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08/30/2018 12:00 AMFollowing back-to-back seasons in which it posted a .500 record or better, the East Haven football team had a down year that saw the Yellowjackets finish with a record of 1-9 in 2017. After the season, Melvin Wells stepped down as the team’s head coach. Now, East Haven is embarking on a new era as Scott Benoit gets ready to begin his first season as head coach of the Yellowjackets.
Benoit comes to East Haven with a vast knowledge of the local football landscape, having spent time as an assistant coach at West Haven, Amity, and Cheshire, in addition to serving as the head coach at North Branford, Guilford, and Hamden. With 30-plus years of coaching experience in the area, Benoit is emphasizing how proper preparation translates to success on Friday nights. He said that everyone on the Yellowjackets is buying into that concept.
“I think it’s preparation. It’s the way we practice, our organization, and the way our staff prepares. That hasn’t changed. We have the same practice plan we had when I was at Hamden 10 years ago,” said Benoit, whose team opens up by hosting Bassick at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 7. “We don’t get to practice for a long time—maybe 2 hours and 15 minutes a day—so we use 10-minute periods. When we blow the horn, it’s time to rotate drills. They have done a great job. Our players had a great spring and have done great so far in preseason. We have a high tempo at practice. They’re learning and working hard. The enthusiasm is good.”
With everything the Easties are putting into their practices, Benoit is hoping to see that type of effort help the team accomplish the primary goals that he’s established for the 2018 campaign
“My goals are very simple. I want this to be a positive experience for our kids. I want to set a foundation, because I want to play in relevant football games,” said Benoit. “As far as records go, I can’t tell you, but I want to be playing in relevant games, especially at the end of the season.”
East Haven’s varsity roster only features 34 players this year. While the quantity may be not there for the Easties, Coach Benoit believes that there are a lot of quality athletes on his squad.
“These numbers are very similar to when I was with North Branford,” Benoit said. “You can only play 11 guys at a time, so whether you have 100 or 40, it’s the 11 guys on the field that really count, and I like our guys.”
East Haven’s senior captains for the 2018 season are fullback Ryan Cordova and linemen Steve Mingione and Josh Rao. Benoit likes having two captains manning the line, and he’s been impressed with the job that all three of his captains have done with leading the Easties through the rigors of the preseason.
“The three captains are all upperclassmen and have done a great job of keeping it together,” said Benoit. “We’re developing leadership skills, but they’ve done a great job, and I have no complaints.”
The Yellowjackets’ offensive line will feature Mingione at center with fellow senior Mario Natale at either guard or tackle. Junior Calvin Nelson and sophomores Gunner Horton and Kristjan Fonacier will also play on the O-line for East Haven.
Junior Tanner DiVito is lining up under center as East Haven’s quarterback for the second consecutive season. Coach Benoit feels that the offense the Yellowjackets’ are running this year will bring out the strengths in DiVito’s game.
“This offense is more suited to him, as opposed to what they did last year. We’re an option team, so he has done a great job reading it. He can run it and throw it. In fact, he was 9-of-10 passing with a touchdown in our scrimmage against [St. Joseph],” Benoit said. “St. Joe’s is probably the best team in the state, and Tanner did a great job, so that was encouraging.”
East Haven features its most depth at the skill positions entering the season. With running backs such as seniors Cordova, Dan Hernandez, and Michael Manning; juniors Mike Castellano and Jacob Araujo; and sophomores Alex Duarte and Eric Araujo, as well as a bevy of receiving options, Coach Benoit said Yellowjackets’ playbook is wide open this year.
“We have probably six receivers, two tight ends, and six running backs, and I have no qualms about putting any of them in the game. They’ve all done a great job,” Benoit said. “We’re still learning the offense, defense, and special teams, because it’s all new stuff, but we’ve been doing a great job picking things up. All the guys have done really well.”
Benoit added that a few other guys have stood out to him during the preseason, including senior Steven Johnson (a transfer from Law), junior Joe Consiglio (a first-time football player), and junior Jake Marquardt. Consiglio is fighting for time on the defensive line, while Marquardt and Johnson are primed to make an impact at tight end and wide receiver, respectively. Benoit also had rave reviews for senior kicker Evan Damian.
“He’s a tremendous kicker, which really helps us on special teams,” said Benoit. “He’s hit from 48 yards in practice, so he has a tremendous leg and is very accurate, too.”
East Haven will once again be competing in SCC Tier 3 with Bassick, Branford, Guilford, Harding, Law, Lyman Hall, and Sheehan. Coach Benoit didn’t have any predictions in terms of where the Yellowjackets will end up in the standings. Right now, Benoit is just focused in kicking off his debut campaign in East Haven, and he hopes that the other teams in Tier 3 are ready
“It’s one week at a time. If we keep that approach, I think we’ll be OK,” he said. “Teams in Tier 3 are all similar numbers-wise and are very competitive. I think it’s going to be really balanced.”
Benoit added that he really likes the coaching staff that’s come together in East Haven and feels that each one of his assistants brings his own unique ability to the sidelines. The Yellowjackets’ assistant coaches for this season are Jon Byrd, Chris Cuomo, Frank DeGennaro, Ron Marshall, Elliot Hastings, Lance Horton, Niko Fiorillo, Ricardo Araujo, and Nick Gargano.
2018 East Haven Yellowjackets Football Schedule
All home games at East Haven High School
Friday, Sept. 7: vs. Bassick at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 15: at Notre Dame-Fairfield at noon
Friday, Sept. 21: at Lyman Hall at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 28: vs. Xavier at 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 12: vs. Bethel at 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 19: at Guilford at 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 26: vs. Cross at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 3: at Coginchaug/Hale-Ray/East Hampton at 2 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 16: at Sheehan at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 22: vs. Branford at 10:30 a.m.