth football practices in town, and they are a group that is truly learning how to win. There have been little mistakes, but they are figuring it out and we’re right there.”
The Tigers will next host Foran (3-1) on Friday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m.
“[Foran’s Jared Hubler] is a very talented quarterback and runs the ball phenomenally. [Head Coach Jeff Bevino] does a great job with that offense,” Mastroianni said of the Lions. “They do a lot of the same things we do on offense, and they cause confusion on defense with 3-3 stacks. They present challenges.”
Girls’ Soccer
The Tigers had games against Lauralton Hall and Mercy last week, securing a pair of one-goal wins for a 6-1 record.
Hand stayed unbeaten at 3-0 in the SCC Quinnipiac Division after a 2-1 win over Lauralton Hall on Sept. 25. The Tigers then edged out Mercy by a 1-0 final on Sept. 27.
Boys’ Soccer
Hand took on nearby SCC rivals Branford and Guilford this past week. The Tigers took their first loss of the year, but are still sporting a strong mark of 6-1-1 with a record of 4-0 in the SCC Housatonic Division.
The Tigers blanked Branford 6-0 on Sept. 25. Scott Testori was the star of the game with three goals for Hand. The Tigers’ defense played a great game and goalie Tommy Hobin recorded another shutout.
Testori scored his first goal from inside the box just less than 10 minutes into the game. Hand continued its offensive pressure and was awarded a penalty kick with 11 minutes left in the first half. Liam Akers stepped up to put the ball in the back of the net for a 2-0 lead at the half.
Early in the second half, Testori scored his second goal, assisted by Nick Porte, to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead. Ten minutes later, Testori completed his hat trick by ripping a shot past the Branford keeper for a commanding 4-0 lead. Owen McShane played a corner kick into the back of the net for the Tigers’ fifth goal. Jason Wallach scored the final goal, assisted by Ian Frankel, to close the game at 6-0.
Hand then took a 1-0 loss to Guilford two days later.
Girls’ Volleyball
Hand faced Career, East Haven, and non-league foe Ledyard last week and won two of three to stand at 5-4 overall. The Tigers, who are now 3-1 in the SCC Oronoque Division, swept Career 3-0 on Sept. 25. Hand then took a 3-0 loss to East Haven two days later. After that, the Tigers edged Ledyard 3-2 (20-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-23, 15-13).
Facing Ledyard, Anna Lefante had seven kills and 30 digs, Halle Freund played a balanced game with 27 digs, nine blocks, and five kills; and Bella Vitale handed out 23 assists for the Tigers.
Girls’ Cross Country
The Tigers took on Hamden, Sacred Heart Academy, and Law in a quad-meet on Sept. 26, earning victories against all three teams.
Hand defeated Hamden 27-30, beat Sacred Heart Academy by a 15-49 final, and also defeated Law by a 15-49 score. Rachel Parthasarthy clocked in at 20:20 for Hand, and following her was Madison Rotermund with a time of 20:30.
Field Hockey
The Tigers earned wins against Sheehan and Amity last week and are now 6-0-1 this year. Hand first defeated Sheehan behind a 4-0 shutout on Sept. 25. The Tigers then routed Amity 11-1 on Sept. 28.
Against Amity, Hand’s goals came from Jacqui Sandor (3), Taylor Leckey (2), Sophie Schreck (2), Kathryn Donahey, Isabelle Kennedy, Erickson Richard, and Ali Lord. Assists came by way of Richard (4), Nora McCarthy (3), Maeve Connors (2), Taylor Leckey (2), Schreck (2), Sandor, Skylar Leckey, and Kathryn Donahey. Kylie Gargiulo made two saves in the cage.