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10/29/2017 12:00 AMField Hockey
The Branford field hockey team split its last two games of the regular season by defeating Shelton and losing to Hand last week. The Hornets posted an overall record of 13-2-0-1 that included a mark of 11-0 in games that count in the SCC standings to win the regular season conference title. The Hornets now enter play in the SCC Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
Branford began last week with a game at Shelton and claimed a 6-0 win against the Gaels on Oct. 27. LanLe Crotty scored the first goal from Carly Shea on a corner play, Molly Zaffino scored from Autumn McHenry, and then Zaffino assisted Caitlin Baker for a goal that put Branford up 3-0 at halftime. In the second half, Brianna Shaw scored from Zaffino and then netted another goal with McHenry getting the assist. Zaffino scored her second goal of the night on a corner to put a bow on the 6-0 victory.
The following day, the Hornets took a 3-0 defeat versus Hand on Senior Night. Branford earned 23 corners to Hand’s six, but the Tigers’ defense held strong, and prevented the Hornets from scoring.
The members of Branford’s senior class—Crotty, Baker, McHenry, Britney Bunbanlu, Leah Pendl-Robinson, Erica Klarman, and Fiona Palmieri—were honored for their contributions to the program during a ceremony prior to this game. Head Coach Cathy McGuirk thanked the team’s parents for organizing a special evening for the Hornets’ seniors.
Branford is the No. 1 seed in the SCC Tournament and will host No. 8 Amity for a quarterfinal contest at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 30. With a win, the Hornets will face the winner of Guilford and Sacred Heart Academy in the semis at Guilford High School on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The championship game takes place at Guilford at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4.
After SCCs, the Hornets will compete in the Class M State Tournament that gets underway on Tuesday, Nov. 7. The final is at Wethersfield High School on Saturday, Nov. 18.
Volleyball
Branford volleyball concluded its regular season by defeating Sheehan, after which the Hornets posted a victory versus Hand in the first round of the SCC Tournament last week. Head Coach Cody Michaels’s club has won six in a row and owns an overall record of 12-6.
On Oct. 23, Branford won by a 3-1 (25-27, 25-15, 25-17, 25-14) final at home versus Sheehan. Marisa Minore had 10 kills with seven aces and four digs; Erin O’Brien recorded 28 assists, four digs, and two kills; and Haley Maercklein posted 11 kills, five blocks, and five digs in the victory. Despite dropping their first three matches of the year, the Hornets finished with a record of 11-6 for the regular season and also won a share of Quinnipiac Division title with Foran.
Then on Oct. 27, Branford opened up the SCC Tournament as the No. 7 seed and claimed a 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-15) victory over No. 10 seed Hand in a first round matchup. Minore threw down 12 kills, O’Brien had 24 assists and two aces, and Diana Karosas added nine kills with seven aces for the Hornets.
The Hornets will play at No. 2 Guilford in a quarterfinal contest at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 30. With a win, they’d play at the winner of Amity and East Haven in a semifinal game on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The SCC final is at East Haven at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4.
The Hornets will also compete in the Class L State Tournament that begins on Monday, Nov. 6 and concludes the championship game at East Haven High School on Saturday, Nov. 18.
Boys’ Soccer
Branford defeated Cheshire in its regular season finale before losing against Fairfield Prep in the SCC Tournament quarterfinals last week.
Branford ventured to Cheshire for its last game of the regular season on Oct. 23 and upended the Rams 2-1 to notch a record of 11-4-1. The Hornets had played Cheshire to a 1-1 tie earlier in the season.
Then on Oct. 27, Branford opened play as the No. 5 seed in the SCC Tournament and took a 2-1 loss at No. 4 Fairfield Prep at Fairfield University.
The Hornets are competing in the Class L State Tournament. The tourney gets going on Tuesday, Nov. 7 and will finish with the title game on Friday, Nov. 17 or Saturday. Nov. 18.
Girls’ Soccer
The Hornets finished off the 2017 regular season by recording a 1-0 home victory versus rival East Haven on Oct. 23, marking the second time this season that the Hornets defeated the Yellowjackets by that score.
The Hornets will next compete in the Class L State Tournament that begins on Monday, Nov. 6 and concludes with the championship game on either Friday, Nov. 17 or Saturday. Nov. 18.
Boys’ Cross Country
Branford competed at last week’s Class L State Championship and finished in 15th place as a squad.
Senior Ryan McCarthy turned in the top showing for the Hornets by claiming 62nd place behind a mark of 19 minutes and 16 seconds. Branford’s other runners at states were junior Matt Daley (76th, 19:36), junior Harrison Troidle (93rd, 19:55), junior Andrew DeBenedicits (102nd, 20:10), sophomore Andrew Betzig (107th, 20:19), sophomore Chris Bjork (146th, 22:06), and sophomore Chris Borst (147th, 22:09).
Girls’ Cross Country
The Hornets hit the course at Wickham Park to run at the Class MM State Championship on Oct. 28. Branford finished in 19th place as a team at the meet.
Senior Emily Borst led the Hornets’ pack by posting a time of 25 minutes and 21 seconds to finish in 78th place. Senior Sophie Spencer finished 104th by running a 26:18, fellow senior Caroline Erickson came in 127th place at 28:40, sophomore Violet Smiarowski finished 133rd with a 29:56, and Maddie Steinman finished in 137th with a time of 30:30 for Branford.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
Branford hosted Guilford for its regular season finale at Soundview YMCA on Oct. 24 and posted an 85-78 victory against the Indians.
The Hornets are competing at the SCC Championship this week and have the Class M State Championship on the way. The Diving Championship is at Bulkeley High School at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8; the Swimming Qualifying takes place at Masuk High School at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11; and the Swimming Championship will be held at Southern Connecticut State University at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 15
Football
The Hornets had a home game against SCC Tier 2 squad Amity on Oct. 27 and took a 28-3 loss to move to 1-6 on the season.
Branford held a 3-0 lead after the first quarter on a 30-yard field goal by Teddy Gionteris, but Amity scored two touchdowns in the second quarter, one in the third, and another in the fourth to come away with the win.
Jackson Seward ran 15 times for 52 yards, while Chico Greene gained 46 yards on four carries for Branford. Danny Thomas grabbed four receptions for 82 yards. Seward made 11 tackles on defense, and Aiden MacNeil snagged an interception that he returned 38 yards.
Branford’s next game is on the road versus fellow SCC Tier 3 opponent Lyman Hall (4-3, 3-0) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3. The Hornets a 1-2 in Tier 3 contests this year.