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11/11/2017 11:00 PMThe Guilford football team recently hosted Bassick for a SCC Tier 3 matchup in its second-to-last home game of the season on Senior Night. The Indians not only honored their seniors by earning a victory, they did so in convincing fashion behind a 42-0 blowout over the Lions on Nov. 10.
The win broke a three-game losing streak for Guilford and brought its overall record back to the .500 mark at 4-4. The Indians also moved into second place in SCC Tier 3 with a solid mark of 4-1. Guilford started its offensive onslaught right off the bat by scoring 35 points in the opening quarter to build an insurmountable lead.
Senior captain A.J. Moscato had three rushing touchdowns in the victory, gaining 97 yards on five carries for the Indians. Guilford had three signal callers share the quarterbacking duties on the night. Junior Jack Strand was 2-for-2 for 19 yards and a touchdown, sophomore Ethan Vashel had a 47-yard TD toss, and Quinn Basil was 5-for-8 passing with 31 yards. In the receiving department, seniors Corey Sondak and Tom Spinner had touchdown catches of 47 and 12 yards, respectively, while Vashel also had two receptions for 24 yards.
“I think what helped the most was having great senior leadership on a night that meant the most to the seniors,” said senior Jack Gabriel. “Seeing the seniors lose last year on Senior Night was a very sad feeling and winning it this year meant the most to us.”
Guilford’s special teams unit also put points on the board against Bassick (0-9, 0-5) when junior Juan Colberg-Martinex blocked punt and recovered it for a score. On defense, senior captain cornerback Carter Cox had an interception, sophomore linebacker Owen Nizolek also reeled in a pick, and senior linebacker Clay Huffman recovered a fumble for Guilford.
It was a cold and blustery Senior Night on which the Indians’ 16 seniors and were honored for their dedication to Guilford High School and its football program. The scoring starting quickly for Guilford. After the Indians recovered Bassick’s surprise opening onside kick, they proceeded to score on a 55-yard touchdown scamper by Moscato. Guilford’s defense stopped Bassick on three plays and then blocked the punt, which Colberg-Martinez recovered in the end zone for a TD. Cox then intercepted a pass down field and took it back to the Bassick 7-yard line. Moscato followed by rushing for a 7-yard touchdown on the following play.
After another defensive stop, Guilford scored on a 20-yard pitch counter to Spinner. Moscato rushed for another touchdown to close out the scoring in the first quarter. Ssondak later ran in a 59-yard pitch pass for the final TD of the evening. All the Indians’ extra points were successful as senior Lucas Napolitano went 6-for-6 on point-after attempts.
“The team did exactly what we wanted to accomplish,” said Head Coach Anthony M. Avallone. “They worked swiftly and efficiently, and we were able to get our [freshmen and sophomore] team in at the start of the second half.”
The 16 athletes in Guilford’s senior class are Huffman, Gabriel, Napolitano, Cox, Spinner, Sondak, Moscato, Tanner Small, Luke Duffy, Brett Skapczynski, Tyler Melillo, Anthony J. Avallone, Jack Surgenor, Sean Russell, Sam Jankura, and Lucas Wilson.
From the Sidelines
In terms of its leading tacklers in the Bassick victory, Guilford was led by Tyler Melillo (7), Jack Gabriel and Brett Skapczynski (5 each), A.J. Moscato (4), plus Tanner Small, Carter Cox, and Anthony J. Avallone (3 apiece).
In their four wins against Branford, Creed-Career-Whitney Tech, East Haven and Bassick, this season, the Indians have averaged 33.75 points per game and allowed 11.0.
Guilford next travels to non-conference opponent East Lyme (5-3) on Thursday, Nov. 16 for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff. The Indians will finish the 2017 season by hosting Hand at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 22.