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12/25/2017 11:00 PMThe 2017 fall season on the North Haven sports scene featured several record-breaking performances from the girls' swimming and diving squad, as well as a gutsy run by the football team that culminated with a playoff spot. The Indians' volleyball team raised the most money yet for its annual Pink Game, while the girls' soccer squad made states for the second year in a row.
Girls' Swimming and Diving
North Haven had a historic season on both the team and individual fronts during the fall of 2017. Head Coach Martha Phelan's squad posted its all-time top showing in a state meet with a second-place finish at the Class M State Championship, while also breaking a slew of school records along the way. Sophomore Angela Gambardella and freshman Maddie Bergin each finished the year with two school records to their name, and both athletes also swam on a pair of relays that set school records.
The Indians competed in Division I of the SCC and finished with a record of 7-4. Then at the SCC Championship, North Haven posted three individual first-place finishes, broke six school records, and came in fifth place as a team. Gambardella took first place in the 200 individual medley (2:06.70) and 100 breaststroke (1:04.33), breaking school records in both events. Bergin set a school record in the 100 freestyle (53.27) by winning by one one-hundredth of a second and also broke her own school record in the 50 freestyle (24.32) with her third-place finish. Bergin and Gambardella also swam with seniors Jasmine Nguy and Laura Borrelli on North Haven's second-place 200 medley relay that broke a school record with a time of 1:51.90. Nguy and Borrelli captained the Indians alongside fellow senior Avery Hill and Michaela Salvo.
Also at the SCC meet, the Indians' 200 freestyle relay of Gambardella, Borrelli, freshman Riley Jooss, and Bergin broke a school record at 1:40.88 for a third-place finish. Gambardella received the Most Outstanding Performance Award for the Conference Championship, and Coach Phelan was named the SCC Division I Coach of the Year. In the SCC diving competition, sophomore Ava Santacroce finished fourth, while junior Isabella Alogna came in fifth.
Two weeks later, North Haven posted its best finish in program history at a state meet by earning the runner-up trophy at the
Class M State Championship. The Indians won six events and broke four school records at the meet. Gambardella swam a time of 2:06.59 in the 200 IM to win the event and break her school record. She later swam a 1:03.82 in the breaststroke to take first and beat her other school-record time from the SCC meet. Bergin won the 50 freestyle in 24.44, and she also broke school her record in the 100 freestyle behind a victorious time of 53.03.
North Haven's 200 medley relay claimed first place and topped its school record by posting a time of 1:51.43. The 200 freestyle relay went a 1:40.89 for first place and came just one one-hundredth of a second from breaking its school record. Santacroce finished sixth for the Class M Diving Championship.
Then at the State Open, Bergin broke her school record in the 50 freestyle with a 24.26 to finish seventh and help the Indians place 11th. Bergin also took 11th place in the 100 freestyle. Gambardella finished fourth in the breaststroke and was fifth for the 200 IM at the Open. North Haven's 200 medley relay came in 12th place, while the 200 freestyle relay finished in 15th.
On Oct. 15, North Haven held its annual Lion Heart Lap-a-Thon fundraiser with Amity and Hamden high schools, along with the Hamden Hall Aquatic Club, and raised more than $3,000 for breast cancer research at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven.
Football
North Haven won its last five games of the regular season to qualify for the Class L State Playoffs for the fourth time in five years and the seventh time in program history this fall. The Indians took a 35-13 loss at Hand in the quarterfinal round to finish the year with a record of 8-3. Head Coach Anthony Sagnella's squad also went 3-2 in SCC Tier 1 to finish in third place. The Indians' senior captains were quarterback/safety Mark Montano and wingback/linebacker Korbin Pecora.
North Haven's victories came against Harding (54-35), Cheshire (17-14), Creed-Career-Whitney (49-14), Pomperaug (42-14), Xavier (50-49 in overtime), Foran (60-14), Fairfield Prep (35-28), and Amity (46-7). Against Cheshire, freshman Chase DiCarlo kicked a 27-yard field goal to give the Indians the win. The Xavier game saw North Haven squander a 27-0 lead as the Falcons sent it to overtime, where senior Zack Orth's 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down tied the game, after which Montano rushed for the 2-point conversion to give the Indians the one-point win. After Orth scored four touchdowns in the Foran victory, Montano ran for 237 yards and four TDs, including the game-winner, as North Haven rallied to defeat Fairfield Prep on Senior Night. Then on Thanksgiving, the Indians notched their ninth straight win against Amity as Montano was named the game's offensive Most Valuable Player with Orth earning Defensive MVP honors.
North Haven had four seniors make the All-SCC Tier 1 Team. Eric Milliard and Henry Pearson made it on the offensive line, Montano made it as a running back, and Orth earned a spot as a linebacker. All four of those athletes also made the Levi Jackson All-Star Football Team. Pearson, Montano, and Orth made it at the same positions as they did for the All-SCC Team, while Milliard made it as a defensive lineman. Senior Steven Erbe also earned Levi Jackson accolades as a tight end for the Indians. Montano made the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) All-State Top 25, while Milliard and Orth made CHSCA All-State Class L Team. Montano also earned a spot on the Walter Camp All-Connecticut Second Team at running back.
Girls' Soccer
North Haven was in its second year with Head Coach Rocco Christiana and earned a berth in the Class L State Tournament for the second consecutive season.
The Indians went 7-7-2 during a regular season that saw them sweep two games from Lyman Hall, Hamden, and Wilbur Cross. Then in the State Tournament, North Haven dropped a 2-0 decision against Notre Dame-Fairfield. The Indians' senior captains were Kylie Brandt and goalie Angela Sanzari.
Boys' Soccer
With longtime Head Coach Federico Fiondella having stepped down, Reid Chieffo began his tenure at the helm of the Indians. North Haven gave its opponents a tough time during the second half of the season and finished at 3-11-2.
The Indians netted victories versus West Haven (4-2), Amistad (8-0), and Valley Regional (2-1) on Senior Night, in addition to earning ties with Career-Hillhouse (3-3) and Foran (0-0). The senior captains for North Haven were goalkeeper Riley Powell and forward Max Paolillo. Powell was an All-SCC Division II honoree.
Girls' Cross Country
The Indians went 4-6 overall during the regular season that included a mark of 3-1 in the SCC Oronoque Division. After that, Head Coach Carl Jackson's club finished 16th in the SCC Championship and 15th for the Class MM State Championship.
Sophomore Reagan Forbes finished 37th at the SCC meet and 31st in states. Senior Macey DiCarlo placed 64th at SCCs and 57th in the Class MM meet.
Boys' Cross Country
North Haven finished its regular season with an overall record of 4-6 and went 2-2 in the SCC Oronoque Division. The Indians finished 17th at the SCC Championship and 23rd at the Class L State Championship.
Junior Jack Opramolla placed 74th at SCCs and 82nd in states. Junior Jackson Frank finished 89th at the SCC meet for Head Coach Carl Jackson's squad.
Volleyball
North Haven went 6-14 in its second year with Brianna Kleckner as head coach, earning two wins against Hillhouse and one versus Lyman Hall, Mercy, West Haven, and Sacred Heart Academy. The Indians' captains were seniors Caroline Gabrielle and Courtney Babbidge, along with junior Olivia Petersen.
On Oct. 16, North Haven hosted its annual Pink Game when the team played Lauralton Hall at Fred Kelly Gymnasium. The night was the culmination of the Indians' effort to raise money and awareness in the battle against breast cancer. Junior athlete Val Gimler led this year's fundraising effort, which generated a record total $7,150 that was donated to the Sisters' Project, a non-profit organization in Wallingford that raises money to support local cancer patients and their families. Gimler presented a check to Judi Gallagher from the Sisters' Project during a ceremony prior to the match.
Field Hockey
North Haven finished 2-11-3 in its third year with Head Coach Kim Bouffard. The Indians notched a 1-0 win versus Shelton and a 2-0 triumph versus Sheehan to go along with ties against Sheehan (0-0), Lyman Hall (3-3), and Shelton (2-2).
The Indians' senior captains were Mehak Sharma, Bri Ferriola, and Delia Hawkes. Sophomore Sophie Aquaro was North Haven's starting goalkeeper.